The Excel Hull Stingrays are now down to just three fit defencemen with the confirmation that Paul Moran has been ruled out for the rest of the season with yet more shoulder problems.
After being forced to sit out two lengths of time already this season Moran injured his shoulder, which he has had problems with for a number of years now, for a third time against the Sheffield Steelers on Saturday.
Moran, who recorded 11 assists in 30 games for the Stingrays after moving from Belfast in the summer, will undergo career saving surgery in the next few months which could make him the third Excel Hull Stingrays defenceman to be ruled out for the rest of the season.
With Moran already ruled out, Troy Neumeier will begin skating on his torn knee ligament when he returns from Canada with a view to returning before the end of the season, whilst fellow Canadian Stuart Kerr is still awaiting an MRI scan on his potentially season ending knee strain.
This leaves the Stingrays with just two out and out defencemen in Aaron Wilson and Pavel Gomenyuk, and with forward Steve Slonina filling in on defence, the Stingrays face a mad rush to sign two replacement import defencemen and one British defencemen before the January 31st deadline.
It has already been confirmed that Rick Strachan attempted to sign former Coventry defenceman Corey LeClair before Nottingham beat him to it, whilst earlier in the season former Coventry and Manchester utility man KC Timmons was a touted as a possible defensive replacement for the team.
Meanwhile it is thought that the Rays are awaited the fallout of Nottingham signing two new defencemen. Many believe that hardman Rumun Ndur may yet be heading for the exits however he is currently injured and as a result has been de-registered for six games to make way for Corey LeClair and Juri Golicic.
One defenceman the Stingrays did sign, but has yet to ice for the team, is Richie Thornton. After being announced as a Stingrays player on 13th December it was thought that Thornton, who is apparently on a two-way contract between the Stingrays and Billingham of the ENL, was ill for his first Stingrays fixture that weekend against Edinburgh. Since then little has been said about the situation and a player that would be a perfect replacement for injured Moran.
