The Excel Hull Stingrays were tonight handed their fourth close loss in four games as they were defeated by Yorkshire rivals and title challengers the Sheffield Steelers by four goals to three in front of a bumper crowd at the Hull Arena.
Coming off the back of another defeat in Dundee, their third in three attempts, the Rays - who handed 18 year old Andy Hirst a home debut - got off to a very positive start, testing Latvian keeper Ervins Mustukovs as often as possible early on as they pressured the Steelers in their own end. However, after the Rays had failed to convert their ninth powerplay of the weekend, the Steelers opened the scoring against the run of play through the in form Neil Clark, who tapped home on their first man advantage of the game.
Sylvain Cloutier's side though had much of the play in the first and deservedly levelled on 16 minutes as man-of-the-match Andrew Coburn - who stood out every time he stepped on to the ice - capped off a move he started in mid-ice with a lovely finish past Mustukovs.
The Steelers could have potentially held the lead heading into the second as they found twine right on the buzzer, however, after conferring with his officials, referee Neil Smith rightly waved the goal off and called time on the first.
In front of a good away following Ben Simon's team again took the lead in the second, Jason Hewitt tipping a low shot from Robert Dowd to loft the puck high past Christian Boucher from close in.
With the Steelers on top for the second twenty, the Rays once again levelled - this time against the run of play - as hard work from struggling forwards Konstantin Kalmikov and Matti Uusivirta as well as that man Coburn, allowed Finn Uusivirta to score his 11th of the year from close in.
After controlling much of the second but having nothing to show for it, second goals for Hewitt and Clark five minutes apart, five minutes into the final period all but sealed the tie for the Steelers.
With ten minutes to play the Stingrays came back very strongly though, forcing perhaps the most intense period of attacking play all game as they looked to end the game in a similar vein as how they started it.
That intensity and desire eventually forced the team's first and only powerplay goal in two games and 16 attempts this weekend, special teams specialist Jereme Tendler netting his 33rd of the year after miscontrolling the puck and firing through and past both Rod Sarich and Mustukovs.
Continuing to push forward the Rays had a number of good chances in the closing stages - particularly during a 5-on-3 and 6-on-4 advantage - but they could not tie the game up as Mustukovs stood tall to deny the home side a deserved point.
This defeat, the Stingrays fourth loss on the trott, comes ahead of two midweek meetings between the two Yorkshire rivals in little more than a week, as the Rays travel to Ice Sheffield this Wednesday before the Steelers return to Hull on Wednesday 7 February.
Rays Rating
7
FBB Three Stars
1- Andrew Coburn (1+2)
2- Drew Bannister (0+1)
3- Ryan Lake (0+0)
