Monday 30 December 2013

Shortbenched Stingrays suffer double defeat in Belfast

Belfast Giants 6-1 Hull Stingrays (L/CC)

The Hull Stingrays hopes of reaching sixth place in the Elite League and the semi-finals of the Challenge Cup were tonight dashed in Northern Ireland as they were defeated by six goals to one by the Belfast Giants in a doubled up league and cup quarter final fixture.

Sylvain Cloutier's side have been performing well short-benched in recent weeks and they were again without suspended import Martin Ondrej and Pavel Gomeniuk (work committments) and injured Brits Matty Davies, Tom Squires and Sam Towner.

However, it was always going to be an incredibly tough night for the Rays as they took on the Elite League leading Belfast Giants shortbenched and so it proved as the Giants exposed and exploited the Stingrays outshooting them 48-31 on the way to a 6-1 win.

The home side took 16 minutes to net their opening goal through Kevin Saurette before Evan Cheverie added a second just over two minutes later.

The Stingrays found some joy 7.19 into the second period as a Guillaume Doucet powerplay goal - his eighth goal in just three games - reduced the deficit to one but the Giants added two further goals towards the end of the period through Chris Higgins and Darryl Lloyd - extending the lead to 4-1.

Craig Peacock would add two further markers in the third period to complete a comfortable 6-1 win for Paul Adey's side.

The defeat knocks the Stingrays out of the Challenge Cup competition at the Quarter Final stage following an agreement between the two club's to reduce the stage from a two-legged affair to a one-off knockout, while it also prevents Cloutier's side from moving up to sixth in the Elite League table.

Despite the double defeat, the month of December has been remarkably fruitful for the Stingrays - who in nine games, including tonight, have only twice been defeated in regulation time, picking up five wins and 12 points along the way.

They return to action in the new year away from home on Thursday 2nd January in Sheffield and Saturday 4th January in Coventry before their first home fixture of 2014 against the Fife Flyers - whom they meet at the Hull Arena for the first time this season and the first of four visits in the next three months.

Sunday 29 December 2013

Deja vu as Stingrays hit seven again

Hull Stingrays 7-1 Edinburgh Capitals

The Hull Stingrays tonight struck seven goals for the third consecutive home game, making it three wins from three with their second 7-1 win over Gardiner Conference rivals the Edinburgh Capitals in two weeks.

Guillaume Doucet - who notched four goals in his last two games - opened the scoring for the Stingrays with his first of four goals on the night prior to the four minute mark.

Having outshot the home side 15-10 in the first period, the Capitals leveled the scores after 1.05 of the second period through Jan Safar.

Edinburgh would go on to again outshoot Sylvain Cloutier's side in the second - this time by 20 shots to 15 - however, a six minute offensive blitz from the Stingrays would put the game completely out of sign.

First, Kyle Mariani and Jereme Tendler handed the Stingrays a 3-1 lead less than 120 seconds after the Capitals equaliser before Doucet completed his hat-trick with two goals on 24.38 and 27.58.

The French-Canadian then overtook Tendler as the club's leading scorer and became the league's joint top goalscorer with his fourth of the evening seven seconds before the end of the second period.

Defenceman Omar Pacha would complete the scoring and the Stingrays second 7-1 triumph over Edinburgh on 4.45 into the third period.

The win maintains the Stingrays position in seventh in the Elite League after 25 games, two points ahead of Cardiff in eighth and two points behind Coventry in sixth and just three points behind Nottingham in fifth

Sunday 22 December 2013

Six game point steak ends for Stingrays in Fife.

Fife Flyers 5-3 Hull Stingrays

The Hull Stingrays were tonight unable to follow up on form that had seen them claim ten points from an available 12 and defeat the Nottingham Panthers 7-5 the night before as they were defeated in regulation time for the first time in seven games, losing 5-3 to the Fife Flyers in Kirkcaldy.

After a goalless first period the sides traded early second period goals through Bobby Chaumont and the in-form Guillaume Doucet.

The Flyers then took complete control of the tie as Chaumont completed with hat-trick with two markers either side of a Jordan Fulton goal to open up a comprehensive 4-1 lead after 31 minutes.

Jereme Tendler netted on the powerplay less than two minutes later to narrow the deficit heading into the final period before captain Jeff Smith recorded his first goal of the year in the third to lessen the deficit further with 12 minutes remaining.

However, for the second time in two games the understrength Stingrays - who were still without Matty Davies, Tom Squires and Sam Towner - ran out of steam in towards the end of the third period and were unable to find the all important tying goal.

The home side would eventually seal the win with an empty net goal from Derek Roehl with three seconds remaining.

Match Highlights: Hull Stingrays 7-5 Nottingham Panthers

Saturday 21 December 2013

Stingrays score seven (again) to shock Panthers

Hull Stingrays 7-5 Nottingham Panthers

The Hull Stingrays tonight hit seven goals for the second time in two home games, following up their 7-1 trouncing of the Edinburgh Capitals last week with a 7-5 shock win over the Nottingham Panthers.

Having spent the last three games down to just two lines and very little more, Sylvain Cloutier's side were boosted by the return of Bobby Chamberlain from GB U20 duty and the re-signing of Ukrainian defenceman Nikolai Ladygin - who made his second debut for the club. However, British forward trio Matty Davies, Sam Towner and Tom Squires remained on the sidelines through injury.

Regardless, after a slow start from both sides, the Stingrays opened the scoring through Jereme Tendler on 12.36 before doubling their lead through Guillaume Doucet just over a minute later with debutant Ladygin bagging an assist on the goal.

The Panthers would then add a late first period goal through David Clarke to halve the deficit heading into the first period intermission.

The second period was all about the Stingrays though as they netted two goals in the opening five minutes though Doucet on the powerplay - with Ladygin notching his second assist of a successful return - and fellow French-Canadian Carl Lauzon to chase starting netminder Neil Conway from the net.

He was replaced by Panthers back-up Dan Green - who didn't fare much better - conceding two more goals in the second period, first through Jason Silverthorn after sustained Stingrays pressure before Tendler added his second and the Stingrays sixth on the powerplay at 36.09.

Doucet would complete his second hat-trick of the season 6.27 into the third before Corey Neilson's side finally regrouped and began an unlikely comeback with 14 minutes left on the clock, outshooting the Stingrays 17-5 in the final 20.

Matt Francis scored a quick fire three minute double after nine minutes to reduce the score to 7-3 before late sloppiness then cost the Stingrays dear as the Panthers netted powerplay goals on 56.04 and 57.05 through Chris Murray and Clarke to reduce the deficit to two.

It was too little too late from the Panthers though and the Stingrays completed a famous 7-5 victory over their visitors from Nottingham, a victory which Stingrays owner and assistant coach Bobby McEwan would call "the biggest win I have had since I took over".

The Stingrays have now claimed ten points from 12 and travel to Kirkcaldy to take on the Fife Flyers on Sunday evening looking to further extend that run.

Monday 16 December 2013

Ladygin re-joins Stingrays

As speculated, defenceman Nikolai Ladygin has today rejoined the Hull Stingrays, five and a half years after last playing for the club in 2007/2008.

The Ukrainian spent two years in Hull between 2006 and 2008, impressing enough in the Rays inaugural Elite League campaign to pick-up the Defenceman of the Year award as he recorded ten goals and 17 assists in 54 games.

He was re-signed by former coach Rick Strachan in 07/08 and logged nearly 30 minutes of ice-time per game at times early on as injuries hit. He was then switched to forward during a second injury crisis later in the season having failed to replicate his offensive stats from his debut season and ended 07/08 with just two goals and 13 assists in 53 games.

As F Block Blog stated following 07/08:
"The Ukrainian man mountain proved solid and reliable with 30 minutes of ice time during the Stingrays injury crisis. During the second string of injuries he was reliable as ever as he moved up front as a forward. [He] will be disappointed with his points total after a 30 point 1st season but should return."
Adding later:
"Ladygin wasn't a fan favourite of Evgeny Alipov proportions, however, he very very rarely put a foot wrong and was a solid defenceman, which many fans appreciated. His strength and confidence to take anyone on at the back (physically and defensively) was what endeared him to the fans the most."
Since leaving the club in the summer of 2008 - after Strachan made it clear he would be having a clear out of imports - Ladygin has spent all of his time in Eastern Europe.

Primarily, he has iced in the relatively high standard of the Russian second tier, however, he has also mixed in short spells in his native Ukraine as well as single season's in the top flight in both Kazakhstan and Belarus.

Last season Ladygin was called up to the Ukrainian national team for the Olympic Games Qualifiers by former Humberside Hawk Alexander Kulikov - father of former Stingray and former teammate to Ladygin Slava Koulikov. The rangy blueliner iced in six games in his debut campaign for the national team, recording two assists as they were knocked out of the qualifiers by Slovenia - who progressed to Sochi 2014.

The signing of Ladygin officially bolsters the Rays blueline to six imports and eight defencemen, however, it is highly likely that utility man Kyle Mariani - who has spent the majority of the season as forward - will remain up front on the club's third line - where he has been constantly improving.

During his previous spell in the city Ladygin was a solid, imposing but not overly physical defenceman at 6'4, who rarely put a foot wrong. Offensively, while his shot from the point sometimes appeared somewhat awkward, he was something of a scoring sensation in his first season - ending the year as joint fourth topscorer. He failed to live up to that in his season season an will be under no pressure to produce offensively this season.

Indeed, given that either he or fellow recent signing and former teammate Pavel Gomeniuk, were supposed to be a forward replacement for Derek Campbell, it would appear player-coach Sylvain Cloutier is happy with the offensive threat posed by his forwards and that he wanted to shore up his D with these two signings.

Cloutier told the Hull Daily Mail:
"I have tried to sign Lady for a couple of years now. I played against him when I was with Coventry and always thought he was a tough player to play against. He did really well in his first year here before and was the defenceman of the year but in the second year he switched between defence and forward and it didn’t work out for him."
The fact the Stingrays have managed to fill the import slot is an big boost for Cloutier and the Stingrays.

Provided Ladygin arrives in time, they could now be at full strength with maximum imports for the first time since in a long this weekend as Bobby Chamberlain returns from GB U20 duty and Tom Squires, Matty Davies and Sam Towner all potentially return from injury.

Saturday 14 December 2013

Stingrays hit seventh heaven to complete remarkable Gardiner Conference run during challenging two-week spell

Hull Stingrays 7-1 Edinburgh Capitals

The Hull Stingrays tonight completed a testing two-week, five-game stretch against Gardiner Conference sides with a relieving and comprehensive 7-1 home win over the Edinburgh Capitals.

During that time player-coach Sylvain Cloutier has had to endure captain Matt Suderman quitting the club, Hull Arena flooding, three road trips to Scotland and injuries to three of his British players while another is away on international duty with Great Britain Under-20's.

Despite such a tough run of fixtures and indeed a tough run of luck, tonight's victory ensured that the Stingrays claimed at least a point in all five of their fixtures against conference rivals and a massive eight points from ten points available. That is an outstanding return for any side, let alone a side that has had to deal with all of the above.

On the night, the Stingrays - who traveled to Dundee with just nine outskaters on Thursday and returned against all odds with a point from a narrow overtime loss - found themselves up against a similarly understrength Edinburgh side.

Both sides iced just 13 players - mainly sticking to two lines - but quickly it became evident the Stingrays were up against a Capitals side apparently bereft of any form or confidence, particularly defensively.

In all it took the Stingrays just 72 seconds to beat Edinburgh netminder Tomas Hiadlovsky for the first time as Jason Silverthorn was given time and space to fire a point shot invitingly towards Jereme Tendler - who redirected the puck home for a 1-0 lead.

The home side really took it to their opponents in the first period - outshooting them 14-8 - and Tendler doubled his and the Stingrays goal tally on 12.33 as he intercepted some poor play by the Caps in their own zone before beating Hiadlovsky for the second time.

43 seconds later a speculative long-pass from his own zone by Omar Pacha was high sticked down by an Edinburgh player straight to Stingrays player-coach Cloutier - who added a third with a nice finish on the breakaway.

Richard Hartmann's side immediately hit back through Marc Fowley only for the Stingrays to regain their three goal advantage.

The Stingrays fourth of the period came on a powerplay which looked all the better for the point threat of returning defenceman Pavel Gomeniuk. The Ukrainian came out of retirement to help the Stingrays last weekend but has now joined until the end of the season and he notched an assist on Jason Silverthorn's 16th minute goal.

Surprisingly Hartmann refused to call a time-out in the first period Stingrays offensive blitz but his troops appeared rejuvenated in early in the second period.

Overall, the lack of depth on the bench probably hurt the Caps more than the Stingrays as Guillaume Doucet and Carl Lauzon both regularly took advantage of a tiring Edinburgh line with their trademark burst of pace.

It was that burst of pace that led to the Rays fifth goal as, following a prolonged period of Edinburgh pressure in the Rays zone, the puck broke to Lauzon - who suddenly found himself with the space to break at pace down the ice - before Doucet squeezed the puck home on the ensuing two-on-one.

Probably most obvious Caps deficiency on the night was their defensive frailty and even netminder Hiadlovsky appeared to have given in the third period up for that reason following the Rays sixth of the night.

A second poor giveaway in their own end eventually saw home debutant Gomeniuk - who, it has to be said, had a great return to action at Hull Arena - pinch from the point and score the Stingrays sixth. The goal saw the clearly distressed Slovakian netminder pull himself from the game and return to the Capitals bench, only for Hartmann to order him back to the goal.

He returned and would then stop a Lauzon penalty shot - outwaiting the French-Canadian on the shot - having initially given away the penalty for throwing his stick on a breakaway.

However, the Stingrays continued to dominate the game and, for once, didn't let up on their opponent as they have been guilty of in the past, going on to outshoot their visitors 18-6 in the third period.

Tendler wrapped up the scoring with just under ten minutes remaining, notching his first hat-trick of the season after robbing the puck from Jan Safar by way of a nifty stick-lift right in front of the net before instantly firing the puck home.

The win will be a massive relief for Cloutier and his side after a really tough couple of weeks and should allow him and his side to rest easy on their well deserved day off on Sunday.

In claiming eight of ten points from their last five games the Stingrays have solidified their challenge for the Gardiner Conference and they currently sit top on 19 points from 15 games.

They should now slowly but surely return to full strength with Bobby Chamberlain expected back from GB U20 duty, a replacement for Matt Suderman anticipated soon and potentially at least Tom Squires and Sam Towner back for next weekend's fixtures at home to Nottingham and in Fife.

FBB Three Stars
1. Carl Lauzon (0+2)
2. Jereme Tendler (3+1)
3. Pavel Gomeniuk (1+1)

Wednesday 11 December 2013

Gomenyuk signs for season; Smith named captain; 11th import inbound?

Ukrainian defenceman Pavel Gomenyuk has agreed to extend his short-term contract at the Hull Stingrays until the end of the 2013/2014 season.

The 35 year old guested for the club at the weekend as they dug in deep with a short bench to return home with a huge three points against Gardiner conference rivals following a shootout loss to Fife and 5-4 triumph over Edinburgh.

Gomenyuk - who will now partake in his 6th season in Hull - notched an assist and four penalty minutes over the weekend and is the club's fifth import blueliner.

While the defenceman has been criticised for some of his play in the past and would not have necessarily been most people's first choice, he is a welcome, cheap and most importantly immediate addition for Sylvain Cloutier - who has been struggling to pin down prospective players.

Of the Gomenyuk confirming his deal, Cloutier said:
"Gomy wanted to come back. He really enjoyed being back playing at the weekend, he settled in well with the other guys and had a lot of fun with them. He had no problem adjusting and you could not tell he had not played all season. Gomy is an experienced guy who will help out our defence a lot. He reads the game well and knows where to be out there. He will also boost our powerplay and penalty kill."
Meanwhile, following the departure of former captain Matt Suderman, Cloutier today announced that alternate captain Jeff Smith has been chosen to become the club's new captain.

The 32 year old veteran is incredibly well liked and respected both in the dressing room and by fans and is seen by Cloutier as the perfect captain and leader.
"Smitty has always been a leader in the dressing room since he came here. He has the respect of everybody and is a leader on and off the ice. He is someone you can rely on out there, he has been around, has captained teams before and has a lot of experience. He has also won championships wherever he has been. Last season was a tough one for Smitty with the problems he had not even being able to put his skates on. But he kept on battling for the team and is someone who never gives up and that is why he got the coach's award.
The move left a vacant alternate captain slot alongside Jason Silverthorn which Cloutier also announced has been filled by fellowed defenceman Martin Ondrej.

Finally, it is believed that the Stingrays have located and, indeed, signed their final import - a replacement for the long-departed Derek Campbell.

Speculation suggests that, pleased with the club's firepower in Jereme Tendler, Guillaume Doucet and the ever-improving Carl Lauzon, Cloutier may have plumped for a further import defenceman to shore up their back line in front of Ben Bowns and that that blueliner is another former Stingray.

The addition of another import defenceman would mean the versatile Kyle Mariani reverting back to his third-line forward spot alongside Tom Squires and Bobby Chamberlain - once he returns from Great Britain Under-20 duty.

Although the new import signing won't be in the country in time for Thursday's fixture in Dundee as they await a work permit clearance, it was hoped they may have him in the country in time for this weekend's home game against the Edinburgh Capitals.

Wednesday 4 December 2013

Gomenyuk makes surprise Stingrays return

Defenceman Pavel Gomenyuk will this weekend return for a fourth spell with the Hull Stingrays after player-coach Sylvain Cloutier today brought the Ukrainian back to the club as a short-term replacement for departed captain Matt Suderman.

The now 35 year old blueliner first moved to Hull ten years ago under Rick Strachan to join the Stingrays for their inaugural campaign in the British National League.

He spent two years with the Rays in the BNL before bouncing between the Stingrays and Newcastle Vipers in the Elite League between 05/06 and 07/08. His last spell in Hull lasted a further two years, first during Rick Strachan's final year as coach in 08/09 before Cloutier re-signed the then 31 year old for a further season.

Over his five year Elite League career Gomenyuk - who won the Elite League playoffs with Newcastle in 05/06 - has posted 32 goals and 83 assists for 115 points meanwhile he remains the Stingrays all-time leader in penalty minutes - having posted 494 PIM's in his previous 208 appearances for the club.

He joins the club having retired from the sport last season following four years in the English Premier League. Those four years were split between the Manchester Phoenix, Sheffield Steeldogs and Slough Jets and during that time he lifted 10/11 English Premier League trophy as alternate captain with the Manchester Phoenix and accumulated 31 goals and 132 points in 161 games.

With a crucial double header against Gardiner Conference rivals Edinburgh Capitals and Fife Flyers coming up this weekend and down two imports, Cloutier has moved to bring Gomenyuk - who lives locally - out of retirement and back to the club to strength the club's options.

While Gomenyuk has in the past been inconsistent in Stingrays colours, his undoubted strength is his powerful shot from the point and that is one area the Stingrays have struggled this season.

Equally, Cloutier - who has, as yet, been unable to find a replacement for Derek Campbell, let alone recently departed Suderman - will be grateful to the Ukrainian for stepping in at late notice to add numbers to his blueline at such a crucial time having retired from the sport last season.

Monday 2 December 2013

Suderman quits Stingrays

Matt Suderman has today quit the Hull Stingrays citing abuse from fans - primarily but not exclusively online - and the poor standard of refereeing in the Elite League as his reasons for leaving the club.

Suderman - who was the Stingrays captain - leaves having registered just one point and amassed 115 penalty minutes in 22 games for the club.

Sunday 17 November 2013

Short-benched Blaze beat Stingrays thanks to three goals in seven minutes

Hull Stingrays 2-5 Coventry Blaze

The Hull Stingrays were tonight defeated 5-2 by a short-benched Coventry Blaze side lead by returning forward Shea Guthrie.

Remarkably all of the last three Stingrays-Blaze fixtures have finished 5-2 and it would be the Stingrays that would again finish on the wrong end of the scoreline this time.

Both sides had hit the post before Mattias Soderstrom's side raced into a 1-0 lead thanks to a typically speedy and clinical counter-attack from that man Guthrie - who notched his first goal of the season in his second game after returning from Sweden on Friday.

In an end-to-end first period, the Stingrays struggled to craft that all important scoring chance but were, on the whole, controlling the game against a short-staffed Coventry side with just 13 outskaters.

That all changed in the middle stanza though as the Blaze dominated the Stingrays and opened up a pivotal four goal lead.

Ryan Ginand would net Coventry's second goal just 43 seconds into the second period, beating the Stingrays D and Ben Bowns to his own rebound before somehow steering it round the Rays netminder mid-dive.

The Elite League's leading scorer then collided heavily with Bowns in the ensuing dive, causing some worrying moments for the Stingrays and, in particular, their inexperienced rookie backup Mike Bolton while the GB international got back to his feet.

Bowns did resume the game, however, the Blaze were well on top and Kevin Harvey tipped home their third goal on the powerplay on 23.55 before Ross Venus fired home a killer fourth to complete a devastating opening seven second period minutes.

As the game entered the third period and then began to draw to a close it appeared that the Stingrays may be shut out for the second time in two home games - following last weekend's 2-0 loss to the Belfast Giants.

However, they would mount a mini-revival with less than nine minutes remaining on the clock as Carl Lauzon picked up a huge rebound from a weak Jeff Smith point shot and fired home into the gaping net to finally give the home crowd something to cheer about and to ruin Coventry's and Zacharias' shutout hopes.

The two goal weekend gives the French-Canadian - who was one of the Rays top performers on the night, albeit in a relatively average team performance - eight goals in 19 games this season including five in his last six as he finally looks to have settled in the UK and in the Elite League.

The goal stirred the Rays and for, really, the first time in the match they began to trouble the Blaze going forward.

Guillaume Doucet would then add a second goal for the Stingrays on the powerplay but, with less than three minutes to go, it would prove to be too little, too late in their bid to make it a four point weekend.

Looking for a third goal, the Rays pulled Bowns in a last gasp roll of the dice only for Ginand to add his second of the night into the empty net from distance with 37 seconds remaining.

Despite this evenings defeat and somewhat disappointing performance, Sylvain Cloutier will be happy and proud of his side's weekend having picked up two valuable Gardiner Conference points against Braehead on Saturday.

Next weekend they will face the Cardiff Devils at home on Saturday night before travelling to Scotland for the second time in two weeks to take on the Edinburgh Capitals on Sunday.

FBB Three Stars
1. Carl Lauzon (1+0)
2. Matty Davies (0+1)
3. Omar Pacha (0+1

Saturday 16 November 2013

In-form Stingrays claim third win in four games

Braehead Clan 2-3 Hull Stingrays

The Hull Stingrays tonight put in an impressive performance on the road in Scotland, defeating the Braehead Clan for the second time this season by three goals to two to claim their third win from their last four games.

The victory marks quite the turnaround for the Stingrays - who had just two wins to their name in opening two months and 11 games of the season but now have at least a point from seven of their last nine games.

On the night though it was the home side that opened the scoring, new import forward Joe Cullen bagging his first goal in Clan purple just 11 minutes into his debut.

The Stingrays would level the scores late in the first period, in-form Carl Lauzon netting his fourth goal in five games with 12 seconds remaining in the opening stanza.

Jereme Tendler then gave the visitors a 2-1 second period lead on the powerplay through his 18th goal of the season on 36.29 before player-coach Sylvain Cloutier extended his sides lead to two goals 1.13 into the final period.

That would prove to be the game winning goal for the Stingrays as the Clan pushed hard - outshooting the Stingrays 43-25 overall - but were unable to equalise following a second goal of the night from Matt Haywood on 52.50.

The Stingrays now return home before facing the Coventry Blaze - who they knocked out of the Challenge Cup less than two weeks ago - tomorrow night at the Hull Arena (6pm).

Sunday 10 November 2013

Stingrays rebound from Belfast disappointment to record huge win in Wales

Cardiff Devils 3-5 Hull Stingrays

The Hull Stingrays tonight produced their first win of the season over an Erhardt Conference side in the league beating the Cardiff Devils 5-3 in South Wales.

Importantly for their confidence, after being shut out at home by the Belfast Giants on Saturday night, the Stingrays got on the board first through a Jason Silverthorn shorthanded marker after 9.32.

Mac Faulkner quickly responded for the Devils though on the powerplay, netting on the same Guillaume Doucet tripping penalty from which Silverthorn scored a minute later.

Having impressed in the Stingrays 6-5 shootout loss in late October, following his four goals and lovely shootout goal, Doucet was given the chance to replicate that shootout move in the second period as the Rays were awarded a penalty shot.

While on this occasion he would be denied, Doucet would eventually add his fifth goal in two games in South Wales on 25.10 to again level the scores just three minutes after Matt Myers had given the Devils a 2-1 lead.

Having been outshot 12-7 in the middle stanza, the Stingrays then took a surprise lead through Carl Lauzon - who fired home on the breakaway in the 28th minute.

However, in the 32nd minute Cardiff were awarded a penalty shot of their own which new signing and former NHLer Tomas Kurka dispatched for a debut goal, sending the sides into the second intermission level at three goals apiece.

In a tense third period, Sylvain Cloutier's side would have to wait until the 57th minute for Jereme Tendler to bag the game winning goal with his 17th goal of the season before Omar Pacha added an empty net goal with 40 seconds left to complete the victory.

While the win is the Stingrays first this season over an Erhardt Conference side in the league, it is their second victory in less than a week over non-conference opposition following Wednesday night's 5-2 defeat of the Coventry Blaze in the Challenge Cup.

Following what is a huge victory in South Wales, the Stingrays will travel to Scotland next Saturday to face the Braehead Clan before taking on Coventry at home on Sunday.

Match Highlights: Hull Stingrays 0-2 Belfast Giants

Saturday 9 November 2013

Bowns stops 60 shots as Stingrays shut out at home by Belfast

Hull Stingrays 0-2 Belfast Giants

A superb 60 save effort from netminder Ben Bowns was tonight not enough to prevent the Hull Stingrays from losing by two goals to nil at home to the Belfast Giants.

The fixture pit the Great Britain national team number one netminder Stephen Murphy in the Giants net against his understudy Bowns and the contrast between their 60 minutes couldn't have been more stark.

While Bowns was called into action early and often - stopping 21 of 22 shots in just the opening period and 60 of 62 overall - Murphy had just six Stingray shots to deal with in the first and 19 overall.

The only Belfast shot that did beat the Stingrays netminder in the first period came from the stick of Dustin Whitecotton on the powerplay after 6.30.

The veteran Canadian was given time and space close in on Bowns to pick his spot five hole after Rays defenceman Jeff Smith was preoccupied with removing another Giants from in front of the crease

In fairness to the Giants, it was absolutely no more than they deserved even after just six minutes as they asserted their dominance over the Stingrays from the opening face-off and never looked back.

For large periods - in fact, the vast majority of the game - the Stingrays were powerless to prevent wave after wave of Belfast attack and Belfast puck possession. When Sylvain Cloutier's side did finally manage stem the flow they were unable to create any attacking drive of their own and if they did their offensive advances were snuffed out by a solid Belfast defensive core.

The only thing that ever looked like really denying the Giants two well deserved and hard fought points was Bowns. Unfortunately for the Rays following that sixth minute goal, he wasn't able to snipe home the all-important first Stingrays goal that just might've given them the momentum that they so craved.

Referee Michael Hicks was rightly vilified by home fans - and possibly also some of the Giants contingent that have traveled over for their away double header this weekend - for failing to live up to his early billing but in truth he had no impact on the outcome of the game.

Having called pretty much anything and everything in the opening period - totaling 14 minutes and seven minor penalties - Hicks appeared to become somewhat more relaxed towards infractions as the game wore on. Coincidentally or not, this perceived change in attitude towards penalties tied in with a number of missed calls on the Stingrays.

Whether those debatable penalties had been given or not, the home side still simply wouldn't have had enough - skillfully or physically - to defeat an overpowering Giants side.

Excellent on the penalty kill, stopping eight of nine opportunities including a rousing five and a half minute kill late in the second, the Stingrays powerplay - while offering a welcome break from the constant Belfast offensive pressure and puck possession - struggled and was unable to generate any true scoring chances.

Carl Lauzon probably came the closest to opening the scoring for the Stingrays late on in the second period as his shot on the powerplay rang off the cross bar and up over the plexi-glass.

The home side were trailing 2-0 by this point - having again been heavily out shot 23-6 in the second period - after Calvin Efring sold Martin Ondrej an exaggerated shot fake before beating Bowns with a wicked shot moments later.

It was a complete performance from the Giants and 2-0 up heading into the third they gave the Stingrays no respite firing a further 17 shots on the Stingrays net with Bowns equal to all of them.

Though the Giants had done more than enough to beat a Stingrays side that whose offence they smothered, it is worth pondering whether they would have run out winners had they been facing an Erhardt Conference side.

Worryingly for the Stingrays, had it not been for the performance of their netminder, they could have found themselves on the end of a morale sapping thrashing.

Bowns' outstanding man of the match performance - or not as it were, as the match sponsors mystifyingly gave it to Omar Pacha - kept the Stingrays within reaching distance of snatching a point against all odds. That's not to say the Stingrays as a team didn't work hard in their attempts to keep the visitors at bay, simply that on this occasion they were beaten by a better team.

Cloutier and his side will do well to learn from the Giants performance but equally, although they relied on Bowns more than they would've liked, they will take heart from the fact they kept Belfast largely at bay and within striking distance minus an all important import.

They will travel to South Wales on Sunday to re-visit the scene of their thrilling 6-5 shootout loss to the Cardiff Devils less than two weeks ago.

The Devils will be boosted by the signing of former NHLer Tomas Kurka - who will make his debut - and they will face a Stingrays side that have yet to defeat an Erhardt Conference side in league play this season.


FBB Three Stars
1. Ben Bowns (60 saves)
2. Omar Pacha (0+0)
3. Matt Suderman (0+0)

Wednesday 6 November 2013

Stingrays leave it late to progress against all odds from Challenge Cup Group B

Hull Stingrays 5-2 Coventry Blaze

Winless in six Challenge Cup Group B fixtures this season, the Hull Stingrays tonight made it seventh time lucky beating the Coventry Blaze by five goals to two and in the process qualified for the Quarter Finals for the second time in two seasons at the expense of the Blaze.

In a incredibly scrappy first period in front of a very sparse crowd, the Stingrays fell behind after 11.14 against the run of play - despite having outshot their visitors 21-12.

Blaze dangerman and Elite League leading goalscorer Ryan Ginand whizzing across the face of Ben Bowns' goal before beating the GB international on the powerplay for his 20th of the season following an inch perfect pass from Adam Henrich.

Sylvain Cloutier's side responded five minutes later though, showing real patience on a well constructed 5-on-3 powerplay. Having waited for their opportunity and increased the tempo on the man advantage, Matty Davies fired into a largely unguarded net as a rebound from an outstanding low backpost save by Blaze netminder Mike Zacharias on Guillaume Doucet fell straight to the British centre in the slot.

Nine minutes into a second period it was the Stingrays turn to lead against the run of play. With Gerome Giudice complaining to referee Mike Hicks about a delayed penalty he had given on the Canadian-Italian in the corner, the puck fell to Jereme Tendler picked up the puck in front and clinically fired home his 15th of the season for a 2-1 lead.

However, Ginand scored again for Coventry two minutes later to again tie the scores, notching a goal remarkably similar to the one Tendler had scored at the other end minutes earlier with Henrich and Ashley Tait again getting the assists on the Blaze goal.

While Ginand's efficiency in front of goal was effectively proving to be the difference for the Blaze, former Stingray Cale Tanaka was proving to be the biggest handful. As was his strength in the first half of last season when fit and healthy in Hull, Tanaka's speed and drive proved to be problematic for the Rays, particularly defensively, and the Canadian drew a number of penalties playing on the Blaze third line.

Though late in the game he was rocked by one of the biggest hits of the season from former teammate and friend Jeff Smith, Tanaka was at the heart of Coventry's revival as they dominated the Stingrays after their second goal.

What had started as a low-key, scrappy affair soon turned in to a niggly, somewhat end-to-end affair and it was the Stingrays that seemed to benefit most from this change in tempo during the third period having been outplayed at the tail end of the second period.

Penalties were always likely to prove the difference and it was the Stingrays that were given the opportunity to pounce first as an early penalty on Coventry enforcer Kevin Harvey after four minutes gave them a crucial man advantage.

On the ensuing powerplay, Matty Davies set up Kyle Mariani - who knocked home his first Stingrays goal on a one-timer at the backpost - to give his side what would prove to be a decisive lead 3-2 with Davies recording his 100th Elite League assist on the goal.

Mariani has undoubtedly had an indifferent start to his career in the UK, however, his versatility to revert between defence and forward has been invaluable. On the night he put in perhaps a man of the match worthy performance and certainly his best performance in a Stingrays jersey, having settled on the third line alongside Tom Squires and Bobby Chamberlain.

The goal gave the home side - who had to win in regulation to qualify for the Quarter Finals - the confidence heading into the rest of the period.

A crucial fourth goal followed seven minutes later as Carl Lauzon got the deftest of tip-ins off a point shot from Omar Pacha before Tendler added his second of the night with a looping shot shorthanded from centre ice into the empty net with 36 seconds left on the clock.

Against all odds, having gone winless in six games, the victory sends the Stingrays to the Quarter Final of the Challenge Cup. That qualification comes in the tougher of the two Challenge Cup groups for the second time in two years, this time at the expense of the Blaze - whom the Rays will top thanks to at least a tie-breaker with one game against the Sheffield Steelers still remaining this month.

While Challenge Cup Group B is all but complete with two games remaining, Group A is far from sewn up.

Although the Belfast Giants will be favourites to top the group and take on the Stingrays in the Quarter Finals for the second time in two years with five wins from six and two games remaining, Dundee are unbeaten in four just two points behind with four games remaining meanwhile Fife have three wins from four.

Belfast and Dundee meet on 1st December in Scotland in a massive game with the victor most likely to progress as group winners and face the Rays.

Last season the Stingrays were narrowly edged out 3-1 at home before pushing the Giants all the way in Northern Ireland only to lose out 5-4 (8-5 on aggregate).

Perhaps most crucially, the victory will give the club an extra home gate which will undoubtedly assist financially.

FBB Three Stars
1. Kyle Mariani (1+1)
2. Jeff Smith (0+0)
3. Sylvain Cloutier (0+1)

Thursday 31 October 2013

Doucet hits four as Stingrays again lose out on penalty shots

Cardiff Devils 6-5 Hull Stingrays (CC)

Four goals from forward Guillaume Doucet tonight helped the Hull Stingrays recover from 3-0 and then 4-2 down to take the game to overtime and then a shootout in the Challenge Cup before ultimately losing out 6-5 on penalty shots to the Cardiff Devils.

The Stingrays trailed 3-0 after just 14 minutes thanks to goal Andrew Conboy, Max Birbraer and Matthew Myers.

However, Doucet added a second period hat-trick including a shorthanded goal after 47 seconds of the period to ensure his side were trailing 5-3 at the second intermission after further markers from Ben Davies and Mark Smith.

Two goals down, Sylvain Cloutier pulled one back 11.37 into the final period before Doucet notched his fourth and 13th of the season with less than four minutes remaining to tie the score.

After a scoreless overtime period, Doucet gave the Stingrays a 1-0 lead in the first round of the shootout. However, misses Jason Silverthorn, Jereme Tendler and a miss from Doucet on his second attempt combined with Cardiff shootout goals from Chris Blight and Jake Morrissette handed the Devils the extra point.

Cloutier's side remain on the brink of elimination from the Challenge Cup but, having claimed a point tonight, can still potentially progress to the Quarter Finals of the competition for the second year in a row with a regulation time win over the Coventry Blaze next Wednesday at the Hull Arena.

After going winless in eight shootouts last season, the loss is the Stingrays second in two games that have gone to penalty shots this season.

However, the Stingrays have started to turn around their form and now have at least a point from five of their last six games in a marked improvement in fortunes.

Sunday 27 October 2013

Stingrays Capitalise to complete four point weekend

Hull Stingrays 5-2 Edinburgh Capitals

The Hull Stingrays completed a four point weekend over Gardiner Conference rivals the Edinburgh Capitals tonight, following up last night's 4-3 triumph in Edinburgh with a 5-2 victory at the Hull Arena thanks to doubles from Jason Silverthorn and Guillaume Doucet.

Similarly to Saturday night at Murrayfield, it was Edinburgh that came out stronger in the opening period but it would be the Stingrays that would open the scoring against the run of play.

After a quiet, scrappy start to the game, the Stingrays - who netted four powerplay goals on eight opportunities last night - were given their first opportunity of the game thanks to a Martin Cingel hooking penalty.

The Rays powerplay continued where it left off on the 24 hours earlier in Scotlant as Sylvain Cloutier broke into the offensive zone and fed Jason Silverthorn. The Canadian - who netted twice at Murrayfield - then brilliantly worked the puck between two Edinburgh defencemen on the backhand and outwaited netminder Tomas Hiadlovsky before switching to the forehand to open the scoring on 8.39.

Edinburgh once again had much better control on the puck than the Stingrays, particularly in the first period, and were playing a sound road game despite trailing, snuffing out the home sides offence while playing confidently going forward.

Having controlled large parts and outshot the Rays 17-7 in the first period, Edinburgh leveled on 11.13 as Jan Safar reacted quickest to a Martin Ondrej blocked shot which dropped at the Slovakian's feet before squeaking his shot through Bowns and across the line.

The Capitals then took the lead on 6.22 into the second period as a Michal Dobron blast from the point took a wicked deflection off Carl Lauzon's stray stick and found its way in off Bowns' far post. Though it was an awful piece of misfortune from a Stingrays perspective, in truth it was no more than Edinburgh deserved following their first period performance.

Regrettably for the visitors though, they didn't take advantage of their early performance and equally their performance in the final 30 minutes did not match that of their performance in opening 30 minutes.

The turning point of the game followed minutes after the Capitals second goal as the Stingrays were penalised for too many men on the ice on 27.08 before Jeff Smith took a roughing penalty having caught Cingel with a high glove on a big hit along the boards on 28.15.

After converting only one of ten powerplay opportunities on Saturday night, the Capitals were again unable to find that crucial goal on the ensuing five-on-three powerplay as the Stingrays came up with a huge penalty kill to restrict Edinburgh's lead to one goal.

That huge penalty kill gave the Stingrays real momentum and just 15 seconds after Smith's penalty expired the puck fell to Jereme Tendler in prime position in front of Hiadlovsky to level the score at 2-2.

The momentum continued and Guillaume Doucet then appeared to have given the Stingrays the lead as the goal light flickered on, only for the linesman to signal the puck had not crossed the line. Following the next stoppage in play the linesman and referee Tom Darnell confirmed the puck had not crossed the line after some mild protestation from Doucet.

Nevertheless, two minutes later Doucet made sure, giving the home side a 3-2 lead on a huge rebound from a low, bobbling Omar Pacha slapshot that took an age to reach the Caps net and which Hiadlovsky struggled to deal. What was the eventual game winning goal came moments after a hooking penalty on Les Reaney ended with the Rays still enjoying the benefits of the expired powerplay.

The Stingrays went from strength to strength late in the second period following the quickfire double and importantly they opened up a two goal cushion heading into the third period. Jason Silverthorn utilised traffic in front of the Edinburgh net to fire home from the top of the left circle, recording his fourth powerplay goal in just two games, ninth goal of the season and 101st in Stingrays colours late in the second period.

Two goals down, the expected Edinburgh offensive blitz in the third period never truly materialised and the Stingrays would end up winding down the third period in complete and comfortable control.

There would still be time for Doucet to add the Stingrays fifth of the night with a lovely late individual goal on 55.09 having picked the puck up in neutral ice following a poor Capitals outlet pass. The French-Canadian first used a burst of speed to beat the final defenceman before reverting to backhand, angling across Hiadlovsky and then backhanding his shot high over the shoulder of the Slovakian netminder to round off a good performance and what turned out to be a comprehensive win.

The victory completed a far from straightforward first four point weekend of the season for the Stingrays against a good Edinburgh outfit that could have easily taken points off the Rays had they been more clinical - notably on the powerplay. However, regardless of how the two victories came about, the Stingrays will be delighted with the outcome and have a good platform to build from after a difficult period of results.

Sylvain Cloutier's side now have points from their last four consecutive games which includes three wins and a shootout loss in the Gardiner Conference. Perhaps importantly, after this weekend they now also have two wins away from home in their conference, which is an area they were keep to improve on in their quest to win the Gardiner Conference.

Individually, in Tendler, Silverthorn, Doucet and Davies, the Stingrays have four players in the Elite League's top 20 pointscorers and an in-form netminder in Bowns. With Lauzon's potential beginning to show offensively as he gels with linemates Silverthorn and Doucet, and a decision on the ban on Derek Campbell's import spot and potential replacement rumoured things are certainly looking up in the Stingrays camp.

FBB Three Stars
1. Jason Silverthorn (2+0)
2. Guillaume Doucet (2+0)
3. Ben Bowns (38 saves)

Saturday 26 October 2013

Special teams the difference as Stingrays record second consecutive road victory

Edinburgh Capitals 3-4 Hull Stingrays

The Hull Stingrays tonight notched four powerplay goals and stopped the Edinburgh Capitals on nine of ten powerplay opportunities on the way to claiming their second consecutive victory away from home this season in a 4-3 win over their Gardiner Conference rivals at Murrayfield.

Having recorded their first road victory of the season in Fife two weeks ago, the Stingrays got the perfect start on their first visit to the Scottish capital. On the visitors first attack of the game Guilllaume Doucet drew a tripping penalty from Edinburgh defenceman Daniel McIntyre following a sublime bit of skill when entering the zone.

On the ensuing powerplay the ever improving Carl Lauzon broke into the zone and rang the post with a rasping shot from the face-off dot before the puck was somehow bundled home on the ricochet after just 1.14

Edinburgh responded quickly though as little more than 30 seconds later Peter Holecko was afforded time and space to expertly pick his spot past Ben Bowns and level the score.

Bowns would again be called into action soon after the tying goal with the GB number two forced to deny the Caps a breakaway goal with a glove save following a poor Stingrays line change.

The Capitals would eventually take the lead for the first and only time on 6.14 though. With Matt Suderman in the box for holding - having lost the chase for a dumped puck - and Jeff Smith out for two minutes thanks to a blatant slash in front of Bowns on the resulting powerplay, a low point drive from Michal Benadik gave the home side a 2-1 advantage.

Further pressure and puck possession followed from Richard Hartmann's side five-on-five but crucially, despite playing some of their best hockey, the Caps were unable to extend their lead.

A relatively harsh holding minor penalty from Martin Cingel on Carl Lauzon and an elbow to Jason Silverthorn from Michal Dobron then gave the Stingrays a big five-on-three opportunity.

Having scored on their first man advantage, the Stingrays powerplay - which has generally struggled to find form or cohesion so far this season - struck again on 15.26 thanks to an Omar Pacha point shot through traffic which may have taken a slight deflection on its way through.

The five-on-three powerplay swung momentum in the Rays favour and they perhaps should have been leading heading into the first intermission as the Caps blueline evaporated on a number of occasions.

Sylvain Cloutier was the first to be put through on a breakaway. The Rays player-coach worked the puck around Hiadlovsky - who challenged him with a poke check - only for the puck to fall behind him and for the onrushing Bobby Chamberlain to fire the puck into Cloutier with the goal gaping.

That breakaway was quickly followed by another as Matty Davies typically elect to pass the puck to Jereme Tendler - who trailed the centreman by a good ten feet - when put through on goal on for the Canadian to fire wide.

The Stingrays third powerplay goal in four powerplay attempts gave them the lead 7.17 into the second period. With Peter Holecko out for hooking, the Stingrays set up their special teams and eventually worked the puck down low before amusingly pinballing puck through Hiadlovsky's crease with three shot-turned-passes. The puck eventually fell to Jason Silverthorn with the former Capital firing home from in front to give his current side a 3-2 lead - much to the displeasure of his former fans.

A potential turning point followed just after the 30 minute mark as Rays defenceman Matt Suderman received what was by all accounts a very harsh two minute slashing call.

The Stingrays club captain openly and loudly berated referee Rab Cowan for the call and was therefore handed a ten minute misconduct for abuse of official. Inexplicably, having earnt himself a ten minute misconduct, the abuse didn't stop there and Cowan was given no option but to give Suderman a game penalty - sending him to the changing rooms.

The actions cost the Stingrays the services of one of their defenceman and forced them to re-shuffle their lines with Scott Robson rotated into the defensive line-up alongside Kyle Mariani - who switched from forward to defence. Sam Towner was therefore also brought into the line-up, filling Maraini's third line foward spot on a number of shifts.

Not only were the Stingrays firing on all cylinders on the powerplay, their penalty kill was also restricting the Caps offensively, with four penalties - including uncharacteristically Jereme Tendler's first two penalties of the season - killed in the second period.

In part their special teams was assisted by Edinburgh's misfortune on powerplay and the kind of reluctance to shoot on the man advantage that the Rays have suffered at times this season. Nevertheless, the Rays worked hard to keep the Caps at bay and would end the evening allowing just one goal on ten powerplay opportunities.

At times Stingrays netminder Bowns was the difference on the powerplay, however, he really came into his own in the third period as Edinburgh came out strongly.

Most notably Bowns made two brilliant double saves to keep the Stingrays head at 3-2. He first stopped Les Reaney on the breakaway before reacting to the rebound to stretch and somehow deny Martin Cingel with a kicksave on the rebound. A poor touch from Martin Ondrej later gave Reaney another Edinburgh break, only for Bowns to again deny both attempts.

Edinburgh continued to up the tempo in search of the equaliser and only a very well timed and well controlled puck cycle from Davies, Cloutier and Tendler relieved the pressure on the Stingrays net.

That puck cycle gave the Stingrays bench a momentary rest and would help them temporarily re-establish themselves back in the game.

A soft interference penalty from Caps defenceman Benadik on 50.25 would then prove to the difference in the end as the Rays added their fourth powerplay goal in five attempts through Silverthorn - who added to his unpopularity at Murrayfield with a finish past Hiadlovsky from close in for his second goal of the evening.

Despite adding their fourth goal of the evening, the Rays were forced to continue to weather the storm in the remaining minutes. The Caps called a time-out and pulled Hiadlovsky for the extra outskater Edinburgh and they would pulled one back with 33 seconds remaining through Holecko - who this time fired through a lot of traffic in front of Bowns for his second.

The Caps attacked from the ensuing centre-ice face-off and again set up in the offensive zone with the Rays unable to clear the puck.

However, luckily for the Stingrays, the game was effectively ended as a tie with 11 seconds remaining and the puck in the Rays zone as Reaney stupidly reacted to a legal check from Martin Ondrej - who had been enjoying a running battle with the Caps forward and Tomas Horna.

Reaney received a roughing penalty on the play - and later a ten minute misconduct on the buzzer - to relieve the pressure on the Rays, thus allowing them to close out their second road victory of the season in Scotland and avenging Edinburgh's victory in Hull in late September.

Both sides return to action in Hull tomorrow night (6pm face-off) for their third meeting of the 13/14 season.

FBB Three Stars
1. Ben Bowns (?? saves)
2. Omar Pacha (1+1)
3. Jason Silverthorn (2+0)

Saturday 19 October 2013

Shootout woe continues for Stingrays

Hull Stingrays 4-5 Dundee Stars (SO)

The Hull Stingrays tonight led the Dundee Stars 3-2 and 4-3 but were unable to hold on to their lead, eventually falling to their third loss against the Elite League leaders this season following a penalty shootout.

FBB Three Stars
1. Matty Davies (0+2)
2. Omar Pacha (0+0)
3. Jereme Tendler (2+0)

Sunday 13 October 2013

Tendler becomes Stingrays all-time leading goalscorer in narrow Challenge Cup defeat

Hull Stingrays 4-6 Nottingham Panthers (Challenge Cup)

Forward Jereme Tendler tonight notched a goal to become the Hull Stingrays all-time leading goalscorer but was unable to help his side defeat the Nottingham Panthers in the Challenge Cup as they lost out 6-4 in a tight affair.

With Nottingham - the reigning Challenge Cup champions - already qualified for the Quarter Final stage and the Stingrays all but guaranteed an early exit, the game was something of a dead rubber.

Indeed, the Panthers rested starting netminder Craig Kowalski and forward Lynn Loyns ahead of the start of their Continental Cup campaign, while the Stingrays were without Derek Campbell following his release and suspension last week and Jeff Smith - who received an automatic one-game ban for the match penalty he received in Saturday's victory over Fife.

Facing Nottingham back-up netminder Dan Green, the Stingrays immediately set about testing the British stopper with a series of early shots. Having put in a number of shaky performances in Hull in the past, Green's confidence grew early on as the Rays applied that pressure thanks to two early powerplay opportunities.

The Panthers soon after got their own first powerplay chance of the evening thanks to a Kyle Mariani tripping penalty and they duly and clinically converted for a 1-0 lead. David Clarke picking up a loose pass that had been fired across the Stingrays net before instinctively firing the puck goal bound with Rays netminder Ben Bowns stretching but unable to deny his fellow GB international on 8.19.

An immediate response followed from the Stingrays though as an awful giveaway from Panthers British defenceman Tom Norton gifted the puck to Rays player-coach Sylvain Cloutier - who made no mistake levelling the scores less than 30 seconds later with his first of the season.

Guillaume Doucet then gave the Stingrays a somewhat surprise lead on 10.04, rushing into the zone two-on-two before picking his spot perfectly over the shoulder of Green.

Nottingham responded by controlling the play five-on-five for long periods of the first period with Leigh Salters and the always impressive Matt Francis using a combination of speed and strength to keep the pressure on the Rays in their own end.

The home side did eventually break up the pressure and a great shift from Cloutier on rangy Panthers defenceman Brent Henley eventually forced a great chance for Tendler close in front only for Joonas Saari to deny the opportunity with a clever, perfectly timed infraction.

On the ensuing powerplay the Stingrays were again gifted possession thanks to some sloppy Panthers defending. That allowed a two-on-one Stingrays break only for utility player Mariani to fire his one-timer wide when presented with a gaping net and when it seemed easier to score.

Such is the cruelty of sport, while the Stingrays were ruing a miss that would have put them two goals to the good heading into the first intermission, the Panthers broke and leveled the score through defenceman Chris Murray with less than 30 seconds to play in the period.

The thoroughly enjoyable, 'nothing' game opened up somewhat in the second period as the visitors piled on the pressure five-on-five, only for the Stingrays to determinedly counter-attack - albeit much of the time to little or no effect with a lack of numbers evidently hurting their depth.

The biggest chance of what was a penalty strewn secondperiod for the Rays - with Martin Ondrej picking up a ten minute misconduct for abuse of an official when disputing an earlier call - again fell to Cloutier - who shot his one-timer the wrong side of the post when left open shorthanded.

Former Hull Thunder forward Jonathan Weaver would then give the Panthers a deserved second period lead on 31.43, firing home a point shot on a well oiled Nottingham powerplay for a 3-2 lead.

As the period wore down Jason Silverthorn - who registered a two point night and four point weekend - broke through one-on-one on Dan Green only to be denied by the British netminder - who stopped 23 or 27 shots on the night.

Though there had already been noticeable improvements in the opening two periods from the Stingrays on recent weeks, they further stepped their game up in the third period and took the game to the away side.

It took them just 40 seconds of the third period to equalise on a penalty taken by Salters late in the second with a rebound from a Silverthorn pointshot falling to that man Tendler.

Picking the rebound up in an awkward position almost with his back to net, Tendler backhanded the puck goal bound, beating Green for his fifth goal in five consecutive games and, more significantly, his 139th goal in 181 games in Hull Stingrays colours.

That goal put daylight between Tendler and former fan favourite Jeff Glowa - on 138 goals - to make the the Saskatchewan native the Stingrays all-time leading goal scorer.

Not only has Tendler broken the record but he has done so in a significantly shorter period, hitting the mark in 181 games and three and a quarter seasons as opposed to Glowa's 304 games - still a Stingrays record - and six seasons.

Stingrays All-Time Leading Goalscorers 
1. Jereme Tendler - 139 (181 games)
2. Jeff Glowa - 138 (304 games)
3. Jason Silverthorn - 96 (227 games)
4. Konstantin Kalmikov - 78 (166 games)
5. Slava Koulikov - 66 (227 games)
*Source: Elite Prospects

Ignoring the record, the Panthers struck back less than two minutes later as Brandon Benedict was left unmarked in the slot on the powerplay to polish off another well worked powerplay goal as they went three-for-six on the man advantage on the night.

The Stingrays would hit the post through Guillaume Doucet before finding their third and final equaliser of the night.

Having been caught by a stick mid-ice on what he believed should've been an infraction, Carl Lauzon - who, it has to be said, has so far struggled in his early Stingrays career - determinedly skated through the Panthers with speed but at relative ease and coolly slotted home for a powerplay goal that leveled the score at 4-4.

The goal is just Lauzon's second in nine games for the Stingrays, however, more is expected from a player that has consistently been a top scorer in the French top flight over the last three seasons.

Shortly after tying the score, Lauzon and fellow French-Canadian Doucet broke through two-on-one only to be denied a sure-fire goal thanks to a perfectly timed block from the Panthers last defenceman that prevented the puck finding Lauzon at the back post.

After missing a number of big chances throughout the game, the Stingrays were made to pay by the powerful and clinical Panthers in the last ten minutes - despite outplaying them for periods in the third.

Stingrays captain Matt Suderman initially thwarted a charge at the net by Panthers forward Salters, only for his poke-check to force the puck into the path of experienced centre Bob Wren - who fired home the Panthers fifth of the evening and eventual game winning goal.

The goal broke the Stingrays determined spirit with seven minutes to play and, in a subdued final five minutes, Salters would eventually get his goal with just over two minutes to play.

The victory all-but clinches Challenge Cup Group B for the Panthers and eliminates the Stingrays from quarter final contention with three games yet to play.

Despite that and the end result on the night, there are undoubtedly positives to take from the Stingrays performance both tonight and the 4-1 win over Fife last night.

There has been a noted improvement in performance and desire over the last week - perhaps partially a case of fighting against the adversity caused by last weekend's Derek Campbell incident.

Regardless of why, the Stingrays must maintain that momentum heading into next weekend as the Dundee Stars return to the Hull Arena less than two weeks after the Campbell incident.

FBB Three Stars
1. Omar Pacha (0+1)
2. Martin Ondrej (0+0)
3. Guillaume Doucet (1+0)

Saturday 12 October 2013

Stingrays battle through tough week to end losing streak in Fife

Fife Flyers 1-4 Hull Stingrays

After a tough week off-ice following Derek Campbell's release and subsequent 47 game ban, the Hull Stingrays tonight drew a line under the whole incident by ending their seven game losing streak with a 4-1 victory over the Fife Flyers in Kirkcaldy..

They Rays - on their second trip North of the border this season - didn't get the best of starts to the game as Sylvain Cloutier received a ten minute misconduct for abuse of an official after just 81 seconds.

Nevertheless, despite the inconvenience of having their player-coach in the penalty box, the Stingrays would be leading 2-0 by the time Cloutier returned to the ice ten minutes later.

They took the lead on the game's first powerplay - a 2 minute hooking minor against Fife's Chris Wands - through defenceman Omar Pacha on 4.34 with assists from Kyle Mariani - who was praised by Cloutier for his versatility during the week - and Tom Squires - who recorded his first point of the season.

The Rays then doubled their lead via the stick of Jason Silverthorn on 10.35 with Scott Robson - who was recalled from his loan with Blackburn for this game - recording his first Elite League point with an assist and Bobby Chamberlain notching an additional helper for his first point this season.

In a near perfect opening 15 minutes, Jereme Tendler made it 3-0 less than three minutes later with the Rays second powerplay goal of the evening thanks to assists from Silverthorn and Matty Davies. The goal was Tendler's fourth goal in four games and ninth in ten games this season.

Rok Pajic hit back for the Flyers late in the first period but the Stingrays would regain their three goal lead in the second period through their third powerplay goal of the night, this time from Guillaume Doucet with assists from Davies and Tendler

Given last week's events, the potential talking point of the game followed immediately as Fife defenceman Matt Nickerson - who has already been banned this season - fought the Stingrays Jeff Smith.

Both received match penalties for excessive roughness with Smith's the Stingrays second such penalty in two weeks, while Stingray Matty Davies and Flyer Justin DaCosta also received roughing penalties.

The match penalties will see both players automatically receive a one-match ban and Smith will now miss tomorrow's home Challenge Cup game against the Nottingham Panthers.

Having come out hard in the first period, the Stingrays were for once in control heading into the third period and - despite being outshot 15-9 in the last 20 minutes - closed out the game for just their second of the season to end a difficult winless spell.

Wednesday 9 October 2013

Campbell: an apology

Released Hull Stingrays forward Derek Campbell today spoke for the first time since his release from the club and subsequent 47 game ban.

In a lengthy interview featured with the Hull Daily Mail - which can be read in full here - he said:
"I thought the hit was unnecessary and 'dirty'. It could have been even worse, but I saw him at the last second and I tensed up. 
"I was extremely upset at the time, but 100 per cent regret what I did in front of fans and little children who were watching the game. I'm a person who plays on emotions, but it's no excuse. As a father of a little girl, I can only apologise to any little girl or boy who was watching and to any fan who felt offended."
"I'm disappointed to be leaving. I want to make it clear there are no hard feelings between me and Hull Stingrays, or Bobby McEwan (team owner) and Sylvain Cloutier (the club's coach). They have talked to me. I think we respect each other well enough. From a business perspective the decision had to be made." 
"I am really disappointed because I wanted to finish first in the Conference and get back to Nottingham for the play-off semi-finals." 
"I like Hull, especially Jason Silverthorn, I think we have pretty good chemistry on the ice. Jereme Tendler is another fellow I really get on with, and Sylvain Cloutier. I'm really disappointed not to finish the season with them.

Tuesday 8 October 2013

Campbell released by Stingrays; banned for 47 games

The Hull Stingrays today released import forward Derek Campbell with immediate effect following an off-ice incident in the Stingrays 2-1 loss to the Dundee Stars on Saturday. Shortly after being released by the club, the Elite Ice Hockey League announced that Campbell had been banned for a total of 47 games following a review of the incident.

The 33 year old - who had been one of the club's standout players so far this season - received a match penalty for excessive roughness 54.55 into the game and was ejected having reacted to a hit from Dundee forward Nico Sacchetti - who received a game misconduct for boarding on the hit and was also ejected.

Having both been ejected, Campbell then decided against heading straight to the changing room in order to confront Sacchetti again, this time off-ice close to the Dundee dressing room. An altercation subsequently broke out with the unsavory incident seeing some fans caught up in the middle attempting to break it up.

Campbell was given an automatic one game suspension after receiving the match penalty for excessive roughness as per Elite League rules, ruling him out of the return leg in Dundee on Sunday - which the Stingrays lost 3-2.

However, the Stingrays have today decided to release the player following his actions.

On releasing Campbell - who had recorded four goals and six assists in 12 games this season - Stingrays owner and assistant coach Bobby McEwan said:
"I just felt we had to make the decision, and not let it drag on until the end of the week, so I called Derek and let him know. What he did on the ice in reaction to the challenge is part and parcel of the game, but I can't condone what happened off it, it's a business decision."
McEwan revealed to BBC Radio Humberside Campbell's reaction to the decision to release him:
"He's very disappointed and he understands it was a decision that we just had to make."
The EIHL launched reviews of both the on-ice and off-ice incident on Saturday and have subsequently today banned Campbell for a total of 47 games. 

The 47 game ban comprises of 15 games for fighting off-ice, 12 games for an attempted eye-gouge, 10 games for a knee to the head and a further 10 games for excessive force to the head resulting in impact to the ice.

Upon announcing the ban, Elite League Head of Discipline Moran Hanson said:
"There are many aspects to this serious incident and that is why I have broken it down into separate sections. I have studied the game tape in great detail and I have spoken with the three officials, who all were able to give me detailed reports. This is a very nasty incident and there is no place for any of these actions in our sport."
It is believed that the Stingrays were unaware of the length of Campbell's ban prior to releasing him today. However, if they had chosen to keep him on the roster, he would return from his ban on Saturday 15th March, ironically, against the Dundee Stars.

The last question remaining from the whole incident is now whether Campbell's ban applies to both he and one of the Stingrays import roster spots he filled or whether the ban remains only with the player should he ever return to the Elite League.

As the Stingrays have chosen to release Campbell from his contract it is thought that they will be able to replace him with a further import forward should they chose to, though this has yet to be confirmed by the club or the league. Sheffield's David Simms has suggested on Twitter that the Stingrays would have to play an import short for the full 47 game term but could appeal to the other nine Elite League clubs if they wished to replace Campbell. They would then have the final say on whether the ban applied to the import slot or not.

As it stands, it seems highly likely the ban may have marked the end of the Canadian's career, if not at least his career in the Elite League - which spanned over eight seasons, five clubs, 346 games, 110 goals, 224 assists, 334 points and, perhaps most memorably for some of the wrong reasons, 1434 penalty minutes.

Sunday 6 October 2013

Stars extend Stingrays losing skid to seven

Dundee Stars 3-2 Hull Stingrays

The Hull Stingrays tonight suffered their second defeat of the weekend to the league leading Dundee Stars following up last night's narrow and controversial 2-1 defeat with a 3-2 loss in Scotland to extend their losing run to seven games.

After putting in man of the match worthy 55 save performance last night, Dundee netminder Dan Bakala picked up where he left off, shutting out the Stingrays in the first period as they outshot the Stars 15-8 in a scoreless 20 minutes.

Dundee would rebound in the second period and nevertheless opened the scoring on the powerplay through Brock McPherson - who scored his second goal in two games against the Rays - with Omar Pacha sitting his third of three consecutive penalties.

A first goal in Dundee colours for Marcis Zembergs and a tenth of the year for Nico Sacchetti would further add to the Stingrays misery in the second period, extending the Stars lead to 3-0.

For the third consecutive game the Stingrays attempted to mount a third period comeback with a shorthanded marker from Jereme Tendler - his third goal in three games - kick starting that potential comeback 2.44 into the third period.

The Stingrays notched a second through Matty Davies on 46.24 to reduce the deficit to one. However, despite pulling netminder Ben Bowns with less than a minute remaining and outshooting the Stars 12-8 in the third, the comeback would again end in disappointment in a narrow 3-2 loss.

The defeat is the club's seventh loss on the bounce and third consecutive loss by one goal.

Next weekend the Rays face Fife in Scotland on Saturday and Nottingham at home in the Challenge Cup on Sunday, prior to which they will receive the outcome of disciplinary action on Derek Campbell following last night's off-ice incident.

Saturday 5 October 2013

Stingrays third period comeback falls short again amid off-ice chaos

Hull Stingrays 1-2 Dundee Stars

For the second time in two weeks the Hull Stingrays tonight trailed by two goals after 40 minutes and produced comfortably their best hockey in the third period but were unable to overturn the deficit.

Where they successfully fought back from two goals down last week against the Belfast Giants - only to lose out thanks to a late powerplay goal - they were unable to come back and tie the score tonight against the Dundee Stars, eventually losing out to their Gardiner Conference rivals by two goals to one.

On the back of some vocal home support early in the game, Sylvain Cloutier's side started the game against the Elite League leaders with real purpose and intensity, taking the game to the Stars in the opening minutes.

That early momentum was swiftly eradicated however after penalties on Jason Silverthorn and Bobby Chamberlain prior to the ten minute mark gave the Stars puck possession and the opportunity to open the scoring.

Though the Stars couldn't muster a powerplay goal, they would eventually open the scoring through Jerry Polllastrone. With the Stingrays on the offensive 4-on-4 after penalties to Chamberlain and Sam McCluskey,  Nikita Kashirsky received the puck and fed a pass down the middle of the ice to an unmarked Pollastrone - who broke in on a breakaway and slipped the puck past Bowns.

Despite their good start, the Stingrays trailed and were struggling to really test Dundee netminder Dan Bakala - who has been a big reason for his side's rise to the top of the standings.

Although they outshot the Stars in the opening period 19-15 and overall, a whopping 57-37, the majority of the Bakala's stops were straightforward with the Rays having very few clear cut chances - particularly in the first period. A big reason for that was the impressive performances of defencemen Tysen Dowzak and Rory Raylyk - the backbone of the Stars side - who defended admirably, generated offence and swept up any of Bakala's rebounds.

On the occasions the home side did craft chances Bakala was on top form to deny them as he notably stopped one-timers from Jereme Tendler and Kyle Mariani with kicksaves low down in the first period.

Undoubtedly their biggest chance of the night and the best save of the night came late in the opening period as Omar Pacha fired a speculative shot towards Guillaume Doucet in front of the Stars net.

Doucet didn't so much re-direct the puck as bat it goal bound from two feet directly in front, only for Bakala to deny him with miraculous glove save to the obvious amazement of Doucet and most of Hull Arena. Part instinct, part luck and part skill, Bakala's save came at a crucial time and ensured the visitors would go into the first intermission one goal to the good.

The importance of the save was proven early in the second period as a poor clearance around the boards from Stingrays captain Matt Suderman gifted the puck to Brock McPherson.

From almost level with the goal line, and thus from the acutest of angles near the boards, McPherson somehow found the smallest gap in Bowns' pads and hit the twine on the inside of the far post to double the Stars lead.

That goal, like the first period penalties, prevented the home side from building any momentum and, although they again outshot the Stars, they looked lacklustre throughout. A brilliant, determined individual performance from Derek Campbell the only real positive in a disappointing first two periods that promised so much prior to the game but again delivered so little.

As they had a week earlier against Belfast, the Stingrays found themselves just two goals down heading into the final period of a game they hadn't yet performed particularly well.

And again, as they did against Belfast, the Stingrays came out of the second intermission almost a different side eventually firing 23 shots on Bakala in the final 20 minutes.

The third period improvement would eventually pay dividends for the Stingrays as Silverthorn set up Tendler on the powerplay for a one-timer that Bakala, nor likely any other netminder in the world would have stopped, with a high finish for a narrow angle to reduce the deficit.

The game would be marred by events with just over five minutes remaining though as Campbell - who had been the Stingrays standout performer on the night - drove the puck into the Stars zone only to feel aggrieved by a hit behind the net from Nico Sacchetti that went uncalled.

The hit would lead to Campbell, Silverthorn and Jeff Smith challenging Sacchetti before Kashirsky and the rest of both sides got involved in a scrum.

Eventually, Silverthorn, Campbell and Sacchetti would be thrown out of the game before a disgraceful off-ice incident would see Campbell and Sacchetti involved near the Stars changing room.

Ugly scenes would ensure as security attempted to break up the fight close to many fans in A Block of the Hull Arena with the Dundee players spilling out of the bench and the penalty box - for which they would be further penalised - to try and help their teammate.

The Elite League have since announced that Campbell has received an automatic one game ban for the excessive match penalty he was handed following the on-ice incident and he will now miss Sunday's return fixture against the Stars in Dundee.

Both the on and off-ice incident will  be further reviewed and it seems likely the Stingrays forward will receive a hefty ban for this actions, having seemingly gone to the Stars dressing room after being ejected.

Before and after the incident involving Campbell the home side continued to push hard for an equaliser in a much improved 20 minute spell - with Tendler hitting the post with three minutes remaining. However, for the second time in two weeks it would again ultimately prove to be too little, too late for Cloutier's side.

The Stingrays can have no complaints with the outcome having turned up and performed for just a third of the game against an in-form side and in-form netminder. Now on a six game losing streak, they must drastically improve over 60 minutes if they are to get anything from Sunday's return trip against Dundee in Scotland.

FBB Three Stars
1. Derek Campbell (0+0)
2. Omar Pacha (0+0)
3. Jereme Tendler (1+0)

Match Highlights: Hull Stingrays 1-2 Dundee Stars

Sunday 29 September 2013

Stingrays comeback thwarted by late Belfast powerplay goal

Hull Stingrays 2-3 Belfast Giants

The Hull Stingrays tonight came back from two goals down in the third period to draw level with Erhardt Conference side the Belfast Giants, only to concede a late powerplay goal and lose out three goals to two.

The home side - who entered the game on the back of four consecutive losses - found themselves two goals down after two periods thanks to powerplay goals from Kevin Saurette (15.09) - who has a phomenal scoring record against the Stingrays - and Dustin Whitecotton (25.52).

However, having outshot their opponents in the opening two periods, the Stingrays finally came good in the third.

First, Jereme Tendler found the net just two minutes and 48 seconds into the final period with the Rays only powerplay goal on six attempts on the night. Derek Campbell then bagged his league leading third shorthanded goal of the season with less than seven minutes remaining to level the scores.

Just as it looked as though the Stingrays might notch at least their third point of the season, the Giants recorded their third powerplay goal of the evening on their sixth attempt with Kyle Mariani sitting two minutes for interference.

Ben Bowns - who stopped 31 of 34 shots going up against GB number on Stephen Murphy - was then pulled and it had looked like the Rays might've once again leveled in the final minute, however, the goal was not given and the Giants held on for the win.

Although the Stingrays largely matched the Giants blow for blow and that, in itself, should prove to be a confidence boost for Sylvain Cloutier, the Rays coach and his players will be disappointed not to convert the comeback into a much needed win.

Now on a five game losing streak, it is important the Rays use the momentum from tonight's improved performance in next weekend's home and away double header against the in-form Dundee Stars.

The Stars have lost just two of nine games so far this season - having already beaten Cardiff, Coventry, Nottingham and Sheffield as well as Gardiner Conference sides Braehead and Edinburgh - and will inevitably prove a tough challenge.

Sunday 22 September 2013

Stingrays special team woes continue in Coventry defeat

Coventry Blaze 7-4 Hull Stingrays (CC)

The Hull Stingrays faint hopes of reaching the Challenge Cup Quarter Finals were dealt what will likely prove to be a fatal blow tonight as they were comfortably beaten 7-4 by a Coventry Blaze side that were forced to ice back-up netminder Adam Goss for more than 50 minuts.

Adam Henrich opened the scoring with the first of two goals on the night at 10.50 before Brits Bobby Chamberlain and Matt Selby dropped the gloves moments later. Early reports suggest Coventry defenceman Selby may have just got the better of the Stingrays forward.

For the second time in a week, the Stingrays would be up against a backup netminder in the Challenge Cup as Coventry starter Mike Zacharias was replaced by Goss after just 13 minutes due to injury.

The Rays would fire just three shots on Goss in the remaining seven minutes of the first period.

Ryan Ginand (PPG) netted his eighth of the season to double Coventry's lead nearly five minutes into the second period. However, the Stingrays quickly rebounded from the goal, scoring through Jason Silverthorn and then Guillaume Doucet to tie the score prior to the halfway point of the game.

Michael Henrich (PPG) struck to make it 3-2 on 38 minutes but it would be the Stingrays that would have the last laugh in the second period, netting a shorthanded goal on the buzzer to tie the game through Matty Davies.

The goal was the Stingrays fourth shorthanded goal of the year, tying the exact number of powerplay goals they have recorded so far this year. That stat itself highlights how poor the Stingrays man advantage - which went 0-on-8 last night and 0-on-3 tonight - has been early in the season and, to a lesser extent, how offensively minded their penalty kill has been.

While the Stingrays powerplay has generally been substandard so far this season, the penalty kill has, ignoring two costly powerplay goals last night, on the whole been solid.

However, two Blaze powerplay goals in the opening three minutes of the final period opened up an unassailable 5-3 lead for the home side and ensured the Stingrays penalty kill would concede four goals on six Coventry attempts.

Where the Stingrays powerplay probably cost them against Edinburgh after failing to convert in eight opportunities, the penalty kill cost them tonight against the Blaze.

Doucet would add a second of the night on 46.03 but the damage had been done early in the period and the Blaze went on to add further goals through Adam Henrich and Ashley Tait for a comfortable 7-4 win.

The defeat leaves the Stingrays with no points from four straight Challenge Cup losses and what must surely be the impossible task of reaching the next stage.

Stingrays player-coach Sylvain Cloutier had targeted six points in order to qualify for the Quarter Finals, meaning, if it were possible to qualify with six points, they would now require three wins from their remaining four games.

One positive is that three of their final four Challenge Cup fixtures come at home, however, in current form it seems unlikely the Rays will once again be gracing the Quarter Final stage of the competition.

Their final four Challenge Cup fixtures come at home to Nottingham on 13th October, away to Cardiff on 31st October, at home to Sheffield on 2nd November and at home to Coventry on 30th November.