The Excel Hull Stingrays 18 game old season can so far be easily summed up in one word: inconsistent. Winning every so often against both top and bottom sides but more often than not losing against the top four. But this weekend Sylvain Cloutier's side have a chance to turn that frustrating start into something of a hot streak.
Wins over Sheffield and Nottingham last weekend did wonders for the confidence at the club after crushing losses to Cardiff and Sheffield, and this weekend it is possible that the club could extend that streak to four. But it is the four results mentioned above that sum up the club's season so far perfectly, clinical on occasion and horrific on occasion but mostly pretty solid.
Ignoring the finer details of the victories and defeats of the past ten games, the Rays record stands at an pretty impressive six wins in ten. Perhaps more impressive is the fact they have four wins from six, with those wins almost exclusively coming against the top four.
Why have they turned it on recently? Well, in Jereme Tendler the club have a goalscoring forward in red-hot form and in Drew Bannister they have a player whose mere presence has solidified a blueline that previously leaked goals left, right and centre earlier in the year.
Of course, every single player has played an important role in the club's recent transformation, after all, earlier in the year nearly the exact same squad claimed just three points from 11 outings. Andrew Coburn and Christian Boucher, for instance, have played massive roles with very little fanfare heading the away double header.
Revenge is on the cards this weekend. First, the Rays must battle against a Coventry Blaze side wanting to make amends for the 5-1 Challenge Cup thrashing the Stingays handed them at the Skydome the last time the two sides met. The boot is on the other foot on Sunday night though, when they face a Dundee side that royally thumped them 9-4, again, last time they met.
It's a weekend that could make the Rays, setting them up for a charge at sixth placed Braehead with the two sides set to meet on Wednesday. And it certainly won't, or at least shouldn't, break them, bouncing back from that now infamous devastating 12-0 loss to Cardiff to tie with Nottingham proved that this team have more than their fair share of bouncebackability.
Two wins would go down very nicely as time ticks down alarmingly quickly towards the new year. A win would be a satifactory and expected outcome. However, if the double L is chalked up on the Stingrays form column at weekend's end, the word inconsistent may as well be stamped in bright red ink into the record books next to the entry for the 10-11 Excel Hull Stingrays.
In life and hockey, but particularly with the Stingrays, things are never easy. In which case, get out the chalk and red ink, this rollercoaster ride is going all the way.
