Hull Stingrays 1-3 Nottingham Panthers
A gusty defensive performance from the Hull Stingrays this evening was not enough to prevent the title chasing Nottingham Panthers ending their four game win streak in a 3-1 victory in front of one of the biggest crowds of the season at the Hull Arena.
The title chasing Panthers got off to the perfect start on the night, opening the scoring after just 19 seconds as Kelsey Wilson emphatically beat Ben Bowns glove side on a two-on-one created when Kurtis Dulle got caught on the blueline by David Clarke.
Though there were no complaints at the time from the Stingrays, it appeared as though play should have been whistled dead prior to Dulle losing possession in the offensive zone as a clearance from Panthers netminder Craig Kowalski behind the net clipped the netting above the plexi-glass.
Regardless, the Panthers started the game like a freight train, dominated large swathes of the game and were deserving of their early lead. The home side in complete contrast weren't able to muster any offence in the early stages - mainly due to the Panthers suffocating presence across the ice - with their first real shot on goal coming just before the halfway mark of the period and after a fifth minute scrap between Dominic Osman and Stevie Lee.
The Rays - who were without Jason Silverthorn through injury and therefore had to shift Jeff Smith up front - worked hard to get themselves into the game - mainly because they would never be able to sustain the relentless Nottingham offence for 60 minutes - and they eventually did so following a powerplay on 9.37 via a slash from Guillaume Lepine.
They eventually grew in confidence, or perhaps regained their energy after a great Nottingham start, and their biggest chance of the game came shortly after the 15 minute mark as Sylvain Cloutier worked hard around the boards to fish to puck out to topscorer Jereme Tendler - who agonisingly fired over when presented with space in front to get a shot away.
A familiar pattern developed in a second period which the Panthers, if anything, further enhanced their grip on the game - outshooting the Stingrays 18-8. They would come up empty on this occasion though thanks to some sterling netminding from man of the match Ben Bowns as Cloutier's side continued to battle hard to maintain the deficit at just one goal and their slim hopes of snatching a point.
Martin Ondrej - who again played a punishing, solid game in defence - fired a great chance wide for the home side, having uncharacteristically skated at pace through the Panthers defence, but that would be as close as they would come in another powerful period from Corey Neilson's men.
Much to the Stingrays credit, they remained just one-goal down heading into the third period thanks to a collective effort defensively and, while there was rarely ever any doubt about the end result, they put in a gutsy performance along the way, withstanding wave after wave of attack at times.
While the floodgates didn't open as many people probably expected, the Panthers went on to notch goals two and three through David Beauregard - who fired into the empty net on a Bowns rebound after 46 minutes - and David Clarke late on.
The goals wrapped up much needed win for the Panthers - who now appear on the verge of their first league title since 1956 following their victory and Edinburgh's surprise truimph over their closest rivals Belfast in Scotland.
With just four seconds remaining on the clock, Dulle and Dominic Osman combined before stand-in forward Smith scoop home a rebound from close in to spoil Kowalski's shut out and give the Rays some thoroughly-deserved offensive joy after a night of hard-work defensively across the board.
Dundee's defeat of Fife this evening relegates the Stingrays back down to 9th in the Elite League - currently one point shy of the final playoff spot - and shortens the gap between the Stingrays in first and Dundee in second in the Gardiner Conference to just two points.
Given the number of games Braehead, Dundee, Fife and Edinburgh have to play against each other it would take an extremely fortuitous sequence of results for the Stingrays to make the playoffs despite their best efforts.
Still, regardless of the circumstances of the run in, all Cloutier and his side can do is continue putting in the type of committed performances they have this weekend in the remaining four fixtures this season.
The Stingrays now take on Cardiff at the Hull Arena next Saturday hoping to claim a fifth win from six games against the Welsh side this season before an absolute must-win game on Sunday in Dundee against a Stars side the Rays beat 5-3 last night.
Their 2012/2013 Elite League regular season campaign comes to a close the following weekend with a fixture at Ice Sheffield against the Sheffield Steelers before a final home game of the year against the Coventry Blaze.
A gusty defensive performance from the Hull Stingrays this evening was not enough to prevent the title chasing Nottingham Panthers ending their four game win streak in a 3-1 victory in front of one of the biggest crowds of the season at the Hull Arena.
The title chasing Panthers got off to the perfect start on the night, opening the scoring after just 19 seconds as Kelsey Wilson emphatically beat Ben Bowns glove side on a two-on-one created when Kurtis Dulle got caught on the blueline by David Clarke.
Though there were no complaints at the time from the Stingrays, it appeared as though play should have been whistled dead prior to Dulle losing possession in the offensive zone as a clearance from Panthers netminder Craig Kowalski behind the net clipped the netting above the plexi-glass.
Regardless, the Panthers started the game like a freight train, dominated large swathes of the game and were deserving of their early lead. The home side in complete contrast weren't able to muster any offence in the early stages - mainly due to the Panthers suffocating presence across the ice - with their first real shot on goal coming just before the halfway mark of the period and after a fifth minute scrap between Dominic Osman and Stevie Lee.
The Rays - who were without Jason Silverthorn through injury and therefore had to shift Jeff Smith up front - worked hard to get themselves into the game - mainly because they would never be able to sustain the relentless Nottingham offence for 60 minutes - and they eventually did so following a powerplay on 9.37 via a slash from Guillaume Lepine.
They eventually grew in confidence, or perhaps regained their energy after a great Nottingham start, and their biggest chance of the game came shortly after the 15 minute mark as Sylvain Cloutier worked hard around the boards to fish to puck out to topscorer Jereme Tendler - who agonisingly fired over when presented with space in front to get a shot away.
A familiar pattern developed in a second period which the Panthers, if anything, further enhanced their grip on the game - outshooting the Stingrays 18-8. They would come up empty on this occasion though thanks to some sterling netminding from man of the match Ben Bowns as Cloutier's side continued to battle hard to maintain the deficit at just one goal and their slim hopes of snatching a point.
Martin Ondrej - who again played a punishing, solid game in defence - fired a great chance wide for the home side, having uncharacteristically skated at pace through the Panthers defence, but that would be as close as they would come in another powerful period from Corey Neilson's men.
Much to the Stingrays credit, they remained just one-goal down heading into the third period thanks to a collective effort defensively and, while there was rarely ever any doubt about the end result, they put in a gutsy performance along the way, withstanding wave after wave of attack at times.
While the floodgates didn't open as many people probably expected, the Panthers went on to notch goals two and three through David Beauregard - who fired into the empty net on a Bowns rebound after 46 minutes - and David Clarke late on.
The goals wrapped up much needed win for the Panthers - who now appear on the verge of their first league title since 1956 following their victory and Edinburgh's surprise truimph over their closest rivals Belfast in Scotland.
With just four seconds remaining on the clock, Dulle and Dominic Osman combined before stand-in forward Smith scoop home a rebound from close in to spoil Kowalski's shut out and give the Rays some thoroughly-deserved offensive joy after a night of hard-work defensively across the board.
Dundee's defeat of Fife this evening relegates the Stingrays back down to 9th in the Elite League - currently one point shy of the final playoff spot - and shortens the gap between the Stingrays in first and Dundee in second in the Gardiner Conference to just two points.
Given the number of games Braehead, Dundee, Fife and Edinburgh have to play against each other it would take an extremely fortuitous sequence of results for the Stingrays to make the playoffs despite their best efforts.
Still, regardless of the circumstances of the run in, all Cloutier and his side can do is continue putting in the type of committed performances they have this weekend in the remaining four fixtures this season.
The Stingrays now take on Cardiff at the Hull Arena next Saturday hoping to claim a fifth win from six games against the Welsh side this season before an absolute must-win game on Sunday in Dundee against a Stars side the Rays beat 5-3 last night.
Their 2012/2013 Elite League regular season campaign comes to a close the following weekend with a fixture at Ice Sheffield against the Sheffield Steelers before a final home game of the year against the Coventry Blaze.
FBB Three Stars
1. Ben Bowns
2. Martin Ondrej
3. Matty Davies
