Hull Stingrays 4-3 Edinburgh Capitals (OT)
Jereme Tendler scored all four goals and put in a man of the match performance as the Hull Stingrays tonight defeated the Edinburgh Capitals in overtime by four goals to three.
Without the recently released Janis Ozolins - who joined the Dundee Stars hours after leaving the club - and Kurtis Dulle - who sat out a one game suspension for a check to the head in the 5-1 loss in Fife on Sunday - the Rays lined up with ten imports but controlled much of the early exchanges and, indeed, the game.
However, it was the Caps that were presented with the first real chance of the game - ringing both posts straight from a face-off just four minutes in.
That served as something of a warning for the Stingrays, who went on to outshoot the Caps 11-5 in a low-key first period - their best chance falling to Dominic Osman who was twice denied by standout Edinburgh netminder and man of the match Tomas Hiadlovsky on a neat feed from Matty Davies behind the net.
The story of the Stingrays season unfolded in the first period and, looking back, throughout the game. Unable to take their chances through a combination of brilliant netminding and poor finishing, they would end the first period 1-0 down.
The game's first penalty - a harsh interference call on Davies - was one of just two penalties taken by the Stingrays on the night, perhaps a sign of a lesson learnt against an Edinburgh side that has twice demolished them on the powerplay this season.
Nevertheless, the Caps once again showed off their efficient powerplay unit, scoring through Jade Portwood, who purposefully re-directed a pointshot from defenceman Michal Dobron past Ben Bowns in the Stingrays net on 11.39.
The Rays were unable to convert on the first of eight powerplay opportunities on the night at the end of the first and so went in trailing 1-0 after 20 minutes despite their superior play.
Aware of how important a victory would be, the Stingrays peppered the Capitals net in the second period with 24 shots and came away with a deserved 2-1 lead.
Right from the off, Sylvain Cloutier's side showed purpose and determination to get back into the game, dominating possession and the Tendler opened his account for the night with a scrappy goal after Danny Wood fed him close in to the net - recording his first Elite League point in the process.
Six minutes later, Cale Tanaka - who had one of his best games for the club and appears to have found his form after a torrid time with injuries of late - was through in all-alone on Hiadlovsky - who at this point was the difference between the two sides - only for the Slovkian to point blank deny the Canadian and smother any possible rebound.
While the Rays were constantly pressurising the Caps, they were also prone to the odd panic defensively and had to constantly be on their guard for any counter-attack from the impressive Portwood or deadly Rene Jarolin.
If Tendler's first of the night was a scrappy, right place, right time effort, then his second - which came on 32.24 to give the Rays a 2-1 advantage - couldn't have possibly been more different.
With it, at this point, feeling unlikely that the Rays would ever be able beat Hiadlovsky, a neat, slick tic-tac-toe between Wood and Silverthorn worked the puck to the Tendler in some semblance of space. The Canadian then wheeled from behind the net into a shooting position and sublimely put the puck high in the roof of the Edinburgh net with an unstoppable shot over the shoulder of the Caps keeper.
The testing moment of the night followed shortly after though as a miscommunication between Tendler, fresh from scoring at the other end, and his defenceman on the powerplay left the puck sat, just feet in front of Bowns and his goal with no other Stingrays in the vicinity.
Maris Zemberg's picked up the gift of a loose puck and, after being denied on the first attempt, prodded home a shorthanded goal completely against the run of play to level the score at 2-2.
A calamitous goal to concede for the Stingrays and horribly timed too just before the second intermission, having dominated the period and so heavily outshot the Caps only for Hiadlovsky come up big time after time. Their reaction to the adversity would possibly prove to be the difference.
The Caps third of the night came, once again, completely against the run of play with the Stingrays punished for failing to make the most of the chances - in particular three good chances on a 5-on-3 powerplay shortly before Jade Portwood rifled home his second of the night on 51.29.
The visitors goal sucked all the air out of the Stingrays performance but, for once, a bit of luck was on the Stingrays side.
Peter Holecko was first called for slashing - giving the Rays a powerplay - before a loose puck was fired over the boards by Curtis Leinweber from his own zone, handing the home side a huge, possibly season defining 5-on-3 man advantage.
With 2.05 remaining and time running out on what had been an intense, incredibly important powerplay, Tendler popped up and was given time and space to the left of Hiadlovsky to complete a perfectly timed hat-trick by firing home through the keepers five-hole.
With at least a point confirmed for both sides at the end of regulation, it had looked like Dmitri Rodin - who was another to have his best game this season for the Rays - was going to end the game early in four-on-four overtime, going on a mazy coast-to-coast only to be denied at the last step by Hiadlovsky.
There was one player the Caps Slovakian keeper had been unable to stop all night though and that was Tendler - who picked up the puck after 62 minutes, worked his way into space and beautifully backhanded another high shot over the shoulder of the keeper sending a generally quiet mid-week crowd into raptures.
The goal capped a wonderful night personally for the Canadian - who now tops the Elite League goalscoring charts - and sealed the all-important victory and extra point for the Stingrays.
The win moves the Stingrays to 28 points, two behind Edinburgh in 9th in the Elite League(with three games in hand and, crucially, five points behind 8th placed Fife in the final playoff position but with two games in hand on the Flyers.
Cloutier's side next face the Belfast Giants in Northern Ireland on Saturday before returning home to take on the Coventry Blaze at the Hull Arena on Sunday.
Jereme Tendler scored all four goals and put in a man of the match performance as the Hull Stingrays tonight defeated the Edinburgh Capitals in overtime by four goals to three.
Without the recently released Janis Ozolins - who joined the Dundee Stars hours after leaving the club - and Kurtis Dulle - who sat out a one game suspension for a check to the head in the 5-1 loss in Fife on Sunday - the Rays lined up with ten imports but controlled much of the early exchanges and, indeed, the game.
However, it was the Caps that were presented with the first real chance of the game - ringing both posts straight from a face-off just four minutes in.
That served as something of a warning for the Stingrays, who went on to outshoot the Caps 11-5 in a low-key first period - their best chance falling to Dominic Osman who was twice denied by standout Edinburgh netminder and man of the match Tomas Hiadlovsky on a neat feed from Matty Davies behind the net.
The story of the Stingrays season unfolded in the first period and, looking back, throughout the game. Unable to take their chances through a combination of brilliant netminding and poor finishing, they would end the first period 1-0 down.
The game's first penalty - a harsh interference call on Davies - was one of just two penalties taken by the Stingrays on the night, perhaps a sign of a lesson learnt against an Edinburgh side that has twice demolished them on the powerplay this season.
Nevertheless, the Caps once again showed off their efficient powerplay unit, scoring through Jade Portwood, who purposefully re-directed a pointshot from defenceman Michal Dobron past Ben Bowns in the Stingrays net on 11.39.
The Rays were unable to convert on the first of eight powerplay opportunities on the night at the end of the first and so went in trailing 1-0 after 20 minutes despite their superior play.
Aware of how important a victory would be, the Stingrays peppered the Capitals net in the second period with 24 shots and came away with a deserved 2-1 lead.
Right from the off, Sylvain Cloutier's side showed purpose and determination to get back into the game, dominating possession and the Tendler opened his account for the night with a scrappy goal after Danny Wood fed him close in to the net - recording his first Elite League point in the process.
Six minutes later, Cale Tanaka - who had one of his best games for the club and appears to have found his form after a torrid time with injuries of late - was through in all-alone on Hiadlovsky - who at this point was the difference between the two sides - only for the Slovkian to point blank deny the Canadian and smother any possible rebound.
While the Rays were constantly pressurising the Caps, they were also prone to the odd panic defensively and had to constantly be on their guard for any counter-attack from the impressive Portwood or deadly Rene Jarolin.
If Tendler's first of the night was a scrappy, right place, right time effort, then his second - which came on 32.24 to give the Rays a 2-1 advantage - couldn't have possibly been more different.
With it, at this point, feeling unlikely that the Rays would ever be able beat Hiadlovsky, a neat, slick tic-tac-toe between Wood and Silverthorn worked the puck to the Tendler in some semblance of space. The Canadian then wheeled from behind the net into a shooting position and sublimely put the puck high in the roof of the Edinburgh net with an unstoppable shot over the shoulder of the Caps keeper.
The testing moment of the night followed shortly after though as a miscommunication between Tendler, fresh from scoring at the other end, and his defenceman on the powerplay left the puck sat, just feet in front of Bowns and his goal with no other Stingrays in the vicinity.
Maris Zemberg's picked up the gift of a loose puck and, after being denied on the first attempt, prodded home a shorthanded goal completely against the run of play to level the score at 2-2.
A calamitous goal to concede for the Stingrays and horribly timed too just before the second intermission, having dominated the period and so heavily outshot the Caps only for Hiadlovsky come up big time after time. Their reaction to the adversity would possibly prove to be the difference.
The Caps third of the night came, once again, completely against the run of play with the Stingrays punished for failing to make the most of the chances - in particular three good chances on a 5-on-3 powerplay shortly before Jade Portwood rifled home his second of the night on 51.29.
The visitors goal sucked all the air out of the Stingrays performance but, for once, a bit of luck was on the Stingrays side.
Peter Holecko was first called for slashing - giving the Rays a powerplay - before a loose puck was fired over the boards by Curtis Leinweber from his own zone, handing the home side a huge, possibly season defining 5-on-3 man advantage.
With 2.05 remaining and time running out on what had been an intense, incredibly important powerplay, Tendler popped up and was given time and space to the left of Hiadlovsky to complete a perfectly timed hat-trick by firing home through the keepers five-hole.
With at least a point confirmed for both sides at the end of regulation, it had looked like Dmitri Rodin - who was another to have his best game this season for the Rays - was going to end the game early in four-on-four overtime, going on a mazy coast-to-coast only to be denied at the last step by Hiadlovsky.
There was one player the Caps Slovakian keeper had been unable to stop all night though and that was Tendler - who picked up the puck after 62 minutes, worked his way into space and beautifully backhanded another high shot over the shoulder of the keeper sending a generally quiet mid-week crowd into raptures.
The goal capped a wonderful night personally for the Canadian - who now tops the Elite League goalscoring charts - and sealed the all-important victory and extra point for the Stingrays.
The win moves the Stingrays to 28 points, two behind Edinburgh in 9th in the Elite League(with three games in hand and, crucially, five points behind 8th placed Fife in the final playoff position but with two games in hand on the Flyers.
Cloutier's side next face the Belfast Giants in Northern Ireland on Saturday before returning home to take on the Coventry Blaze at the Hull Arena on Sunday.
FBB Three Stars
1. Jereme Tendler
2. Cale Tanaka
3. Dmitri Rodin
