24th/25th Weekend Preview

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Saturday 24th January: Newcastle Vipers (7th) v Excel Hull Stingrays (9th) @ Metro Radio Arena, F/O 5.30pm
Sunday 25th January: Excel Hull Stingrays (9th) v Newcaslte Vipers (7th) @ Hull Arena, F/O 6pm

Form
Stingrays- W L OTL L W
Newcastle- D W OTW L SOL

Last 3 Meetings
v Newcastle
25/10/08 4-3 H PSW
21/12/08 6-1 A L
11/01/08 3-4 H OTL

Season Series
v Newcastle: 1-2, 3 points, 8GF 13GA

Players to Watch
Stingrays- Konstantin Kalmikov (29GP 15+17) Elite League player of the week after scoring two goals in the 3-2 win over Nottingham and has 32 points in just 29 games, good enough for third on the Stingrays

Newcastle- Jeff Hutchins (20GP 13+15) Has scored more than a point a game since joining the club from Edinburgh before Christmas including six points in the Vipers last five games.

Absentees
Stingrays- Stuart Kerr (knee), Troy Neumeier (doubtful; torn knee ligament), Matt Reynolds (broken finger)
Newcastle- Burt Henderson(doubtful;broken wrist), Chris McAllister (doubtful; foot)

Other news
- The Stingrays now have seven points in seven games, their best seven game spell this season. This is a period that includes three overtime losses and two victories, one over Basingstoke and one over Nottingham.

- The Stingrays win in Nottingham was their third at the NIC, making Nottingham the Stingrays fourth most successful away venue behind Cardiff, Edinburgh and Basingstoke.

- Meanwhile this weekend the Stingrays face Newcastle at the Metro Radio Arena, an venue the Stingrays have never won in. The only other team the Stingrays have yet to beat away from home in their Elite League existence is Sheffield.

- Stuart Kerr will be forced to sit out another two weeks in order to undergo exploratory surgery on his troublesome knee, he has not iced for the Stingrays since November 29. Troy Neumeier may make a comeback from his knee injury within the next two weeks, however it has been confirmed that Matt Reynolds broken finger will keep him out for between 4-6 weeks, taking his return perilously close to the end of the season.

Predictions
Newcastle 4-2 Stingrays
Stingrays 4-3 Newcastle