Excel Hull Stingrays 4-2 Cardiff Devils
A Konstantin Kalmikov hat-trick inspired the Excel Hull Stingrays to their first victory of the Elite League campaign as they came from two goals behind to beat the Cardiff Devils 4-2 at the Hull Arena.
The early tone was set for the game as Brad Voth, not long after declining an invitation to fight Stingrays enforcer Adam Knight, was coaxed into an early penalty by Knight. Although the Rays failed to get out of the blocks quickly, pantomime villain Voth was kept quiet throughout the game thanks to the Rays fearless checking of the rangy forward, a rare sight in Rays-Devils games last season, as the Rays lost six out of seven ties between the sides including two 7-1 defeats.
That early coming together, along with a Tommy Sandahl triple save after ten minutes, was one of the few bright spots of the first period from a Stingrays point of view, as the home side fell behind thanks to a combination of bad marking and bad communication with Tylor Michel and that-man Voth opening up a two-nil lead in what was a scrappy and, ultimately, poor period.
Worryingly, the Rays were out shot 16-2 in the opening stanza and it was clear from that, and their lack of physicality and coherent play, that stern words and an improved performance would be needed if they were to claim their first points of the season.
Sylvain Cloutier is clearly not one to mince his words, as his side came out came out like a men-possessed in the second with Lee Esders firing a warning shot off the pipe behind Stevie Lyle in the Devils net after just 20 seconds of the first.
That warning shot was followed up with a goal just a minute later, as Ukrainian forward Kalmikov claimed his first of both the night and the season following some confusion in the Devils defensive end.
The real catalyst for what would be the Stingrays first league victory under Cloutier came after just under 25 minutes.
A spate of penalties re-ignited the comeback. With Sylvain Cloutier, Adam Knight and the Devils Brad Voth and Wes Jarvis put away following a spell of roughing, Kalmikov was on hand to fire his second past Lyle, who at this point had faced as few as six shots, with a pinpoint finish.
The Rays then benefited from a Phil Hill elbowing call and completed the comeback from 2-0 down as Lee Esders tipped a Pavel Gomenyuk slapshot from the point to hand the home side the lead. The tide was now well against the Devils and player-coach Gerard Adams called a timeout to plug the leaks that had appeared in his defence.
That, however, did not work. Hindered by the loss of stalwart Mark Smith, who was left reeling on the ice with a suspected shoulder injury, after a heavy hit at the end of the second, the Devils failed to create any clear cut chances and the ones they did create were fairly easily smothered by Tommy Sandahl, who further enhanced his reputation with another solid display between the pipes.
Both sides showed plenty of endeavour in the final period but with both goalies coming out on top. In the end there was just enough time for Kalmikov to slot into the empty net for his first hat-trick for the Stingrays, although in reality it was edge of the seat stuff for the final ten minutes as the Rays eked out their first win of the 09/10 Elite League season, a 4-2 triumph.
Stingray Stats
-Kalmikov 3+0, Esders 1+0, Glowa 0+3, Thompson 0+2, Hutchinson, Gomenyuk 0+1.
-Sandahl: 42 shots, 2 goals against
-SOG: 19-42
-PIM: 16-16
Best
- Kalmikov's deserved hat-trick, the team coming out in the second and third as they should have in the first, the first win of the season.
Worst
- The first period, increasingly worrying performances by Slava Koulikov who seems to be slightly lacking in confidence.
F Block Blog MOM
Stingrays: Konstantin Kalmikov (3+0) The Rays first period performance dictated that they needed someone to step up in the second and third periods if they wanted anything from this game. That man was Kalmikov, who notched goals 37, 38 and 39 in his Elite League career, with two neat top shelf finishes and an empty net goal to drag the Stingrays back into the game.
Cardiff: Matt Miller (0+0) The Canadian, who scored nine goals in 12 appearances for Basingstoke last year, outshone Max Birbraer and Mark Smith, two players that are supposed to carry the Devils this season. With speed and good hands, his secondary scoring should help the Welsh side this season, especially if Birbraer and Smtih go MIA.
Stingrays Verdict 7/10
First period aside, this was a much better Rays performance than the loss against Belfast. Lacking the physicality that they lacked against Belfast in the first period, the Stingrays of the victory over the Panthers returned, with hits and hardwork in the corners back on the agenda.
Tommy Sandahl continues to rise on the list of Stingrays all time goaltenders, by boosting his save percentage to a creditable 93.5% for the season. Although it is early in the season, Sandahl made the saves he is expected to make and, in doing so, made it look relatively easy.
Sylvain Cloutier's nasty streak made a welcome return, as he and Voth had an entertaining battle right throughout the match, whilst Jorde, Knight and Burns also showed brawn and defensive responsibility in equal measure.
Shaun Thompson, Matt Reynolds and Jeff Glowa continue to threaten offensively and Lee Esders had his best game so far this year, hitting the post, whilst adding a nice tip in for his first of the year.
Kalmikov, of course, was the man in this game. Three goals, speed, brilliant stick handling and a number of hits when the game got gritty, the Ukrainian continues to give the Stingrays a huge chance to win every weekend.
