Coventry Blaze 1-5 Excel Hull Stingrays
The Excel Hull Stingrays tonight gained quick revenge for last night's 3-1 league loss to the Coventry Blaze at the Hull Arena by comprehensively beating the Blaze 5-1 in the Challenge Cup at the Skydome.
Resting Lee Mitchell and still without Ryan Lake, Jason Silverthorn and Craig Mitchell, player-coach and former Blaze captain Sylvain Cloutier gave Thomas Ralph and Callum Rawson their Elite League debuts in Stingrays jerseys.
That did not stop the Rays from yet again getting off to a bad start, conceding after a minute and 32 seconds to a Brad Cruikshank shot, however, with no further goals in the period the visitors, buoyed by a good away following, confidence began to grow.
The second period began with a bang, Stingrays Slovakian defenceman Jozef Sladok dropping the gloves with GB blueliner Jonathan Weaver only for the potential bout to be quickly ended by the linesmens intervention.
18 seconds later though the Rays netted their first of the night through Jereme Tendler, who scored his second shorthanded goal in two games against the Blaze.
Blaze goalscorer Cruikshank then dropped the mitts with Rays defenceman Kriss Grundmanis 25 seconds later, easily dispatching the Latvian, however, that would be one of the few bright moments for the home side in the remaining two periods of hockey.
Tendler would then put the Rays in the lead with his sixth in four Elite League appearances 150 seconds into the third before Grundmanis extended their lead to two with his first goal and first point in Stingrays colours.
The rangy Latvian would then complete an unlikely Gordie How hat trick, the Stingrays second in three games after Lee Mitchell scored, assisted and fought against Braehead, with an assist on a powerplay goal from Andrew Coburn before Matti Uusivirta scored another shorty on 57 minutes to round the scores off at 5-1, surprisingly in favour of the visitors.
Although the Rays were already out of the Challenge Cup competition, the home side were still needing, expecting and working hard for a win that would help them qualify for the semi's.
Nevertheless, for the Stingrays the victory is a much needed shot in the arm for a club that was beginning to appear to struggle for both form and confidence.
That lack of confidence was visible on Saturday night, however, with mooted changes around the corner, things appear to be looking up for Cloutier and his club.
