Showing posts with label Dundee Stars. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dundee Stars. Show all posts
Sunday, 2 March 2014
Sunday, 23 February 2014
Sunday, 19 January 2014
Saturday, 18 January 2014
Third period blitz helps Stingrays extend club record unbeaten run to six games
Hull Stingrays 4-2 Dundee Stars
The Hull Stingrays tonight extended their club record unbeaten run in the Elite League to six games, beating Gardiner Conference rivals the Dundee Stars for the first time this season by four goals to two.
In front of one of the largest crowds of the season at the Hull Arena, the Stingrays tested the superstitions imposed thanks to their recent winning streak by changing their lineup to include forward Jereme Tendler - following a spell on the sidelines with a groin injury.
The Canadian - who still didn't appear 100% fit throughout the game - would be involved in the Stingrays first goal of the night but not before second placed Stars took the lead.
With Pavel Gomeniuk sitting a two minute minor penalty for a blatant infringement in the Stars zone during a Rays man advantage, danger man Nikita Kashirsky was given three bites at a rebound in front of Ben Bowns before eventually bundling home the opening on the powerplay after 3.35.
A response was not long in coming though and - despite both sides struggling to maintain puck possession in the offensive zone on the man advantage - the Stingrays equaliser would also come on the powerplay.
For once the home side were able to instill some calm to their build up and puck as both Jerry Pollastrone and Nico Sacchetti sat minor penalties giving them a crucial five-on-three. Gomeniuk made up for his earlier error by feeding the puck to Tendler - who in turn fired a cross crease pass for Elite League leading scorer Guillaume Doucet to one time past netminder Dan Bakala and level the score at 1-1 after just 6.37
Despite what may seem like an entertaining start to the game, both sides had made a relatively flat, scrappy start with Dundee edging the opening period overall and that would continue into the second period.
Jeff Hutchins side - who have been the Elite League's surprise package so far this season - would take a lead into the third period. That would largely be thanks to a moment of misfortune for netminder Bowns - who would face a routine shot from his left face-off circle by Stars forward Sacchetti, only for that shot to handcuff the netminder and slip between his nearside arm and body.
The goal handed the Stars a pivotal advantage heading into the third period, however, to say that that advantage was solely down to Bowns' mistake would be incredibly cruel on a netminder who has performed heroics during the club's winning run.
More to the point, the Stingrays had been far from their best - as had Dundee - and required some improvement to get themselves back into the game.
Knowing that they were still well within a shout of winning such a crucial conference game - not least to further extending their winning streak - the Stingrays came out all guns blazing in the third period.
While it was far from the most free flowing offensive hockey ever seen, it was mighty effective against the Stars and was by far as dominant and purposeful as either side had been in the game.
The Stingrays simply didn't let up and, after the puck slipped off the end of Matty Davies' stick when presented with net to aim at and Tendler rang the cross bar, they finally got their reward.
Once again Doucet was picked out hovering at the back post - this time by linemate Carl Lauzon - only for Bakala to seeming stop the French-Canadian's bullet of a one-timer on this occasion. However, the shot squirmed out of the netminders body and dropped to the ice, allowing player-coach Sylvain Cloutier to prod home the equaliser and send the large but unusually quiet home fans into a frenzy on 51.55.
Cloutier's side weren't done there though and less than two minutes later struck gold on their mission for a sixth successive win as, on a three-on-two, Tendler dropped the puck to defenceman Omar Pacha - who was given what seemed like all the time in the world to pick his spot and rifle it past Bakala for a 3-2 Stingrays lead.
There would be no turning back for the Stingrays and they closed out the remaining minutes with ease as the Stars mustered just five shots to their 21 in the third period offensive blitz.
Gomeniuk - who's penalty earlier had proven so costly - sealed the win and the Stingrays club record sixth win in a row with an empty net goal from his own zone with less than 60 seconds left on the clock.
It has to be said that the Stingrays have at times played far better hockey this season and lost. That they can now play what some might term as below par but then come good when it really matters in the third period is a testament to the team Cloutier has built.
While the Rays will be all too aware that one swallow doesn't make a summer and there are still two and a half months of highs and lows remaining this season, whatever the outcome of the season, they can be mightily proud of setting a record that many Stingrays fans will have never have dreamt was possible.
The Stingrays - who sit four points clear at the top of the Gardiner Conference and sixth in the Elite League, just four points from second - now take their six match unbeaten run back up to Scotland to take on the Braehead Clan for the third time in eight days hoping to make it seven.
The Hull Stingrays tonight extended their club record unbeaten run in the Elite League to six games, beating Gardiner Conference rivals the Dundee Stars for the first time this season by four goals to two.
In front of one of the largest crowds of the season at the Hull Arena, the Stingrays tested the superstitions imposed thanks to their recent winning streak by changing their lineup to include forward Jereme Tendler - following a spell on the sidelines with a groin injury.
The Canadian - who still didn't appear 100% fit throughout the game - would be involved in the Stingrays first goal of the night but not before second placed Stars took the lead.
With Pavel Gomeniuk sitting a two minute minor penalty for a blatant infringement in the Stars zone during a Rays man advantage, danger man Nikita Kashirsky was given three bites at a rebound in front of Ben Bowns before eventually bundling home the opening on the powerplay after 3.35.
A response was not long in coming though and - despite both sides struggling to maintain puck possession in the offensive zone on the man advantage - the Stingrays equaliser would also come on the powerplay.
For once the home side were able to instill some calm to their build up and puck as both Jerry Pollastrone and Nico Sacchetti sat minor penalties giving them a crucial five-on-three. Gomeniuk made up for his earlier error by feeding the puck to Tendler - who in turn fired a cross crease pass for Elite League leading scorer Guillaume Doucet to one time past netminder Dan Bakala and level the score at 1-1 after just 6.37
Despite what may seem like an entertaining start to the game, both sides had made a relatively flat, scrappy start with Dundee edging the opening period overall and that would continue into the second period.
Jeff Hutchins side - who have been the Elite League's surprise package so far this season - would take a lead into the third period. That would largely be thanks to a moment of misfortune for netminder Bowns - who would face a routine shot from his left face-off circle by Stars forward Sacchetti, only for that shot to handcuff the netminder and slip between his nearside arm and body.
The goal handed the Stars a pivotal advantage heading into the third period, however, to say that that advantage was solely down to Bowns' mistake would be incredibly cruel on a netminder who has performed heroics during the club's winning run.
More to the point, the Stingrays had been far from their best - as had Dundee - and required some improvement to get themselves back into the game.
Knowing that they were still well within a shout of winning such a crucial conference game - not least to further extending their winning streak - the Stingrays came out all guns blazing in the third period.
While it was far from the most free flowing offensive hockey ever seen, it was mighty effective against the Stars and was by far as dominant and purposeful as either side had been in the game.
The Stingrays simply didn't let up and, after the puck slipped off the end of Matty Davies' stick when presented with net to aim at and Tendler rang the cross bar, they finally got their reward.
Once again Doucet was picked out hovering at the back post - this time by linemate Carl Lauzon - only for Bakala to seeming stop the French-Canadian's bullet of a one-timer on this occasion. However, the shot squirmed out of the netminders body and dropped to the ice, allowing player-coach Sylvain Cloutier to prod home the equaliser and send the large but unusually quiet home fans into a frenzy on 51.55.
Cloutier's side weren't done there though and less than two minutes later struck gold on their mission for a sixth successive win as, on a three-on-two, Tendler dropped the puck to defenceman Omar Pacha - who was given what seemed like all the time in the world to pick his spot and rifle it past Bakala for a 3-2 Stingrays lead.
There would be no turning back for the Stingrays and they closed out the remaining minutes with ease as the Stars mustered just five shots to their 21 in the third period offensive blitz.
Gomeniuk - who's penalty earlier had proven so costly - sealed the win and the Stingrays club record sixth win in a row with an empty net goal from his own zone with less than 60 seconds left on the clock.
It has to be said that the Stingrays have at times played far better hockey this season and lost. That they can now play what some might term as below par but then come good when it really matters in the third period is a testament to the team Cloutier has built.
While the Rays will be all too aware that one swallow doesn't make a summer and there are still two and a half months of highs and lows remaining this season, whatever the outcome of the season, they can be mightily proud of setting a record that many Stingrays fans will have never have dreamt was possible.
The Stingrays - who sit four points clear at the top of the Gardiner Conference and sixth in the Elite League, just four points from second - now take their six match unbeaten run back up to Scotland to take on the Braehead Clan for the third time in eight days hoping to make it seven.
FBB Three Stars
1. Omar Pacha (1+0)
2. Ben Bowns (23 saves)
3. Sylvain Cloutier (1+1)
Wednesday, 18 December 2013
Thursday, 12 December 2013
Sunday, 20 October 2013
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.
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)
Thursday, 10 October 2013
Tuesday, 8 October 2013
Campbell released by Stingrays; banned for 47 games
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.
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.
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)
Sunday, 17 March 2013
Dundee extinguish Stingrays playoff hopes with 5-0 whitewash
Dundee Stars 5-0 Hull Stingrays
The Hull Stingrays chances of qualifying for the Elite League Playoff Quarter Finals for the fourth consecutive season were tonight all but extinguished completely in a chippy 5-0 defeat to conference rivals the Dundee Stars in Scotland.
Altercations involving the Stingrays Dominic Osman, Ben Bowns - who was thrown out during the second intermission - Sylvain Cloutier and Ryan Hand marred the fixture which the Stars won, unsurprisingly, thanks to five powerplay goals through Billy Bagron (2), Mike Wirrl (2) and Matt Baxter.
The Hull Stingrays chances of qualifying for the Elite League Playoff Quarter Finals for the fourth consecutive season were tonight all but extinguished completely in a chippy 5-0 defeat to conference rivals the Dundee Stars in Scotland.
Altercations involving the Stingrays Dominic Osman, Ben Bowns - who was thrown out during the second intermission - Sylvain Cloutier and Ryan Hand marred the fixture which the Stars won, unsurprisingly, thanks to five powerplay goals through Billy Bagron (2), Mike Wirrl (2) and Matt Baxter.
Saturday, 9 March 2013
Stingrays continue playoff push with fourth consecutive win
Hull Stingrays 5-3 Dundee Stars
The Hull Stingrays tonight trailed the Dundee Stars by three goals to two in the third period but produced a spirited, determined performance with 13 minutes remaining to claim their fourth consecutive win.
Buoyed by the surprise return from injury of Cale Tanaka, the Stingrays got off to the perfect start thanks to the stick of Dominic Osman. The American netted the game's opening goal after just 46 seconds thanks to a sublime between the legs pass from behind the net by player-coach Sylvain Cloutier which caught Dundee netminder Nic Riopel unaware.
In their best period of the sixty minutes, Jeff Hutchins' side came back strongly and, surprise surprise, former Stingray Janis Ozolins - who was released by the Rays for failure to hit the twine - was the man to level for the Scottish side, picking his spot past friend and former teammate Ben Bowns on a swift counter-attack after six minutes.
The Stingrays - who were obviously acutely aware of the Ozolins' abilities on the puck- were having a tough time controlling their former forward early on - though they later combated his skill with the physical, niggly tactic that appeared to be his flaw when in Hull.
Nevertheless, shortly after opening the scoring for Dundee, the Latvian was again troubling the Rays defence forcing defenceman Jeff Smith to bring him down with a hook before a further roughing minor gave the Stars a four minute powerplay.
Though the visitors kept the puck in the offensive zone for the majority of the man advantage, the Stingrays penalty kill held strong and prevented the Stars taking the lead.
That was until 22 seconds after the powerplay expired when star forward Sami Ryhanen put the puck between the legs of Dmitri Rodin on the blueline before beating Bowns with what initially appeared to be a tame effort that the Stingrays keeper would perhaps want back.
Returning forward Tanaka proved to be a big influence in the middle stanza, using his speed to force Dundee to take two penalties in relatively quick succession.
Billy Bagron was the victim of the first burst of speed and, although the Rays were unable to capitalise on the this infraction, they did six minutes later when Tim Krantz fell victim to the same quick acceleration from the Canadian.
With Riopel scrambling to stop an initial Stingrays powerplay effort, the puck fell to Matty Davies - who was presented with a gaping net, which he found to level the score.
Riopel performed heroics for the Stars in the second period - denying goalscoring chances from Osman and Silverthorn - as the Stingrays outshot their opponents 20-9. Heading into the third period it looked like he may be a game-winner for Dundee although, as it would turn out, this would not be the case.
Once again, the Stingrays entered the final 20 minutes with everything to play for against a Gardiner Confernce side and they were the better side from the drop of the puck.
Despite early third period Stingrays pressure in the Dundee zone, it was the Stars that took the lead on 47.29 - Bagron pouncing again on the counter-attack, moments after Riopel denied the Rays, to silence the Hull Arena with a clinical finish on a two-on-one as the Rays defence failed to track back and pick up the extra man.
The goal was a heartbreaker for the home side, who were comfortably in control with less than 15 minutes remaining but, driven by veterans and leaders Dulle and Cloutier, the Rays persevered and picked up where they had left off prior to the goal against the run of play.
After a near match-winning performance in the first two periods, Riopel began to struggle late on, possibly partly due to the sheer possession and territory the Stingrays had gained. That culminated in a speculative point shot from Martin Ondrej - who was again a top performer for the Stingrays - producing a rebound that fell perfectly for a jubilant Cloutier to slot home, five-hole, and tie the game up at 3-3 after 51 minutes.
The momentum was now truly in the Rays favour and they led for the first time in the game two minutes later as Davies again found himself in the right place at the right time with a largely unguarded net to slot home another Riopel rebound for his second of the night.
Jason Silverthorn made it three goals in less than three minutes on 54.26, knocking home a one-timer nearly on top of Riopel after a neat feed from Jereme Tendler on a marginal two-on-one to ice the Stingrays victory.
Never the greatest spectacle in world sport, the Stingrays dug in deep in the third period when it most mattered - as they have done in the last handful of games with their playoff qualification on the line.
Leaders like player-coach Cloutier and captain Dulle have stepped it up a notch at the most important time of year and their performances - particularly Dulle's - have been a big factor in a four game win streak that gives them a fighting chance of making the playoffs.
Saying that, good performances have been plentiful across the ice and each player has played their part in the current run. Whether that is enough to thrust the Rays into the playoffs remains to be seen but whatever the outcome the whole squad can, at the very least, be proud of their efforts over the last couple of weeks.
The victory propels the Stingrays into 8th place in the Elite League and the final playoff spot, one point ahead of Dundee in tenth - who have one game in hand - and one point ahead of Braehead in ninth - who have played one more game. The Rays are now just one point short of Edinburgh and Fife in sixth and seventh having played the same number of games.
The result also maintains their position at the top of the Gardiner Conference - which they now lead by four points, albeit having played more games than all four sides with just one conference game remaining.
They take on the league leading Nottingham Panthers at a near sell-out Hull Arena tomorrow night in the second of a home double header hoping to make it a four point weekend.
The Hull Stingrays tonight trailed the Dundee Stars by three goals to two in the third period but produced a spirited, determined performance with 13 minutes remaining to claim their fourth consecutive win.
Buoyed by the surprise return from injury of Cale Tanaka, the Stingrays got off to the perfect start thanks to the stick of Dominic Osman. The American netted the game's opening goal after just 46 seconds thanks to a sublime between the legs pass from behind the net by player-coach Sylvain Cloutier which caught Dundee netminder Nic Riopel unaware.
In their best period of the sixty minutes, Jeff Hutchins' side came back strongly and, surprise surprise, former Stingray Janis Ozolins - who was released by the Rays for failure to hit the twine - was the man to level for the Scottish side, picking his spot past friend and former teammate Ben Bowns on a swift counter-attack after six minutes.
The Stingrays - who were obviously acutely aware of the Ozolins' abilities on the puck- were having a tough time controlling their former forward early on - though they later combated his skill with the physical, niggly tactic that appeared to be his flaw when in Hull.
Nevertheless, shortly after opening the scoring for Dundee, the Latvian was again troubling the Rays defence forcing defenceman Jeff Smith to bring him down with a hook before a further roughing minor gave the Stars a four minute powerplay.
Though the visitors kept the puck in the offensive zone for the majority of the man advantage, the Stingrays penalty kill held strong and prevented the Stars taking the lead.
That was until 22 seconds after the powerplay expired when star forward Sami Ryhanen put the puck between the legs of Dmitri Rodin on the blueline before beating Bowns with what initially appeared to be a tame effort that the Stingrays keeper would perhaps want back.
Returning forward Tanaka proved to be a big influence in the middle stanza, using his speed to force Dundee to take two penalties in relatively quick succession.
Billy Bagron was the victim of the first burst of speed and, although the Rays were unable to capitalise on the this infraction, they did six minutes later when Tim Krantz fell victim to the same quick acceleration from the Canadian.
With Riopel scrambling to stop an initial Stingrays powerplay effort, the puck fell to Matty Davies - who was presented with a gaping net, which he found to level the score.
Riopel performed heroics for the Stars in the second period - denying goalscoring chances from Osman and Silverthorn - as the Stingrays outshot their opponents 20-9. Heading into the third period it looked like he may be a game-winner for Dundee although, as it would turn out, this would not be the case.
Once again, the Stingrays entered the final 20 minutes with everything to play for against a Gardiner Confernce side and they were the better side from the drop of the puck.
Despite early third period Stingrays pressure in the Dundee zone, it was the Stars that took the lead on 47.29 - Bagron pouncing again on the counter-attack, moments after Riopel denied the Rays, to silence the Hull Arena with a clinical finish on a two-on-one as the Rays defence failed to track back and pick up the extra man.
The goal was a heartbreaker for the home side, who were comfortably in control with less than 15 minutes remaining but, driven by veterans and leaders Dulle and Cloutier, the Rays persevered and picked up where they had left off prior to the goal against the run of play.
After a near match-winning performance in the first two periods, Riopel began to struggle late on, possibly partly due to the sheer possession and territory the Stingrays had gained. That culminated in a speculative point shot from Martin Ondrej - who was again a top performer for the Stingrays - producing a rebound that fell perfectly for a jubilant Cloutier to slot home, five-hole, and tie the game up at 3-3 after 51 minutes.
The momentum was now truly in the Rays favour and they led for the first time in the game two minutes later as Davies again found himself in the right place at the right time with a largely unguarded net to slot home another Riopel rebound for his second of the night.
Jason Silverthorn made it three goals in less than three minutes on 54.26, knocking home a one-timer nearly on top of Riopel after a neat feed from Jereme Tendler on a marginal two-on-one to ice the Stingrays victory.
Never the greatest spectacle in world sport, the Stingrays dug in deep in the third period when it most mattered - as they have done in the last handful of games with their playoff qualification on the line.
Leaders like player-coach Cloutier and captain Dulle have stepped it up a notch at the most important time of year and their performances - particularly Dulle's - have been a big factor in a four game win streak that gives them a fighting chance of making the playoffs.
Saying that, good performances have been plentiful across the ice and each player has played their part in the current run. Whether that is enough to thrust the Rays into the playoffs remains to be seen but whatever the outcome the whole squad can, at the very least, be proud of their efforts over the last couple of weeks.
The victory propels the Stingrays into 8th place in the Elite League and the final playoff spot, one point ahead of Dundee in tenth - who have one game in hand - and one point ahead of Braehead in ninth - who have played one more game. The Rays are now just one point short of Edinburgh and Fife in sixth and seventh having played the same number of games.
The result also maintains their position at the top of the Gardiner Conference - which they now lead by four points, albeit having played more games than all four sides with just one conference game remaining.
They take on the league leading Nottingham Panthers at a near sell-out Hull Arena tomorrow night in the second of a home double header hoping to make it a four point weekend.
FBB Three Stars
1. Kurtis Dulle
2. Matty Davies
2. Matty Davies
3. Sylvain Cloutier
Sunday, 10 February 2013
Saturday, 9 February 2013
Saturday, 20 October 2012
Stingrays victorious
Hull Stingrays 4-3 Dundee Stars
The Hull Stingrays tonight ended an seven game losing skid with a first victory in four games this season over Gardiner Conderence rivals the Dundee Stars by way of a 4-3 triumph at the Hull Arena.
More soon...
The Hull Stingrays tonight ended an seven game losing skid with a first victory in four games this season over Gardiner Conderence rivals the Dundee Stars by way of a 4-3 triumph at the Hull Arena.
More soon...
Sunday, 14 October 2012
Shootout loss not enough to end Stingrays losing streak
Dundee Stars 2-1 Hull Stingrays (PS)
The Hull Stingrays were once again narrowly defeated by Gardiner Conference rivals the Dundee Stars on Sunday night, going down 2-1 on penalty shots for the third time in three shootout attempts.
Sylvain Cloutier's side took the lead through Jereme Tendler's seventh goal of the year, only for the Stars to hit back through Doug Krantz in a second period which the peppered Ben Bowns in the Rays goal with 17 shots.
Bowns would go on to save 42 of 43 shots as the game went into penalty shots - where the Rays fell for the third time in three games thanks to Sami Ryhanen and Mike Wirll goals.
The Rays have now lost all three of their meetings with Dundee by two goals or less, with the only two goal winning margin thanks to an empty net goal from Ryhanen a little over a week ago at home.
More concerning perhaps is that their record in the Gardiner Conference now drops to 1 win, 2 regulation time losses and three shootout losses in six games - with the only success coming at home by way of a 6-3 win at home over the Edinburgh Capitals in their last victory on 22nd September.
Sylvain Cloutier's side took the lead through Jereme Tendler's seventh goal of the year, only for the Stars to hit back through Doug Krantz in a second period which the peppered Ben Bowns in the Rays goal with 17 shots.
Bowns would go on to save 42 of 43 shots as the game went into penalty shots - where the Rays fell for the third time in three games thanks to Sami Ryhanen and Mike Wirll goals.
The Rays have now lost all three of their meetings with Dundee by two goals or less, with the only two goal winning margin thanks to an empty net goal from Ryhanen a little over a week ago at home.
More concerning perhaps is that their record in the Gardiner Conference now drops to 1 win, 2 regulation time losses and three shootout losses in six games - with the only success coming at home by way of a 6-3 win at home over the Edinburgh Capitals in their last victory on 22nd September.
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