The Excel Hull Stingrays tonight closed out the 10/11 Elite League regular season with a comfortable 6-1 win over the Nottingham Panthers in front of their second successive 1100+ crowd of the weekend, thanks in part to a Jason Silverthorn hat-trick.
With both sides guaranteed seventh and fourth respectively and with nothing but pride and momentum to play for the game was earmarked a dead rubber, however, the Stingrays were clearly more eager to gain that much needed momentum than their opponents, heading into a potential playoff quarter final clash with either Sheffield, Cardiff or Belfast next weekend.
Dan Green started his second final regular season game at the Hull Arena in two years, replacing number one Craig Kowalski for the Panthers after last year allowing the Stingrays romp to a 7-2 win over Sheffield, and the home side gave him a tough night for the second year in a row.
The Panthers began the game the better side, protecting their relatively inexperienced keeper by effectively snuffing out the Rays offence while counter attacking with purpose. However, after looking dangerous on three first period powerplay's the home side opened the scoring on their fourth, a delayed penalty from Guillaume Lepine, as Silverthorn netted his first of the night by helping the puck home low under Green.
Brit Lee Mitchell then doubled the lead on 24.07 with a powerful finish on his own rebound after Panthers player-coach Corey Neilson had bravely blocked his initial shot on goal before Silverthorn doubled his personal tally and added the Stingrays third of the night on a shorthanded goal gifted on a giveaway that allowed him time and space to deke past Green two minutes later.
Nottingham then hit back with an inevitable goal on their dangerous counter attack, as Billy Ryan fired a high shot at an unsighted Boucher, who blocked the shot with his chest, before Rob Bellamy picked up the rebound and directed it in via a massive and unlucky deflection off the skate of Rays captain Kurtis Dulle.
That second period goal would turn out to be a minor blip on the road to a comprehensive victory for the Stingrays as Silverthorn completed his first hat-trick of the year with his fifth in two games on a rebound finish just over a minute later.
With the Panthers now visibly low on emotion and drive, the third period proved to be low intensity but end-to-end affair. Andrew Coburn delightfully smashed home the Rays fifth of the night on a 48th minute powerplay before Mitchell precisely doubled up with the team's second shorthanded goal of the night, having again been gifted time and space after yet another defensive giveaway by the Panthers D to round off a 6-1 win.
The victory ends what will be viewed as a successful regular season for the Stingrays with a four point, 14 goal weekend and just two goals conceded.
While momentum was clearly not important for Nottingham - who put in a performance similar to that of the Sheffield team that came here on the last day of last season and went down 7-2 - and a win was expected against Edinburgh, the Stingrays importantly go into the playoffs winning and winning with goals aplenty.
The opponents for the seventh placed Stingrays - due to play the team that finished in second in the title race - has now been decided after Sheffield, Cardiff and Belfast all won tonight, following wins last night. That outcome means the Steelers tonight lifted their third Elite League title, beating Cardiff into that second place on the regulation wins tie-breaker with 43 to Cardiff's 42, after they both ended the year on 87 points.
Sylvain Cloutier's side would undoubtedly have preferred to have faced Sheffield in the first round, having beaten their South Yorkshire rivals both home and away this season, as opposed to the Devils, whom the Rays have yet to beat in eight meetings this season.
That means if the Stingrays are to progress to their first ever final four weekend in Nottingham they will have to beat Elite League runners up Cardiff for the first time this year over two legs, starting on Saturday at the Hull Arena before travelling to Wales, and the scene of their record 12-0 defeat, on Sunday.
Regardless of previous fixtures, next weekend brings the playoffs and that means just 120 minutes of hockey and the Cardiff Devils stand between the Excel Hull Stingrays and that previously impossible dream.
Rays Rating
8
FBB Three Stars
1- Jason Silverthorn (3+1)
2- Andrew Coburn (1+1)
3- Lee Mitchell (2+1)
