V
Saturday 27th December: Basingstoke Bison v Excel Hull Stingrays @ Basingstoke Arena, F/O 6.30pmSunday 28th December: Excel Hull Stingrays v Belfast Giants @ Hull Arena, F/O 6pm
Form
Stingrays- L L L L L
Basingstoke- W L L L L
Belfast- W L W W W
Last 3 Meetings
v Basingstoke
19/10/08 4-2 W H
06/12/08 1-5 W A
07/12/08 6-8 L H
v Belfast
01/11/08 6-3 W A
30/11/08 5-4 W H
18/12/08 2-8 L A
Player Watch
Stingrays- Matt Reynolds (33GP 16+21)
Basingstoke- Brent Hughes (34GP 13+28)
Belfast- Colin Shields (32GP 17+23)
Absentees
Stingrays- Troy Neumeier (torn ligament), Slava Koulikov (leg), Stuart Kerr (knee), Richie Thornton (unavailable)
Basingstoke- Full Strength
Belfast- Andrew Martin (heel)
Other news
- Basingstoke's depleted numbers have recently been bolstered by the signings of Czech defenceman Robert Pospisil and Canadian centre Mike Olynyk.
- There will be more attention than normal payed to the Stingrays fixture against Belfast this weekend, and not only because the Stingrays have recorded two wins out of three against the Northern Irish side. Following Curtis Cruickshank's concussion, after a collision with Belfast player/coach Steve Thornton, Rick Strachan branded Thornton the "most hated guy in the league". Belfast GM replied by saying Strachan's comments were "comical" and that the game should be "an interesting one".
- Jeff Glowa broke his Elite League goal scoring best with two goals to go with two assists in the Stingrays high scoring loss to Coventry. Glowa is currently sixth in the league in goals and has 35 points in 33 games for the Rays this season as well as 130 points in his Stingrays Elite League career.
Predictions
Basingstoke 3-4 Stingrays
Stingrays 2-3 Belfast
