V
Thursday 19th March: Manchester Phoenix (6th) v Excel Hull Stingrays (9th) @ Altrincham Ice Dome, F/O 7.15pm
Form
Stingrays: W L W L W
Manchester: L L W L L
Last 3 Meetings
29/01/09 4-0 L A
14/02/09 3-4 L H
07/03/09 1-6 L H
Season Series
v Manchester: 0-7, 12GF, 36GA
Man of the Moment
Stingrays: Jeff Glowa (57GP 32+29)- Recorded a hat trick against Basingstoke last Sunday and now has seven goals in six games. Is currently having a career year in goals and points, and requires one assist to equal his career best in assists.
Manchester: Bruce Mulherin (48GP 24+22)- Also recorded a hat trick against the Bison last weekend in the Phoenix 7-1 victory in Basingstoke. Has seven goals and a total of ten points in his last seven games.
Absentees
Stingrays- Stuart Kerr (knee), Jamie Thompson (doubt; knee), Paul Moran (shoulder), Pavel Gomenyuk (doubt; back)
Manchester- Full Strength
Other News
- The crucial points difference between ninth, the spot the Stingrays currently occupy, and eighth, the final playoff spot, is currently just three points with three games remaining for both the Rays and eighth placed Edinburgh. Effectively, for the Stingrays, that means that they must hope that Edinburgh lose ales, wl of their remaining gamhilst hoping that they have the ability to beat either Cardiff or Manchester and Edinburgh on the final day of the season.
- It looks likely that Stuart Kerr and Jamie Thompson have in fact played their final games of this season. For Kerr it ends months of will he, won't he return, after being sidelined with a knee injury in November. Thompson, who returned from a neck injury, only to be ruled out by concussion three weeks ago, has not stopped feeling the after effects of a hit from Nick Toneys and will probably not return this season.
- Pavel Gomenyuk sensibly sat out the final two periods of last weeks romp over Basingstoke after feeling a minor back injury, although it is expected that he will line up against Manchester.
- The Stingrays are coming off the back of their biggest ever victory in the Elite League, an 8-1 win over a dejected Basingstoke Bison.
- This will be the Rays final away game of the 08/09 season. The Stingrays away record currently stands at 7-23, with 16 points coming from those 30 away games thus far.
- Manchester are the only side that the Stingrays have yet to claim a point from this season. The closest results between the two sides came at home on 06/09/08 and away on 14/02/09 when the Phoenix beat the Stingrays 4-3.
- The Phoenix lost the Challenge Cup Final to the Belfast Giants 7-6 on aggregate on Wednesday night. The Phoenix lead 4-3 going into the second leg in Northern Ireland but Mike Burgoyne scored the game winning goal, shorthanded, with less than five minutes remaining in the tie to take the Giants first trophy in three years.
Prediction
Manchester 4-3 Stingrays
