Excel Hull Stingrays 6-4 Nottingham Panthers
In another uncharacteristically high scoring game, doubles from Lee Esders and Jeff Glowa helped the Excel Hull Stingrays surprise the Nottingham Panthers for the second time this year with a 6-4 victory.
After a high scoring loss in Belfast last night the Stingrays were expected to focus on defense for the visit of the high scoring Panthers, however, the eventual outcome saw the Stingrays concede four and still win for the first time this season, whilst scoring a record 14 goals in a weekend.
A penalty strewn first period saw 38 penalty minutes handed out, 25 of which were whistled against the Panthers. Included in those 38 minutes were five each for Jason Kostadine and Kevin Bergin who dropped the gloves to settle their differences, as expected, in response to Panthers captain Danny Meyers dislocating his shoulder in a fight with Kostadine during these teams last meeting three weeks ago.
Once the penalty trouble began to settle down the Stingrays were the side the surprisingly found the advantage with goals from Jeff Glowa and Lee Esders putting them 2-0 up.
The Panthers immense firepower, this time in the form of Marc Levers and, Kostadine's dancing partner, Bergin, quickly flexed its muscles early in the second period as two goals within the first two and a half minutes levelled the scores.
A Jade Galbraith goal halfway through the second sent the Panthers into the lead for the first, and only time, in the game. However, that lead was short lived as Lee Esders quickly responded for the Stingrays rightly leveling the scores three minutes later.
With the scores at 3-3, and shots on goal also level, it was perhaps a case of whoever came out of the second intermission the stronger would ultimately take the two points. Twenty seconds and a Jeff Glowa shorthanded goal later the Stingrays regained the lead.
Of course this was not the final twist the game would take. Consecutive tripping penalties from Stingrays defencemen Aaron Wilson and Troy Neumeier, just 30 seconds apart, handed the Panthers the 5-on-3 chance which allowed Kvein Bergin to net his second of the game.
Like Saturday night, the Stingrays came back strongly and 103 seconds later Steve Slonina gave the Stingrays a lead that would prove irreversible. Konstantin Kalmikov went on to score his third of the weekend on an empty net shot and the Rays fans and staff went home happy with an invaluable 6-4 victory.
The two points are all the more vital for the playoff battling Stingrays after Edinburgh beat Belfast 4-2 in the Scottish capital tonight. The Rays victory keeps them one point away from the Capitals with a playoff showdown between the two sides looming in three weeks on the final day of the 08/09 season.
Next week the Stingrays face Manchester on Saturday before travelling to the Coventry Blaze in a re-arranged fixture on Sunday in what promises to be yet another tough weekend.
Strachan said: "It was two huge points last night which keep our play-off dream alive. As long as we keep putting in that sort of effort every night we will live to fight another day. We need that every night, not just a physical effort, but that mental effort too."
"It was a good hockey game by both teams, who played hard, it had a little of everything for everyone" said Strachan. There were big goals by Ezzy, Glowsy and Kalmy. Glowsy had a chance for his hat-trick, but he made the play to Kalmy. That just goes to show what sort of player Glowsy is."
SOG: 32-43
PIM: 23-55
Playoff Race 09, as it stands:
8th- Edinburgh GP46, W 13, OTL6, L27, GF144, GA215, GDIFF -71, PTS 31
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
9th- Stingrays GP47, W 13, OTL5, L29, GF127, GA210, GDIFF -83, PTS 30
