FBB Three Stars
1. Matty Davies (1+0)
2. Guillaume Doucet (2+0)
3. Sam Towner (0+1)
Showing posts with label Braehead Clan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Braehead Clan. Show all posts
Wednesday, 19 February 2014
Wednesday, 12 February 2014
Tuesday, 21 January 2014
Sunday, 19 January 2014
Unbeaten run ends as Stingrays lose in Glasgow
Braehead Clan 3-0 Hull Stingrays
A goal in each period from the Braehead Clan in Glasgow tonight ended the Hull Stingrays club record six game unbeaten run as they ran out victors by three goals to nil.
Ryan Finnerty's side - who have been defeated by the Stingrays in all five meetings this season - will have been eager to end their torrid run against their opponents and opened the scoring in an even first period through Matt Towe on 17.24.
The Clan took further control of the game in the second - outshooting the Rays 10-6 - and they would score again late in the period with Shane Lust doubling their lead at a crucial time with less than two minutes remaining in the second.
In a disciplined 60 minutes from both sides that produced only three minor penalties - two for the Clan and one for the Rays - the Clan registered their third goal of the game on their only powerplay of the game through Joel Champagne on 46.53.
That would be enough for Braehead to register their first win of the season against the Stingrays at their sixth attempt, thus ending the club record unbeaten run at six games.
Stingrays player-coach Sylvain Cloutier will be delighted with his sides magnificent performances during the run and, equally, the characteristics they side have shown over the last three weeks to maintain the streak despite not playing their best hockey at times.
He will now be focused on ensuring his side do not dwell on the loss and rebound as soon as possible in order to maintain their sixth position in the Elite League and their charge for top spot in Gardiner Conference - which was their primary goal at the beginning of the season.
After returning a 5-1 record from six consecutive conference games to solidify their charge for the conference title, the Stingrays return to action against Erhardt Conference sides next weekend as they take on the Coventry Blaze at home on Saturday and Nottingham Panthers away from home on Sunday.
A goal in each period from the Braehead Clan in Glasgow tonight ended the Hull Stingrays club record six game unbeaten run as they ran out victors by three goals to nil.
Ryan Finnerty's side - who have been defeated by the Stingrays in all five meetings this season - will have been eager to end their torrid run against their opponents and opened the scoring in an even first period through Matt Towe on 17.24.
The Clan took further control of the game in the second - outshooting the Rays 10-6 - and they would score again late in the period with Shane Lust doubling their lead at a crucial time with less than two minutes remaining in the second.
In a disciplined 60 minutes from both sides that produced only three minor penalties - two for the Clan and one for the Rays - the Clan registered their third goal of the game on their only powerplay of the game through Joel Champagne on 46.53.
That would be enough for Braehead to register their first win of the season against the Stingrays at their sixth attempt, thus ending the club record unbeaten run at six games.
Stingrays player-coach Sylvain Cloutier will be delighted with his sides magnificent performances during the run and, equally, the characteristics they side have shown over the last three weeks to maintain the streak despite not playing their best hockey at times.
He will now be focused on ensuring his side do not dwell on the loss and rebound as soon as possible in order to maintain their sixth position in the Elite League and their charge for top spot in Gardiner Conference - which was their primary goal at the beginning of the season.
After returning a 5-1 record from six consecutive conference games to solidify their charge for the conference title, the Stingrays return to action against Erhardt Conference sides next weekend as they take on the Coventry Blaze at home on Saturday and Nottingham Panthers away from home on Sunday.
Thursday, 16 January 2014
Wednesday, 15 January 2014
Silverthorn double helps Stingrays set new club record for consecutive wins
Hull Stingrays 3-1 Braehead Clan
The Hull Stingrays tonight set a club record for consecutive victories in the Elite League as they notched up their fifth win in a row with a 3-1 victory over Gardiner Conference rivals the Braehead Clan.
Without Jereme Tendler for the third successive game, the Stingrays struggled to settle the puck in a scrappy but somewhat frentic opening five minutes.
Ryan Finnerty's side had clearly come to East Yorkshire with the intention of halting a run that has seen the Clan lose all five of their fixtures against the Stingrays this season and that worked well early on as the won all of the key battles across the ice.
Nevertheless, after both sides failed to impress on their opening powerplays of the game, Stingrays forward Jason Silverthorn popped up on the games third man advantage, worked his way towards the Clan net and, somehow, roofed the puck past Clan netminder Kyle Jones from close in when, not for one second did it appear possible.
Two and a half minutes after Silverthorn's 9th minute opener though the Clan were level. Hard work down low from now veteran forward-turned-defenceman Kevin Bergin leading to a wraparound that would produce an inviting rebound for standout forward Ed McGrane to bury past Ben Bowns.
In truth, the goal was no more than the Clan deserved for their efforts in disturbing the Stingrays offence in the opening period and that would be a theme throughout the first and second periods.
Despite Michael Hicks distributing a fair number of powerplays in the middle stanza - neither side would be able to convert during a scrappy, disjointed period from both sides.
That was equally the case in the third and final period and, in fact, it would be a Clan powerplay that would eventually produce the pivotal moment in the game in favour of the Stingrays.
Five minutes into the third period the Clan found themselves on the powerplay thanks to a Jeff Smith cross-checking penalty. On the ensuing powerplay Braehead gave opening goalscorer Silverthorn - who innocuously skated in almost on his own - time and space before the 33 year old tightly turned in towards their net and, once again, somehow found a space between Jones' pads and the post to notch his second of the night.
In a matter of minutes the Clan had gone from having very little threat on their goal whatsoever and a powerplay opportunity to conceding what has to be classed as a brilliant, improbable finish from a Stingrays point of view but a completely avoidable and costly one from a Clan point of view, leaving Finnerty none too pleased.
Ultimately the goal would cost the Clan - who had fought so hard to disrupt the Stingrays style of play with a defensive pressure - dear as they handed the initiative and momentum to the Stingrays - who had generally struggled to generate many real scoring chances.
The Clan were now forced to chase the game with time ticking down and that played perfectly into the Stingrays hands. As the Clan opened up offensively so did the game as Nikolai Ladygin was put in the unfamiliar but perfect position to receive a breakaway pass, only for Jones to stop the break.
Eventually though the more open game would lead to the Stingrays third and final goal as some quite brilliant playmaking and a blind pass from Carl Lauzon - who used his strength and then vision to pull a Clan defenceman and Clan netminder Jones out of position - set up leading scorer Guillaume Doucet for a simple tap in to secure the two points and the club record on 54.54.
For the third successive game netminder Bowns put in a solid performance between the pipes. The British keepers recent performances are fast presenting a case for the Great Britain starting job. In front of him, tonight's standout overally was defenceman Omar Pacha - who put in a determined, driven, committed outstanding overall performance both defensively and offensively. Meanwhile without Silverthorn's pinpoint goals there's a very good chance the Stingrays might not have found a way past Jones this evening given the way the Clan were playing defensively.
On top of setting a new club Elite League record for consecutive wins, the victory is also the Stingrays fifth over the Clan in five games - at the very least securing a winning record for Cloutier's side over the Clan this season.
Of course, the Stingrays will be hoping to continue their great run of form over the Clan on Sunday as they face Braehead for the third time in eight days hoping to make it six wins from six this season.
Prior to that on Saturday night the Stingrays take on a Dundee side whom they battling with for the Gardiner Conference title. The Rays are currently top of the conference following tonight's win with Dundee trailing by two points having played four fewer fixtures, they will be hoping to put further daylight between them and the Stars with a sixth consecutive win on Saturday night at Hull Arena
As well as ensuring their push for the Gardiner Conference continues, tonight's win maintains the Rays sixth position in the Elite League, now five points ahead of the Coventry Blaze in seventh and just two points behind the Clan in fifth.
The Stingrays are now also playing 500. hockey in the Elite League having win 16 of their 32 fixtures, an impressive achievement for Cloutier and the club.
The Hull Stingrays tonight set a club record for consecutive victories in the Elite League as they notched up their fifth win in a row with a 3-1 victory over Gardiner Conference rivals the Braehead Clan.
Without Jereme Tendler for the third successive game, the Stingrays struggled to settle the puck in a scrappy but somewhat frentic opening five minutes.
Ryan Finnerty's side had clearly come to East Yorkshire with the intention of halting a run that has seen the Clan lose all five of their fixtures against the Stingrays this season and that worked well early on as the won all of the key battles across the ice.
Nevertheless, after both sides failed to impress on their opening powerplays of the game, Stingrays forward Jason Silverthorn popped up on the games third man advantage, worked his way towards the Clan net and, somehow, roofed the puck past Clan netminder Kyle Jones from close in when, not for one second did it appear possible.
Two and a half minutes after Silverthorn's 9th minute opener though the Clan were level. Hard work down low from now veteran forward-turned-defenceman Kevin Bergin leading to a wraparound that would produce an inviting rebound for standout forward Ed McGrane to bury past Ben Bowns.
In truth, the goal was no more than the Clan deserved for their efforts in disturbing the Stingrays offence in the opening period and that would be a theme throughout the first and second periods.
Despite Michael Hicks distributing a fair number of powerplays in the middle stanza - neither side would be able to convert during a scrappy, disjointed period from both sides.
That was equally the case in the third and final period and, in fact, it would be a Clan powerplay that would eventually produce the pivotal moment in the game in favour of the Stingrays.
Five minutes into the third period the Clan found themselves on the powerplay thanks to a Jeff Smith cross-checking penalty. On the ensuing powerplay Braehead gave opening goalscorer Silverthorn - who innocuously skated in almost on his own - time and space before the 33 year old tightly turned in towards their net and, once again, somehow found a space between Jones' pads and the post to notch his second of the night.
In a matter of minutes the Clan had gone from having very little threat on their goal whatsoever and a powerplay opportunity to conceding what has to be classed as a brilliant, improbable finish from a Stingrays point of view but a completely avoidable and costly one from a Clan point of view, leaving Finnerty none too pleased.
Ultimately the goal would cost the Clan - who had fought so hard to disrupt the Stingrays style of play with a defensive pressure - dear as they handed the initiative and momentum to the Stingrays - who had generally struggled to generate many real scoring chances.
The Clan were now forced to chase the game with time ticking down and that played perfectly into the Stingrays hands. As the Clan opened up offensively so did the game as Nikolai Ladygin was put in the unfamiliar but perfect position to receive a breakaway pass, only for Jones to stop the break.
Eventually though the more open game would lead to the Stingrays third and final goal as some quite brilliant playmaking and a blind pass from Carl Lauzon - who used his strength and then vision to pull a Clan defenceman and Clan netminder Jones out of position - set up leading scorer Guillaume Doucet for a simple tap in to secure the two points and the club record on 54.54.
For the third successive game netminder Bowns put in a solid performance between the pipes. The British keepers recent performances are fast presenting a case for the Great Britain starting job. In front of him, tonight's standout overally was defenceman Omar Pacha - who put in a determined, driven, committed outstanding overall performance both defensively and offensively. Meanwhile without Silverthorn's pinpoint goals there's a very good chance the Stingrays might not have found a way past Jones this evening given the way the Clan were playing defensively.
On top of setting a new club Elite League record for consecutive wins, the victory is also the Stingrays fifth over the Clan in five games - at the very least securing a winning record for Cloutier's side over the Clan this season.
Of course, the Stingrays will be hoping to continue their great run of form over the Clan on Sunday as they face Braehead for the third time in eight days hoping to make it six wins from six this season.
Prior to that on Saturday night the Stingrays take on a Dundee side whom they battling with for the Gardiner Conference title. The Rays are currently top of the conference following tonight's win with Dundee trailing by two points having played four fewer fixtures, they will be hoping to put further daylight between them and the Stars with a sixth consecutive win on Saturday night at Hull Arena
As well as ensuring their push for the Gardiner Conference continues, tonight's win maintains the Rays sixth position in the Elite League, now five points ahead of the Coventry Blaze in seventh and just two points behind the Clan in fifth.
The Stingrays are now also playing 500. hockey in the Elite League having win 16 of their 32 fixtures, an impressive achievement for Cloutier and the club.
FBB Three Stars
1. Jason Silverthorn (2+0)
2. Omar Pacha (0+0)
3. Carl Lauzon (0+1)
Tuesday, 14 January 2014
Saturday, 11 January 2014
Stingrays make it four from four against Braehead
Braehead Clan 3-4 Hull Stingrays (SO)
The Hull Stingrays tonight made it four wins from four over Gardiner Conference favourites the Braehead Clan tonight in Glasgow with a hard fought 4-3 shootout victory.
Without Tom Squires again and surprise absentee Jereme Tendler - who didn't travel to Scotland in order to rest an apparent groin strain - the Stingrays lined up with Guillaume Doucet, Carl Lauzon and Sylvain Cloutier as the clear first line, with Kyle Mariani filling in alongside Jason Silverthorn and Matty Davies on the second and Jeff Smith alongside Bobby Chamberlain and Sam Towner on the third.
It would be the club's top scorer Doucet that would get things started as the French-Canadian would again use his speed to pull a textbook move around the outside of the opposing D before beating Kyle Jones backhanded for a 1-0 lead after 6.08.
Sylvain Cloutier's side were performing well and arguably had the better chances with Jones coming up big against Ondrej and then Doucet - following an expert set up from Lauzon.
However, with the Stingrays playing some nice stuff and creating chances - particularly through Lauzon and Doucet - Clan defenceman Chris Frank took it upon himself to disrupt the Stingrays.
Having earlier face-washed Cloutier following a whistle, Frank first took a four minute penalty for roughing and cross checking Davies before he set Doucet in his targets. The Clan defenceman took it upon himself to rough up the Stingrays sniper way behind play and way after the whistle in what can only be assumed was a cheap tactic to eliminate Doucet from the game.
Frank wasn't penalised for the play but he and Jeff Smith would receive a delay of game minor at the end of the first as he skated towards Doucet again only this time to be intercepted by Stingrays captain as both square off.
After a poor start to the game, the Clan came out firing in the second and would go on to outshoot the Stingrays 20 to 7. However, despite their massive advantage in shots on goal, it would be the visitors that would lead thanks to a combination of match winning netminding and hard work defensively from the Stingrays.
It took the Clan 14.52 of the second period to finally level the scores through Neil Trimm - who beat Bowns on a rebound following a counter attack after the Rays third line lost the puck in the offensive zone.
The netminder would be forced to produce a number of good stops in the second as the Clan pushed forward particularly late in the second period with the Stingrays clearly on the ropes. It certainly appeared to be a case of when then Clan would take the lead before the end of the second rather than if.
However, to the Rays credit they stuck at it and, lo-and-behold, completely against the run of play and with a hint of luck, a counter attack from Omar Pacha and Davies led to a huge rebound for third line forward Chamberlain - who just about managed to fire home past an out of position Jones in the Clan net on 37.44.
The goal clearly gave the Stingrays confidence heading into the third period, however, the long awaited fight between irritant to the Stingrays Frank and Smith immediately from third period opening face-off - which was largely a nothing fight - appeared to give the Clan the momentum.
Immediately following the ensuing centre-ice face-off, the Clan's Sam Zajac picked a hole between the Rays D big enough for two double decker buses allowing Matt Haywood to race in on his former Sheffield Steeldogs teammate Bowns unopposed and bury the equaliser.
Chances fell to both sides in an even, end to end final period with Lauzon firing wide with Jones out of position and Davies opting to one-time pass instead of shoot when presented with a good opening for the Stingrays.
But with 4.03 remaining in the game Pavel Gomeniuk would take a costly tripping penalty allowing the Clan to take the lead for the first time through defenceman Kenton Smith with less than three minutes remaining.
It appeared to be game over for the Stingrays - who had fought so hard to hold off the Clan - however, there would be one final twist.
Having called a time-out with 1.13 remaining, Doucet would work the puck down low with his combination of skill and strength before setting up a one-timer from Lauzon near the opposite face-off circle that would beat Jones and level the score with just 63 seconds remaining.
Player-coach Cloutier and his squad will have undoubtedly been delighted with a point from their trip to Braehead, however, following a scoreless and mostly uneventful overtime period, the extra point would come down to penalty shots.
After notching the all important game-tying goal and producing a number of huge saves respectively, it would be Lauzon and Bowns that would again prove to be match winners for the Stingrays.
Lauzon notched the only penalty shot with a beautiful drag move and Bowns would stop all three Clan shooters to seal the Stingrays fourth win from four games against Braehead.
While Lauzon, Bowns and Doucet all stood out for their game changing performances at key moments, it was the hard work across the team that proved the difference. The Rays third line also deserves some credit for their performance with Sam Towner having one of his best, most notable games stepping in to the line-up.
The two sides will meet up for the second time in five days on Wednesday night as the Clan travel to Hull for their fifth meeting of the season.
Without Tom Squires again and surprise absentee Jereme Tendler - who didn't travel to Scotland in order to rest an apparent groin strain - the Stingrays lined up with Guillaume Doucet, Carl Lauzon and Sylvain Cloutier as the clear first line, with Kyle Mariani filling in alongside Jason Silverthorn and Matty Davies on the second and Jeff Smith alongside Bobby Chamberlain and Sam Towner on the third.
It would be the club's top scorer Doucet that would get things started as the French-Canadian would again use his speed to pull a textbook move around the outside of the opposing D before beating Kyle Jones backhanded for a 1-0 lead after 6.08.
Sylvain Cloutier's side were performing well and arguably had the better chances with Jones coming up big against Ondrej and then Doucet - following an expert set up from Lauzon.
However, with the Stingrays playing some nice stuff and creating chances - particularly through Lauzon and Doucet - Clan defenceman Chris Frank took it upon himself to disrupt the Stingrays.
Having earlier face-washed Cloutier following a whistle, Frank first took a four minute penalty for roughing and cross checking Davies before he set Doucet in his targets. The Clan defenceman took it upon himself to rough up the Stingrays sniper way behind play and way after the whistle in what can only be assumed was a cheap tactic to eliminate Doucet from the game.
Frank wasn't penalised for the play but he and Jeff Smith would receive a delay of game minor at the end of the first as he skated towards Doucet again only this time to be intercepted by Stingrays captain as both square off.
After a poor start to the game, the Clan came out firing in the second and would go on to outshoot the Stingrays 20 to 7. However, despite their massive advantage in shots on goal, it would be the visitors that would lead thanks to a combination of match winning netminding and hard work defensively from the Stingrays.
It took the Clan 14.52 of the second period to finally level the scores through Neil Trimm - who beat Bowns on a rebound following a counter attack after the Rays third line lost the puck in the offensive zone.
The netminder would be forced to produce a number of good stops in the second as the Clan pushed forward particularly late in the second period with the Stingrays clearly on the ropes. It certainly appeared to be a case of when then Clan would take the lead before the end of the second rather than if.
However, to the Rays credit they stuck at it and, lo-and-behold, completely against the run of play and with a hint of luck, a counter attack from Omar Pacha and Davies led to a huge rebound for third line forward Chamberlain - who just about managed to fire home past an out of position Jones in the Clan net on 37.44.
The goal clearly gave the Stingrays confidence heading into the third period, however, the long awaited fight between irritant to the Stingrays Frank and Smith immediately from third period opening face-off - which was largely a nothing fight - appeared to give the Clan the momentum.
Immediately following the ensuing centre-ice face-off, the Clan's Sam Zajac picked a hole between the Rays D big enough for two double decker buses allowing Matt Haywood to race in on his former Sheffield Steeldogs teammate Bowns unopposed and bury the equaliser.
Chances fell to both sides in an even, end to end final period with Lauzon firing wide with Jones out of position and Davies opting to one-time pass instead of shoot when presented with a good opening for the Stingrays.
But with 4.03 remaining in the game Pavel Gomeniuk would take a costly tripping penalty allowing the Clan to take the lead for the first time through defenceman Kenton Smith with less than three minutes remaining.
It appeared to be game over for the Stingrays - who had fought so hard to hold off the Clan - however, there would be one final twist.
Having called a time-out with 1.13 remaining, Doucet would work the puck down low with his combination of skill and strength before setting up a one-timer from Lauzon near the opposite face-off circle that would beat Jones and level the score with just 63 seconds remaining.
Player-coach Cloutier and his squad will have undoubtedly been delighted with a point from their trip to Braehead, however, following a scoreless and mostly uneventful overtime period, the extra point would come down to penalty shots.
After notching the all important game-tying goal and producing a number of huge saves respectively, it would be Lauzon and Bowns that would again prove to be match winners for the Stingrays.
Lauzon notched the only penalty shot with a beautiful drag move and Bowns would stop all three Clan shooters to seal the Stingrays fourth win from four games against Braehead.
While Lauzon, Bowns and Doucet all stood out for their game changing performances at key moments, it was the hard work across the team that proved the difference. The Rays third line also deserves some credit for their performance with Sam Towner having one of his best, most notable games stepping in to the line-up.
The two sides will meet up for the second time in five days on Wednesday night as the Clan travel to Hull for their fifth meeting of the season.
FBB Three Stars
1. Ben Bowns (44 saves, 1 assist)
2. Carl Lauzon (1+0)
3. Guillaume Doucet (1+1)
Sunday, 1 December 2013
Stingrays make it three-in-three over conference leaders Clan
Hull Stingrays 4-3 Braehead Clan (After Shootout)
Tuesday, 19 November 2013
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).
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, 8 September 2013
Bowns leads clinical Stingrays to win over Clan
Hull Stingrays 5-2 Braehead Clan
Thanks to an outstanding 45 save effort from netminder Ben Bowns, the Hull Stingrays tonight claimed their first win of the 2013/2014 Elite League campaign with 5-2 victory over Gardiner Conference title favourites the Braehead Clan at Hull Arena.
GB international Bowns stood tall for the Stingrays from moment one as his side got off to a nervy start allowing the Clan to dominate early proceedings and craft some good half chances.
With Bowns in form and denying the Clan at the other end, the Rays first chance came through Guillaume Doucet, whose speed created a shorthanded breakaway, only for Clan netminder Kyle Jones to deny the Canadian. The puck was kept alive following Jones' save and the Clan would counter with a swift a 3-on-1, which Bowns then stopped before also stopping the ensuing rebound.
Jones would play bigger part for the Clan as period wore on and as the Stingrays offence grew in confidence, eventually outshooting the Clan 15-13 in the first.
The Stingrays would soon take a 1-0 lead on 10.48 thanks to easily their best period of play in the opening 20 minutes and, probably, the whole game.
Catching the Clan just prior to a line change, the Rays second line of Sylvain Cloutier, Derek Campbell and Jason Silverthorn pinned the visitors in their own end. Having visibly tired their opponents, rookie defenceman Jamie Chilcott then made a rush to the net from the blueline unmarked and slotted home Jason Silverthorn's pinpoint pass. The goal was Chilcott's first senior goal, adding to the assist he recorded in the Rays defeat in Nottingham and to the very impressive start he has made to life at Elite League level.
Although they had been mostly second best in the first period, the home side carried the 1-0 lead into the second period but faced even more Braehead pressure in the middle stanza.
An early penalty on Doucet 24 seconds in to the second period gave the Clan the ideal chance to build off the momentum they had created either side of the Rays goal in the first and they would use that to control early exchanges. However, despite again controlling large swathes of the play, a combination of an in form netminder and some poor finishing saw Ryan Finnerty's side come up empty handed in the second period with their best chance ringing off the base of the post early in the period.
In complete contrast, the Stingrays would have just six shots in the second period and would convert three goals. Jereme Tendler - who recorded two goals on Saturday night in Nottingham - doubled the Stingrays lead with typically clinical powerplay goal on 8.28, beating Jones gloveside after the puck kindly fell to him in the slot.
Up to this point the Clan had been dominant and were 2-0 down but - given their offensive firepower - were still more than capable of getting themselves back in the game. However, the game was turned on its head at 32 minute mark thanks to two shorthanded goals.
With Cloutier in the box for delay of game, Matty Davies chased down a puck dumped in the Clan end before playing a simple pass to Doucet - who was unbelievably unmarked in the slot and scored for a 3-0 lead against the run of play.
Just 57 seconds later and still shorthanded, Tendler beat a Clan forward to the puck down low in the Rays defensive zone and found Campbell - who split the Clan defence and broke in on goal before firing home a pinpoint wristshot for a 3-0 lead
Somewhat unbelievably, the Clan now trailed the Stingrays heading into the third period having dominated possession and having outshot the home side 17-6 in the second period.
It took 30 shots and 41 minutes but the Clan finally beat Bowns early in the third period with former Basingstoke and Nottingham forward Kevin Bergin - who was arguably their standout player - tapping home at the backpost on the powerplay. Alarm bells then briefly began to ring for the Rays as Campbell took a hooking minor very shortly after the Clan's opening goal as the momentum appeared to be swinging in the favour of a comeback.
The Stingrays penalty kill was outstanding all night though, with a 90% success rate, as was their hard-work and committed approach in the defensive zone, and they killed off the man advantage.
Though Braehead continued to push for further goals - and again outshot the Rays in the third, this time 17-9 - it would be the Stingrays that scored next goal and effectively killed the tie off as a contest. Doucet added his second of the night on 48.14 with a very nicely worked powerplay goal that completed a successful night for his sides special teams with a 50% powerplay conversion rate to add to the penalty kill success.
With the game now decided in the home sides favour, Matt Towe would add a very late consolation goal on 59.40 to complete the scoring for the night but take none of the shine off the Rays victory - their first of the 13/14 season.
In reality, Braehead had more than enough chances to win the game and bounce back from a 2-1 loss to Dundee on opening night but either couldn't beat Bowns - who stopped 45 of 47 shots - or fluffed their lines. While Bowns was outstanding between the pipes and thoroughly deserved man of the match, the Clan's firepower on paper suggests they will likely not be as wasteful on their future visits to Hull in the season ahead.
Although it is fair to say the Stingrays were dominated in the shots and possession stakes, their commitment particularly defensively across the team stood out above all else. That was exemplified by the play of alternate captain Jeff Smith - who had quite comfortably his best game in the yellow and blue and was both physical and reassuring defensively - and was, alongside Bowns, one of the Rays top performers tonight.
Still, after being outshot 47-30 at home, there are quite clearly improvements to be made defensively with netminder Bowns called upon far too often to bail his side out.
The addition of Kyle Mariani, hopefully within the next week, should further strengthen a defensive ranks that appears to be one of the deepest in Stingrays history - thanks in part to the play of Chilcott.
Offensively, the fact that so many are talking about Doucet's recent performances, and yet last season's topscorer Tendler already has three goals and two assists, highlights the improvements Cloutier has made to his offence this summer - taking the game in, game out pressure off Tendler.
Doucet has undoubtedly caught the eye in pre-season and has started very well this weekend with two goals and two assists in two games. It is however important that he receives the required protection from his teammates as he is likely to be targeted in a not dissimilar way to Janis Ozolins last season. In addition to Doucet though, the Stingrays have Silverthorn - who recorded three assists this evening - on five points, Campbell on four points and Carl Lauzon - a top scorer in France during the last three years - yet to come into the squad, which bodes well for the Stingrays.
Next up for Cloutier and his squad is the Cardiff Devils at home in the Challenge Cup next Sunday prior to a midweek fixture in the same competition against the Sheffield Steelers at Ice Sheffield.
GB international Bowns stood tall for the Stingrays from moment one as his side got off to a nervy start allowing the Clan to dominate early proceedings and craft some good half chances.
With Bowns in form and denying the Clan at the other end, the Rays first chance came through Guillaume Doucet, whose speed created a shorthanded breakaway, only for Clan netminder Kyle Jones to deny the Canadian. The puck was kept alive following Jones' save and the Clan would counter with a swift a 3-on-1, which Bowns then stopped before also stopping the ensuing rebound.
Jones would play bigger part for the Clan as period wore on and as the Stingrays offence grew in confidence, eventually outshooting the Clan 15-13 in the first.
The Stingrays would soon take a 1-0 lead on 10.48 thanks to easily their best period of play in the opening 20 minutes and, probably, the whole game.
Catching the Clan just prior to a line change, the Rays second line of Sylvain Cloutier, Derek Campbell and Jason Silverthorn pinned the visitors in their own end. Having visibly tired their opponents, rookie defenceman Jamie Chilcott then made a rush to the net from the blueline unmarked and slotted home Jason Silverthorn's pinpoint pass. The goal was Chilcott's first senior goal, adding to the assist he recorded in the Rays defeat in Nottingham and to the very impressive start he has made to life at Elite League level.
Although they had been mostly second best in the first period, the home side carried the 1-0 lead into the second period but faced even more Braehead pressure in the middle stanza.
An early penalty on Doucet 24 seconds in to the second period gave the Clan the ideal chance to build off the momentum they had created either side of the Rays goal in the first and they would use that to control early exchanges. However, despite again controlling large swathes of the play, a combination of an in form netminder and some poor finishing saw Ryan Finnerty's side come up empty handed in the second period with their best chance ringing off the base of the post early in the period.
In complete contrast, the Stingrays would have just six shots in the second period and would convert three goals. Jereme Tendler - who recorded two goals on Saturday night in Nottingham - doubled the Stingrays lead with typically clinical powerplay goal on 8.28, beating Jones gloveside after the puck kindly fell to him in the slot.
Up to this point the Clan had been dominant and were 2-0 down but - given their offensive firepower - were still more than capable of getting themselves back in the game. However, the game was turned on its head at 32 minute mark thanks to two shorthanded goals.
With Cloutier in the box for delay of game, Matty Davies chased down a puck dumped in the Clan end before playing a simple pass to Doucet - who was unbelievably unmarked in the slot and scored for a 3-0 lead against the run of play.
Just 57 seconds later and still shorthanded, Tendler beat a Clan forward to the puck down low in the Rays defensive zone and found Campbell - who split the Clan defence and broke in on goal before firing home a pinpoint wristshot for a 3-0 lead
Somewhat unbelievably, the Clan now trailed the Stingrays heading into the third period having dominated possession and having outshot the home side 17-6 in the second period.
It took 30 shots and 41 minutes but the Clan finally beat Bowns early in the third period with former Basingstoke and Nottingham forward Kevin Bergin - who was arguably their standout player - tapping home at the backpost on the powerplay. Alarm bells then briefly began to ring for the Rays as Campbell took a hooking minor very shortly after the Clan's opening goal as the momentum appeared to be swinging in the favour of a comeback.
The Stingrays penalty kill was outstanding all night though, with a 90% success rate, as was their hard-work and committed approach in the defensive zone, and they killed off the man advantage.
Though Braehead continued to push for further goals - and again outshot the Rays in the third, this time 17-9 - it would be the Stingrays that scored next goal and effectively killed the tie off as a contest. Doucet added his second of the night on 48.14 with a very nicely worked powerplay goal that completed a successful night for his sides special teams with a 50% powerplay conversion rate to add to the penalty kill success.
With the game now decided in the home sides favour, Matt Towe would add a very late consolation goal on 59.40 to complete the scoring for the night but take none of the shine off the Rays victory - their first of the 13/14 season.
In reality, Braehead had more than enough chances to win the game and bounce back from a 2-1 loss to Dundee on opening night but either couldn't beat Bowns - who stopped 45 of 47 shots - or fluffed their lines. While Bowns was outstanding between the pipes and thoroughly deserved man of the match, the Clan's firepower on paper suggests they will likely not be as wasteful on their future visits to Hull in the season ahead.
Although it is fair to say the Stingrays were dominated in the shots and possession stakes, their commitment particularly defensively across the team stood out above all else. That was exemplified by the play of alternate captain Jeff Smith - who had quite comfortably his best game in the yellow and blue and was both physical and reassuring defensively - and was, alongside Bowns, one of the Rays top performers tonight.
Still, after being outshot 47-30 at home, there are quite clearly improvements to be made defensively with netminder Bowns called upon far too often to bail his side out.
The addition of Kyle Mariani, hopefully within the next week, should further strengthen a defensive ranks that appears to be one of the deepest in Stingrays history - thanks in part to the play of Chilcott.
Offensively, the fact that so many are talking about Doucet's recent performances, and yet last season's topscorer Tendler already has three goals and two assists, highlights the improvements Cloutier has made to his offence this summer - taking the game in, game out pressure off Tendler.
Doucet has undoubtedly caught the eye in pre-season and has started very well this weekend with two goals and two assists in two games. It is however important that he receives the required protection from his teammates as he is likely to be targeted in a not dissimilar way to Janis Ozolins last season. In addition to Doucet though, the Stingrays have Silverthorn - who recorded three assists this evening - on five points, Campbell on four points and Carl Lauzon - a top scorer in France during the last three years - yet to come into the squad, which bodes well for the Stingrays.
Next up for Cloutier and his squad is the Cardiff Devils at home in the Challenge Cup next Sunday prior to a midweek fixture in the same competition against the Sheffield Steelers at Ice Sheffield.
FBB Three Stars
1. Ben Bowns (45 saves)
2. Guillaume Doucet (2+1)
3. Jeff Smith (0+0)
Monday, 17 June 2013
EIHL fixtures announced; Rays start with 12/13 treble winners
The Hull Stingrays will begin their 2013/2014 Elite Ice Hockey League campaign on Saturday 7th September against reigning Elite League, Challenge Cup and Playoff champions the Nottingham Panthers it was revealed today.
Meanwhile, the club also announced today pre-season fixtures against Elite League rivals the Coventry Blaze and the English Premier League's Sheffield Steeldogs.
Unsurprisingly, upon announcing the 13/14 fixture list, the Elite League confirmed that they would continue with last season's preferred two-conference format with every team playing sides in their own conference four times home and away, and sides in the opposing conference twice home and away.
The Challenge Cup format also remains unchanged with the Stingrays again in Group B alongside the Cardiff Devils, Coventry Blaze, Nottingham Panthers and Sheffield Steelers - whom they will play once home and away.
The Rays will open and close their pre-season preparations against Mathias Soderstrom's Coventry side on Wednesday 28th August (Coventry Skydome) and Wednesday 4th September (Hull Arena) respectively, with games against Andre Payette's second tier Steeldogs side sandwiched inbetween on Thursday 29th August (Ice Sheffield) and Sunday 1st September (Hull Arena).
Three days after their final warm-up fixture on Saturday 7th September, the Stingrays will travel to Nottingham to open up the regular season in the toughest possible fashion against the 12/13 treble winners and 13/14 favourites for the title, the Nottingham Panthers.
Sylvain Cloutier's side follow up that baptism of fire with their first home fixture of the regular season against the Braehead Clan in Ryan Finnety's second game as head coach.
The club's tough start to the season doesn't end there though as they face Erhardt Conference sides five times in their opening seven games in September - thanks mostly to to their grouping in the Challenge Cup, which admittedly brings other advantages.
Their challenge for the Gardiner Conference kicks in during October with six of their eight fixtures against conference rivals and it continues in November and December as they meet Erhardt Conference sides just four times in 17 games.
Once again, Stingrays will travel to Scotland - where they really struggled on their travels last term - on 14 occasions including two weekends north of the border on 7th and 8th December against Fife and Edinburgh, and 11th and 12th January against Braehead and Edinburgh.
By 12th October's meeting with the Fife Flyers, the club will have faced every Elite League side.
Other notable weekends include home and home weekends against the Dundee Stars (5/6 October), Edinburgh Capitals (26/27 October) and Coventry Blaze (2/3 November).
In the final five weeks of the season the Stingrays will face-off against the Dundee Stars and Sheffield Steelers three times apiece, ending the regular season on Sunday 23rd March at the Hull Arena against their Yorkshire rivals Sheffield.
Meanwhile, as far as the home fixture breakdown is concerned, the Saturday night is most certainly hockey night in Hull this season with 16 Saturday night face-off's, ten on Sunday and four on Wednesday.
Wed 28th - Coventry Blaze (A) - PS
Thu 29th - Sheffield Steeldogs (A) - PS
Sun 1st - Sheffield Steeldogs (H) - PS
Wed 4th - Coventry Blaze (H) - PS
Sat 7th - Nottingham Panthers (A) - L/CC
Sun 8th - Braehead Clan (H) - L
Sun 15th - Cardiff Devils (H) - CC
Wed 18th - Sheffield Steelers (A) - CC
Sat 21st - Edinburgh Capitals (H) - L
Sun 22nd - Coventry Blaze (A) - CC
Sun 29th - Belfast Giants (H) - L
Sat 5th - Dundee Stars (H) - L
Sun 6th - Dundee Stars (A) - L
Sat 12th - Fife Flyers (A) - L
Sun 13th - Nottingham Panthers (H) - CC
Sat 19th - Dundee Stars (H) L
Sat 26th - Edinburgh Capitals (A) L
Sun 27th - Edinburgh Capitals (H) - L
Thu 31th - Cardiff Devils (A) - CC
Sat 2nd - Coventry Blaze (H) - CC
Sun 3rd - Coventry Blaze (A) - L
Sat 9th - Belfast Giants (H) - L
Sun 10th - Cardiff Devils (A) - L
Sat 16th - Braehead Clan (A) - L
Sat 23th - Cardiff Devils (H) - L
Sun 24th - Edinburgh Capitals (A) - L
Sat 30th - Sheffield (H) - CC
Sun 1st - Braehead Clan (H) - L
Sat 7th - Fife Flyers (A) - L
Sun 8th - Edinburgh Capitals(A) - L
Thu 12th - Dundee Stars (A) - L
Sat 14th - Edinburgh Capitals (H) - L
Sat 21st - Nottingham Panthers (H) - L
Sun 22nd - Fife Flyers (A) - L
Sat 28th Edinburgh Capitals (H) - L
Mon 30th - Belfast Giants (A) - L
Thu 2nd - Sheffield Steelers (A) - L
Sat 4th - Coventry Blaze (A) - L
Sun 5th - Fife Flyers (H) - L
Sat 11th - Braehead Clan (A) - L
Sun 12th - Edinburgh Capitals (A) - L
Wed 15th - Braehead Clan (H) - L
Sat 18th - Dundee Stars (H) - L
Sat 25th - Coventry Blaze (H) - L
Sun 26th Nottingham Panthers (A) - L
Wed 29th - Braehead Clan (A) - L
Sat 1st - Fife Flyers (H) - L
Sun 2nd: Cardiff Devils (A) - L
Wed 5th - Fife Flyers (H) - L
Fri 7th - Belfast Giants (A) - L
Sun 9th - Nottingham Panthers (H) - L
Wed 12th - Braehead Clan (A) - L
Sat 15th - Cardiff Devils (H) - L
Sun 16th - Fife Flyers (A) - L
Wed 19th - Braehead Clan (H) - L
Sun 23rd - Dundee Stars (A) - L
Sat 1st - Dundee Stars (H) - L
Sat 8th - Sheffield Steelers (H) - L
Wed 12th - Fife Flyers (H) - L
Sat 15th - Dundee Stars (A) - L
Sun 16th - Sheffield Steelers (A) - L
Sun 23th - Sheffield Steelers (H) - L
Unsurprisingly, upon announcing the 13/14 fixture list, the Elite League confirmed that they would continue with last season's preferred two-conference format with every team playing sides in their own conference four times home and away, and sides in the opposing conference twice home and away.
The Challenge Cup format also remains unchanged with the Stingrays again in Group B alongside the Cardiff Devils, Coventry Blaze, Nottingham Panthers and Sheffield Steelers - whom they will play once home and away.
The Rays will open and close their pre-season preparations against Mathias Soderstrom's Coventry side on Wednesday 28th August (Coventry Skydome) and Wednesday 4th September (Hull Arena) respectively, with games against Andre Payette's second tier Steeldogs side sandwiched inbetween on Thursday 29th August (Ice Sheffield) and Sunday 1st September (Hull Arena).
Three days after their final warm-up fixture on Saturday 7th September, the Stingrays will travel to Nottingham to open up the regular season in the toughest possible fashion against the 12/13 treble winners and 13/14 favourites for the title, the Nottingham Panthers.
Sylvain Cloutier's side follow up that baptism of fire with their first home fixture of the regular season against the Braehead Clan in Ryan Finnety's second game as head coach.
The club's tough start to the season doesn't end there though as they face Erhardt Conference sides five times in their opening seven games in September - thanks mostly to to their grouping in the Challenge Cup, which admittedly brings other advantages.
Their challenge for the Gardiner Conference kicks in during October with six of their eight fixtures against conference rivals and it continues in November and December as they meet Erhardt Conference sides just four times in 17 games.
Once again, Stingrays will travel to Scotland - where they really struggled on their travels last term - on 14 occasions including two weekends north of the border on 7th and 8th December against Fife and Edinburgh, and 11th and 12th January against Braehead and Edinburgh.
Other notable weekends include home and home weekends against the Dundee Stars (5/6 October), Edinburgh Capitals (26/27 October) and Coventry Blaze (2/3 November).
In the final five weeks of the season the Stingrays will face-off against the Dundee Stars and Sheffield Steelers three times apiece, ending the regular season on Sunday 23rd March at the Hull Arena against their Yorkshire rivals Sheffield.
Meanwhile, as far as the home fixture breakdown is concerned, the Saturday night is most certainly hockey night in Hull this season with 16 Saturday night face-off's, ten on Sunday and four on Wednesday.
Hull Stingrays Fixture List - Elite Ice Hockey League 13/14
August 2013
2 Pre-season
2 Away
1 Erhardt Conference, 1 EPL
Wed 28th - Coventry Blaze (A) - PS
Thu 29th - Sheffield Steeldogs (A) - PS
September
2 Pre-season, 3 League, 3 Challenge Cup, 1 League/Challenge Cup
5 Home, 3 Away
1 EPL, 6 Erhardt Conference, 2 Gardiner Conference
Wed 4th - Coventry Blaze (H) - PS
Sat 7th - Nottingham Panthers (A) - L/CC
Sun 8th - Braehead Clan (H) - L
Sun 15th - Cardiff Devils (H) - CC
Wed 18th - Sheffield Steelers (A) - CC
Sat 21st - Edinburgh Capitals (H) - L
Sun 22nd - Coventry Blaze (A) - CC
Sun 29th - Belfast Giants (H) - L
October
6 League, 2 Challenge Cup
4 Home, 4 Away
6 Gardiner Conference, 2 Erhardt Conference
Sat 5th - Dundee Stars (H) - L
Sun 6th - Dundee Stars (A) - L
Sat 12th - Fife Flyers (A) - L
Sun 13th - Nottingham Panthers (H) - CC
Sat 19th - Dundee Stars (H) L
Sat 26th - Edinburgh Capitals (A) L
Sun 27th - Edinburgh Capitals (H) - L
Thu 31th - Cardiff Devils (A) - CC
November
6 League, 2 Challenge Cup
4 Home, 4 Away
6 Gardiner Conference, 2 Erhardt Conference
Sat 2nd - Coventry Blaze (H) - CC
Sun 3rd - Coventry Blaze (A) - L
Sat 9th - Belfast Giants (H) - L
Sun 10th - Cardiff Devils (A) - L
Sat 16th - Braehead Clan (A) - L
Sat 23th - Cardiff Devils (H) - L
Sun 24th - Edinburgh Capitals (A) - L
Sat 30th - Sheffield (H) - CC
December
9 League
4 Home, 5 Away
7 Gardiner Conference, 2 Erhardt Conference
Sun 1st - Braehead Clan (H) - L
Sat 7th - Fife Flyers (A) - L
Sun 8th - Edinburgh Capitals(A) - L
Thu 12th - Dundee Stars (A) - L
Sat 14th - Edinburgh Capitals (H) - L
Sat 21st - Nottingham Panthers (H) - L
Sun 22nd - Fife Flyers (A) - L
Sat 28th Edinburgh Capitals (H) - L
Mon 30th - Belfast Giants (A) - L
January 2014
10 League
4 Home, 6 Away
6 Gardiner Conference, 4 Erhardt Conference
Thu 2nd - Sheffield Steelers (A) - L
Sat 4th - Coventry Blaze (A) - L
Sun 5th - Fife Flyers (H) - L
Sat 11th - Braehead Clan (A) - L
Sun 12th - Edinburgh Capitals (A) - L
Wed 15th - Braehead Clan (H) - L
Sat 18th - Dundee Stars (H) - L
Sat 25th - Coventry Blaze (H) - L
Sun 26th Nottingham Panthers (A) - L
Wed 29th - Braehead Clan (A) - L
February
10 League
5 Home, 5 Away
6 Gardiner Conference, 4 Erhardt Conference
Sat 1st - Fife Flyers (H) - L
Sun 2nd: Cardiff Devils (A) - L
Wed 5th - Fife Flyers (H) - L
Fri 7th - Belfast Giants (A) - L
Sun 9th - Nottingham Panthers (H) - L
Wed 12th - Braehead Clan (A) - L
Sat 15th - Cardiff Devils (H) - L
Sun 16th - Fife Flyers (A) - L
Wed 19th - Braehead Clan (H) - L
Sun 23rd - Dundee Stars (A) - L
March
6 League
4 Home, 2 Away
3 Gardiner Conference, 3 Erhardt Conference
Sat 1st - Dundee Stars (H) - L
Sat 8th - Sheffield Steelers (H) - L
Wed 12th - Fife Flyers (H) - L
Sat 15th - Dundee Stars (A) - L
Sun 16th - Sheffield Steelers (A) - L
Sun 23th - Sheffield Steelers (H) - L
Saturday, 23 March 2013
Eliminated Stingrays narrowly defeated at Ice Sheffield; Clan claim first Gardiner Conference
Sheffield Steelers 4-3 Hull Stingrays
In complete contrast to their visit to Ice Sheffield almost exactly a year ago when they shocked the Sheffield Steelers to qualify for the EIHL Playoff Semi-Finals for the first time, the Hull Stingrays traveled to South Yorkshire tonight already officially eliminated from playoff contention but put in a spirited display in a 4-3 defeat.
The Braehead Clan's victory over the Dundee Stars last night confirmed that the Hull Stingrays would not be extending their campaign beyond the regular season for the first time in three years, nevertheless, Sylvain Cloutier's side put up a good fight in defeat tonight despite falling behind early.
The Rays - who were without suspended enforcer Ryan Hand - found themselves behind after just 47 seconds thanks to a Jeff Legue marker. They responded almost immediately however Jereme Tendler netting a 42nd goal of the season 33 seconds later.
Matty Davies then gave the Stingrays a seventh minute lead in front of a sold out away following before Sheffield hit back later in the first to regain the lead through defenceman Danny Meyers and import forward Simon Ferguson.
What turned out to be the game winning goal from Shawn Limpwright followed four minutes into the second extending the Steelers lead to 4-2 before Stingrays captain Kurtis Dulle reduced the deficit to one goal with a powerplay goal on 36.16.
The Rays were unable to force an equaliser in the final twenty minutes giving the Steelers a 4-3 victory and completing a 6-0 season whitewash over the Stingrays in the process.
Elsewhere in the Gardiner Conference this evening, the Braehead Clan were confirmed as inaugural Gardiner Conference champions despite a heavy defeat to the Fife Flyers.
The Kirkcaldy side's win sealed their first ever EIHL playoff berth and they join the Edinburgh Capitals in the playoffs after their 3-2 win over the Dundee Stars confirmed that they, and not the Stars, would be progressing to the post-season.
The Stingrays end a disappointing but, at the same time, encouraging 12/13 Elite League campaign with a home fixture to the Coventry Blaze tomorrow evening.
In complete contrast to their visit to Ice Sheffield almost exactly a year ago when they shocked the Sheffield Steelers to qualify for the EIHL Playoff Semi-Finals for the first time, the Hull Stingrays traveled to South Yorkshire tonight already officially eliminated from playoff contention but put in a spirited display in a 4-3 defeat.
The Braehead Clan's victory over the Dundee Stars last night confirmed that the Hull Stingrays would not be extending their campaign beyond the regular season for the first time in three years, nevertheless, Sylvain Cloutier's side put up a good fight in defeat tonight despite falling behind early.
The Rays - who were without suspended enforcer Ryan Hand - found themselves behind after just 47 seconds thanks to a Jeff Legue marker. They responded almost immediately however Jereme Tendler netting a 42nd goal of the season 33 seconds later.
Matty Davies then gave the Stingrays a seventh minute lead in front of a sold out away following before Sheffield hit back later in the first to regain the lead through defenceman Danny Meyers and import forward Simon Ferguson.
What turned out to be the game winning goal from Shawn Limpwright followed four minutes into the second extending the Steelers lead to 4-2 before Stingrays captain Kurtis Dulle reduced the deficit to one goal with a powerplay goal on 36.16.
The Rays were unable to force an equaliser in the final twenty minutes giving the Steelers a 4-3 victory and completing a 6-0 season whitewash over the Stingrays in the process.
Elsewhere in the Gardiner Conference this evening, the Braehead Clan were confirmed as inaugural Gardiner Conference champions despite a heavy defeat to the Fife Flyers.
The Kirkcaldy side's win sealed their first ever EIHL playoff berth and they join the Edinburgh Capitals in the playoffs after their 3-2 win over the Dundee Stars confirmed that they, and not the Stars, would be progressing to the post-season.
The Stingrays end a disappointing but, at the same time, encouraging 12/13 Elite League campaign with a home fixture to the Coventry Blaze tomorrow evening.
Wednesday, 6 March 2013
Sunday, 3 March 2013
Sunday, 24 February 2013
Braehead victory sets up crucial run-in for Stingrays
Hull Stingrays 3-2 Braehead Clan
Hoping to bounce back from a disappointing loss in Fife, the Rays traded early chances with the Clan - who failed to profit from an out-of-position Kurtis Dulle, fanning on a two-on-one before Tom Squires, Danny Wood and Sam Towner combined only to be stopped close in by Daren Machesney.
A Ryan Hand interference minor penalty gave the visitors a chance to lead, however, it was the Rays that would take the lead on the Braehead advantage as Jason Silverthorn received a long pass down the middle from Jeff Smith before breaking in and then outwaiting Machesney to slot home after 6.12 and give the Rays the perfect start.
Things were to get even better for the Stingrays 50 seconds later as Dominic Osman fired a perfect, defence splitting pass to Matty Davies - who miscontrolled the puck and was forced to take the puck down low into the corner. The Stingrays standout Brit then combined brilliantly behind the net with player-coach Sylvain Cloutier, circling the puck before feeding a pass for Osman to nudge home and double the lead past a sprawling Machesney.
The Rays had caught the Clan cold and were completely controlling the game five-on-five, putting in one of the best 20 minutes of the season in the process with veterans Silverthorn, Osman and captain Kurtis Dulle leading the charge.
Though they were in the ascendancy at even strength, their penalty killing unit was called upon three times in the first period and somewhat slowed their progress. Indeed, the Clan pulled one back on the man advantage, Ash Goldie benefiting from a scramble in front of Bowns to record the first of two Clan goals, and indeed the first of two Clan powerplay goals, on 9.55.
Robert Farmer and Stingrays defenceman Smith took roughing penalties immediately following the Clans first goal and, if anything, that helped the home side regain their two goal lead seconds later.
With both sides restricted to four outskaters, defenceman Dulle exploited the extra space available - going on a brilliant solo skate straight from the ensuing face-off at centre ice before sending a pass to the Elite League's top goalscorer Jereme Tendler - who used his extra-long reach to backhand a shot perfectly into the Clan goal.
Bowns turned away 13 shots in the Rays net during the first period but none bigger than his glovesave of a Jade Galbraith slapshot when the former Elite League topscorer was given time and space in front to pick his spot.
Dulle - who continued his recent up-turn in form with a brilliant performance and, had it not been for Bowns' performance, could have conceivably wound up man of the match - was inches away from further extending the lead with moments to go in the period, ringing a shot of the post.
The main talking point in a penalty strewn and goalless middle stanza - which saw Tendler and Clan standout forward Matt Schepke trade unsuccessful breakaways - was a tussle between Rays enforcer Ryan Hand and his Braehead counterpart Craig Cescon.
The entertaining fight materialised behind play and seemingly out of nowhere - likely due to Cescon's earlier hit on Osman and Hand's willingness to fight - and appeared to open up the game in favour of the Clan, though they wouldn't take advantage of the opportunity before the period ended.
Cloutier's side largely batten downed the hatches in the third period, relying on a non-stop defensive work ethic and Bowns to deny the Clan on a number of occasions.
Adam Walker - who was rarely used on the night - spurned perhaps their best chance, missing a one-timer completely on a two-on-one break with the Stingrays keeper sprawling across his goal.
A seismic Dmitri Rodin hip-check on an on-rushing Steve Birnstill then flipped the Clan defenceman in the air and got the somewhat sparse home crowd on their feet momentarily, however, the Clan responded by finally netting the goal they had threatened earlier as former coach Jordan Krestanovich shot home on the powerplay.
The visitors further pressurised the Stingrays in the final moments, pulling Machesney - who improved for the Clan as the night wore on - before a Rodin hooking penalty gave them a 6-on-4 advantage in the dying moments, however, the Stingrays held out for a huge, much needed 3-2 win.
The victory - the Stingrays third home win in a row - retains the club's hopes, albeit somewhat fading hopes, of qualifying for the end of season playoffs and came with a whole host of good performances across the board.
Martin Ondrej put in one of his best, most complete performances in a Stingrays jersey this evening and continues his season-on-season transformation, meanwhile Bowns and Dulle, as already mentioned, played big parts in helping them home.
Osman, Silverthorn and even Smith - all of whom have been possibly harshly criticised in recent weeks - also played big parts in the win putting in the type of veteran performance expected of them at this stage of the season.
The Stingrays chances of qualifying by finishing top of the Gardiner Conference are now remote, if mathematically impossible. Though the Rays - now in joint second in the conference - are just one point off Braehead and Fife in first, they have just four games remaining against conference rivals and have played more games than Dundee, Fife and Braehead - who will all pick up points against each other.
The best hope of playoff qualification for Cloutier's side now appears to be finishing eighth or higher in the Elite League itself. They currently sit bottom of the EIHL four points from eighth placed Braehead, five points from seventh placed Edinburgh having playing one game fewer than both sides but two games more than ninth placed Dundee on 38 points.
An extremely good run-in would possibly be enough to see the Stingrays qualify for the playoffs against-all-odds and, while that may seem unlikely, the Rays do have eight games remaining- more than all of their rivals apart from Dundee - including five at Hull Arena.
The Stingrays move on to face three consecutive Gardiner Conference fixtures, taking on Braehead in Scotland next Saturday, Fife in Hull on Sunday and then Dundee in Hull the following Saturday in the third of three must-win games.
As the saying goes, "it ain't over until the fat lady sings".
The Hull Stingrays fight to qualify for the 2012/2013 Elite League Playoffs resumes after they produced a sensational first period performance and rode in-form netminder Ben Bowns to seal a hard fought and thoroughly deserved 3-2 victory over Gardiner Conference rivals the Braehead Clan.
Hoping to bounce back from a disappointing loss in Fife, the Rays traded early chances with the Clan - who failed to profit from an out-of-position Kurtis Dulle, fanning on a two-on-one before Tom Squires, Danny Wood and Sam Towner combined only to be stopped close in by Daren Machesney.
A Ryan Hand interference minor penalty gave the visitors a chance to lead, however, it was the Rays that would take the lead on the Braehead advantage as Jason Silverthorn received a long pass down the middle from Jeff Smith before breaking in and then outwaiting Machesney to slot home after 6.12 and give the Rays the perfect start.
Things were to get even better for the Stingrays 50 seconds later as Dominic Osman fired a perfect, defence splitting pass to Matty Davies - who miscontrolled the puck and was forced to take the puck down low into the corner. The Stingrays standout Brit then combined brilliantly behind the net with player-coach Sylvain Cloutier, circling the puck before feeding a pass for Osman to nudge home and double the lead past a sprawling Machesney.
The Rays had caught the Clan cold and were completely controlling the game five-on-five, putting in one of the best 20 minutes of the season in the process with veterans Silverthorn, Osman and captain Kurtis Dulle leading the charge.
Though they were in the ascendancy at even strength, their penalty killing unit was called upon three times in the first period and somewhat slowed their progress. Indeed, the Clan pulled one back on the man advantage, Ash Goldie benefiting from a scramble in front of Bowns to record the first of two Clan goals, and indeed the first of two Clan powerplay goals, on 9.55.
Robert Farmer and Stingrays defenceman Smith took roughing penalties immediately following the Clans first goal and, if anything, that helped the home side regain their two goal lead seconds later.
With both sides restricted to four outskaters, defenceman Dulle exploited the extra space available - going on a brilliant solo skate straight from the ensuing face-off at centre ice before sending a pass to the Elite League's top goalscorer Jereme Tendler - who used his extra-long reach to backhand a shot perfectly into the Clan goal.
Bowns turned away 13 shots in the Rays net during the first period but none bigger than his glovesave of a Jade Galbraith slapshot when the former Elite League topscorer was given time and space in front to pick his spot.
Dulle - who continued his recent up-turn in form with a brilliant performance and, had it not been for Bowns' performance, could have conceivably wound up man of the match - was inches away from further extending the lead with moments to go in the period, ringing a shot of the post.
The main talking point in a penalty strewn and goalless middle stanza - which saw Tendler and Clan standout forward Matt Schepke trade unsuccessful breakaways - was a tussle between Rays enforcer Ryan Hand and his Braehead counterpart Craig Cescon.
The entertaining fight materialised behind play and seemingly out of nowhere - likely due to Cescon's earlier hit on Osman and Hand's willingness to fight - and appeared to open up the game in favour of the Clan, though they wouldn't take advantage of the opportunity before the period ended.
Cloutier's side largely batten downed the hatches in the third period, relying on a non-stop defensive work ethic and Bowns to deny the Clan on a number of occasions.
Adam Walker - who was rarely used on the night - spurned perhaps their best chance, missing a one-timer completely on a two-on-one break with the Stingrays keeper sprawling across his goal.
A seismic Dmitri Rodin hip-check on an on-rushing Steve Birnstill then flipped the Clan defenceman in the air and got the somewhat sparse home crowd on their feet momentarily, however, the Clan responded by finally netting the goal they had threatened earlier as former coach Jordan Krestanovich shot home on the powerplay.
The visitors further pressurised the Stingrays in the final moments, pulling Machesney - who improved for the Clan as the night wore on - before a Rodin hooking penalty gave them a 6-on-4 advantage in the dying moments, however, the Stingrays held out for a huge, much needed 3-2 win.
The victory - the Stingrays third home win in a row - retains the club's hopes, albeit somewhat fading hopes, of qualifying for the end of season playoffs and came with a whole host of good performances across the board.
Martin Ondrej put in one of his best, most complete performances in a Stingrays jersey this evening and continues his season-on-season transformation, meanwhile Bowns and Dulle, as already mentioned, played big parts in helping them home.
Osman, Silverthorn and even Smith - all of whom have been possibly harshly criticised in recent weeks - also played big parts in the win putting in the type of veteran performance expected of them at this stage of the season.
Gardiner Conference
1. Braehead 26GP 30PTS
1. Fife 26GP 30PTS
2. Dundee 24GP 29PTS
2. Edinburgh 28GP 29PTS
2. Stingrays 28GP 29PTS
The best hope of playoff qualification for Cloutier's side now appears to be finishing eighth or higher in the Elite League itself. They currently sit bottom of the EIHL four points from eighth placed Braehead, five points from seventh placed Edinburgh having playing one game fewer than both sides but two games more than ninth placed Dundee on 38 points.
Elite League
6. Fife 45GP 42PTS
7. Edinburgh 45GP 40PTS
8. Braehead 45GP 39PTS
9. Dundee 42GP 38PTS
10. Hull 44GP 35PTS
An extremely good run-in would possibly be enough to see the Stingrays qualify for the playoffs against-all-odds and, while that may seem unlikely, the Rays do have eight games remaining- more than all of their rivals apart from Dundee - including five at Hull Arena.
The Stingrays move on to face three consecutive Gardiner Conference fixtures, taking on Braehead in Scotland next Saturday, Fife in Hull on Sunday and then Dundee in Hull the following Saturday in the third of three must-win games.
As the saying goes, "it ain't over until the fat lady sings".
FBB Three Stars
1 - Ben Bowns
2 - Martin Ondrej
3 - Kurtis Dullle
Wednesday, 13 February 2013
Sunday, 20 January 2013
Shootout nightmare continues for Stingrays
Braehead Clan 2-1 Hull Stingrays (SO)
The Hull Stingrays lost their third consecutive game by way of a shootout and eighth of the season in a 2-1 loss to conference rivals the Braehead Clan as Ben Bowns stopped 28 of 29 shots in a man of the match performance.
Having lost in penalty shots to Edinburgh and Cardiff last weekend, the Stingrays looked like they have have finally broken the streak thanks to a 42nd minute shorthanded goal from Jereme Tendler - his 30th goal of the season.
The Clan leveled with less than four minutes remaining though and, after a scoreless overtime period, the dreaded shootout awaited.
Sylvain Cloutier's side got off to the perfect start in their quest to end seven games unbeaten as Tendler found twine on the first shot and Goldie was unable to do so for the Clan. However, misses from Kurtis Dulle and Janis Ozolins combined with Clan goals from Jade Galbraith and Steve Birnstill sealed the game in the Clans favour.
Nevertheless, the loss gives the Rays their third point from three games - albeit three shootout losses. Unfortunately, two of the three most recent defeats by way of penalty shots have come against Gardiner Conference sides, allowing those sides - most notably Edinburgh and Braehead - to gain a point on the Rays.
The loss, combined with Edinburgh's victory over Cardiff last night restores the Scottish sides two point advantage over the Rays - who have three games in hand - in the league standings, while narrowing the gap in the conference to two points - the Rays have two games in hand.
Those games in hand could prove to be crucial as the Rays fight for a playoff berth five points behind eighth placed Fife - with two games in hand. They also trail Braehead by just eight points in the conference with two games in hand, so it's still more than tight enough for the Rays to claw their way back into the race. To do so they have to start converting tight losses into wins.
The Stingrays end their weekend with a huge, must-win game in Edinburgh on Sunday night.
The Hull Stingrays lost their third consecutive game by way of a shootout and eighth of the season in a 2-1 loss to conference rivals the Braehead Clan as Ben Bowns stopped 28 of 29 shots in a man of the match performance.
Having lost in penalty shots to Edinburgh and Cardiff last weekend, the Stingrays looked like they have have finally broken the streak thanks to a 42nd minute shorthanded goal from Jereme Tendler - his 30th goal of the season.
The Clan leveled with less than four minutes remaining though and, after a scoreless overtime period, the dreaded shootout awaited.
Sylvain Cloutier's side got off to the perfect start in their quest to end seven games unbeaten as Tendler found twine on the first shot and Goldie was unable to do so for the Clan. However, misses from Kurtis Dulle and Janis Ozolins combined with Clan goals from Jade Galbraith and Steve Birnstill sealed the game in the Clans favour.
Nevertheless, the loss gives the Rays their third point from three games - albeit three shootout losses. Unfortunately, two of the three most recent defeats by way of penalty shots have come against Gardiner Conference sides, allowing those sides - most notably Edinburgh and Braehead - to gain a point on the Rays.
The loss, combined with Edinburgh's victory over Cardiff last night restores the Scottish sides two point advantage over the Rays - who have three games in hand - in the league standings, while narrowing the gap in the conference to two points - the Rays have two games in hand.
Those games in hand could prove to be crucial as the Rays fight for a playoff berth five points behind eighth placed Fife - with two games in hand. They also trail Braehead by just eight points in the conference with two games in hand, so it's still more than tight enough for the Rays to claw their way back into the race. To do so they have to start converting tight losses into wins.
The Stingrays end their weekend with a huge, must-win game in Edinburgh on Sunday night.
Sunday, 2 December 2012
Stingrays robbed of point in Glasgow
Braehead Clan 4-3 Hull Stingrays
After a slow start, the Hull Stingrays tonight put up a valiant fight but eventually fell to their second defeat in two games against the Braehead Clan - losing out to a Drew Miller game winning powerplay goal with less than 40 seconds remaining in a 4-3 defeat.
The third and final instalment of three consecutive games between the sides started with the home side dominating large periods of play and they eventually made their superior possession pay. Locked out NHLer Drew Miller with some strong play to set the puck up in the Stingrays zone on the powerplay before Robert Farmer fed Ash Goldie in front to fire the home team into the lead.
No doubt the Stingrays started slowly as they were outshot 8-4 in the opening period and deserved to trail at the first intermission, however, they would improve significantly in the final two thirds of the game.
An uncharacteristic rush on the puck in the Rays defensive zone by former Stingray Craig Mitchell then allowed Goldie to set up Jade Galbraith - who neatly deked around netminder Ben Bowns and finished into an empty net for a 2-0 lead.
The Stingrays were then sparked into life by a physical and aggressive shift from forward line consisting of Sylvain Cloutier, Sam Towner and Ryan Hand - who penned the Clan in their own zone and crafted a number of hard nosed chances.
Feeding off that momentum, Janis Ozolins rifled one past underfire Clan netminder Garrett Zemlak - after losing an edge on his skate - with seven minutes remaining in the period to narrow the deficit to one.
With 1.49 left in the second period the visitors continued their charge, equalising through Jason Silverthorn after a poor Clan change allowed the Rays to break and the Canadian to neatly jink around Zemlak and squeeze the puck in near side.
While the Clan were always dangerous offensively through player-coach Jordan Krestanovich, Miller and Goldie in particular, the perseverance of the Stingrays suddenly found them battling away for important Gardiner Conference points despite an uneasy start to the game.
The home side again took the lead 53 seconds into the third as Clan man of the match Goldie wheeled in all alone from the corner and bagged his second of the game high over the shoulder of Bowns.
Cloutier's side continued to plug away though they levelled the game at 3-3 through Jereme Tendler - whose precise shot from an acute angle found the five-hole of Zemlak with 14 minutes to go.
Understandably, the Rays would have more than settled for a point from the trek to Glasgow and, indeed, on balance were probably worth a point.
They looked good to seal that point as time ticked below the two minute mark before coincidental penalties on Robert Farmer and Martin Ondrej saw both sides reduced to four men with 1.58 remaining.
Moments later, a harsh interference penalty on Silverthorn - who returned from possible injury on Thursday night to put in one of his best showings this season - then crucially forced the Rays to kill a 4-on-3 with 1.44 left to go. Player-coach Cloutier and the Stingrays bench were undoubtedly incredulous with, what would turn out to be a costly call made by referee Rob Cowan
A minute later and Miller scrapped the puck home to give the Glasgow side a 4-3 lead with 40 seconds to go.
The Stingrays pulled netminder Bowns - who brilliantly rebounded from one of his poorer showings in midweek - but wouldn't force another tying goal, giving the Clan two consecutive victories over the Rays and a big 3-1 lead in the sides series this season.
A trip down the M8 to Edinburgh to take on the Capitals tonight completes a five game run against Gardiner Conference sides which the Rays will be hoping to end on a high.
After a slow start, the Hull Stingrays tonight put up a valiant fight but eventually fell to their second defeat in two games against the Braehead Clan - losing out to a Drew Miller game winning powerplay goal with less than 40 seconds remaining in a 4-3 defeat.
The third and final instalment of three consecutive games between the sides started with the home side dominating large periods of play and they eventually made their superior possession pay. Locked out NHLer Drew Miller with some strong play to set the puck up in the Stingrays zone on the powerplay before Robert Farmer fed Ash Goldie in front to fire the home team into the lead.
No doubt the Stingrays started slowly as they were outshot 8-4 in the opening period and deserved to trail at the first intermission, however, they would improve significantly in the final two thirds of the game.
An uncharacteristic rush on the puck in the Rays defensive zone by former Stingray Craig Mitchell then allowed Goldie to set up Jade Galbraith - who neatly deked around netminder Ben Bowns and finished into an empty net for a 2-0 lead.
The Stingrays were then sparked into life by a physical and aggressive shift from forward line consisting of Sylvain Cloutier, Sam Towner and Ryan Hand - who penned the Clan in their own zone and crafted a number of hard nosed chances.
Feeding off that momentum, Janis Ozolins rifled one past underfire Clan netminder Garrett Zemlak - after losing an edge on his skate - with seven minutes remaining in the period to narrow the deficit to one.
With 1.49 left in the second period the visitors continued their charge, equalising through Jason Silverthorn after a poor Clan change allowed the Rays to break and the Canadian to neatly jink around Zemlak and squeeze the puck in near side.
While the Clan were always dangerous offensively through player-coach Jordan Krestanovich, Miller and Goldie in particular, the perseverance of the Stingrays suddenly found them battling away for important Gardiner Conference points despite an uneasy start to the game.
The home side again took the lead 53 seconds into the third as Clan man of the match Goldie wheeled in all alone from the corner and bagged his second of the game high over the shoulder of Bowns.
Cloutier's side continued to plug away though they levelled the game at 3-3 through Jereme Tendler - whose precise shot from an acute angle found the five-hole of Zemlak with 14 minutes to go.
Understandably, the Rays would have more than settled for a point from the trek to Glasgow and, indeed, on balance were probably worth a point.
They looked good to seal that point as time ticked below the two minute mark before coincidental penalties on Robert Farmer and Martin Ondrej saw both sides reduced to four men with 1.58 remaining.
Moments later, a harsh interference penalty on Silverthorn - who returned from possible injury on Thursday night to put in one of his best showings this season - then crucially forced the Rays to kill a 4-on-3 with 1.44 left to go. Player-coach Cloutier and the Stingrays bench were undoubtedly incredulous with, what would turn out to be a costly call made by referee Rob Cowan
A minute later and Miller scrapped the puck home to give the Glasgow side a 4-3 lead with 40 seconds to go.
The Stingrays pulled netminder Bowns - who brilliantly rebounded from one of his poorer showings in midweek - but wouldn't force another tying goal, giving the Clan two consecutive victories over the Rays and a big 3-1 lead in the sides series this season.
A trip down the M8 to Edinburgh to take on the Capitals tonight completes a five game run against Gardiner Conference sides which the Rays will be hoping to end on a high.
FBB Three Stars
1. Jason Silverthorn
2. Ben Bowns
3. Sam Towner
Match Highlights
Match Interview
Match Highlights
Match Interview
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