6th September Weekend Preview

VSunday 6th September: Excel Hull Stingrays v Belfast Giants @ Hull Arena, F/O 6pm

Form
Stingrays- W W W
Belfast- W W L

Last 3 Meetings
v Belfast
18/12/08 8-2 L A
28/12/08 3-4 OTL H
28/02/09 8-6 L A

Season Record (08/09)
v Belfast: 2-4, 5 points, 13GF, 31GA

Players to Watch
Stingrays- Konstantin Kalmikov- After missing the Rays opening pre-season fixture against the Sheffield Scimitars, Kalmikov made up for lost time last weekend with three goals, including two against former side Nottingham, in the P&O Channel Cup. This certainly won't be the last time the Ukrainian is featured in this section if his performances last weekend are anything to go by.

Belfast- Pierre-Luc Faubert: Thought to be one of the standout forwards in the Elite League this season, Faubert has begun as he would like to continue this season with a hat-trick and an assist in the Giants easy victory over an understrength Newcastle side last Saturday, followed by a goal in the Giants 11-3 demolishion of an Irish League All Star side.

Between the Pipes
Stingrays- Tommy Sandahl- Sandahl has impressed Rays fans so far this season with some solid displays. He openly admits that he may not make the highlight reel saves that many netminders thrive on, however he prides his game on his solidity between the pipes. After debuting for the Stingrays with a shutout over Sheffield Scimitars, the Swede kept out 33 Nottingham shots in the Rays cup winning victory on Monday.

Belfast- Nathan Craze- The Brit is expected to start the Giants EIHL campaign between the pipes after a knee injury to expected number one stopper Stephen Murphy. Craze is a young keeper with a bright future after featuring as fill-in for the Giants and Devils in the last few years. He has been rewarded for his growing potential with more starts than your average EIHL backup netminder and has yet to let down coach Steve Thornton.

Absentees
Stingrays- Lee Mitchell (doubt; knee)
Belfast- Stephen Murphy (doubt; knee), Tim Cook (doubt)

News
- British forward Lee Mitchell, who missed all three of the Rays pre-season games, underwent an MRI scan on Thursday to determine the damage sustained to his knee in preparation for the Rays upcoming season. The prospective GB international had problems with the same knee at the end of the 07/08 season and thought that tje issues had been sorted with an operation which kept him out for a number of months over the 2008 summer. However the injury is back again and he is unlikely to ice this weekend, prefering to await the diagnosis of the injury before testing his knee again.

- The Stingrays have been drawn against the Sheffield Steelers in the quarter final of the new Hocktoberfest tournament to be held at Sheffield Arena at the beginning of October. The tournament will feature a seven game knockout competition including all eight EIHL sides, in games that will consist two forty minute periods, with running clock. This weekends opponents Belfast Giants will face the Cardiff Devils, with winner facing the winner of the Rays-Steelers tie in the semi final.

-Stingrays coach Sylvain Cloutier has revealed that he has changed a number of things around the Hull Arena in order to bring in the new era and fresh start to the club. He has switched around the home and away benches, changed the ends which the Rays shoot at twice (now the far end from the bar) and he has also changed the Rays dressing room.

What the Coaches say...
Huppe (Stingrays, assistant coach)

"It's going to be a great game for myself, playing against my old team. Belfast are always a force to be reckoned with, forwards-wise and defensively, so we have to get prepared."

Thornton (Belfast)

"We’ve got a tough start with four of our first five games against teams that finished above us last season. This weekend we go to Nottingham and Hull and for both it’s their home opener and they’ll want to put on a good show for their fans."

Predictions
Stingrays 3-4 Belfast