The Hull Stingrays will now prepare for the 2013/2014 Elite Ice Hockey League season with a meeting against their Gardiner Conference rivals the Edinburgh Capitals after the Coventry Blaze withdrew from two warm-up games prior in late August and early September.
The club had been scheduled to meet the Blaze away from home on Wednesday 28th August and at home a week later on Wednesday 4th September.
However, Coventry's commitment to play in a three-team tournament alongside the Cardiff Devils and Danish side Esbjerg on Sunday 1st September and Wednesday 4th September clashed with those arrangements meaning the cancellation of their games with the Rays.
The Rays moved swiftly to fill the resulting gap in their pre-season with the addition of the Caps as pre-season opponents. They will now face home games on Wednesday 28th August (Edinburgh Capitals) and Wednesday 4th September (Sheffield Steeldogs), with their away games coming on Thursday 29th August (Sheffield Steeldogs) and Sunday 1st September (Edinburgh Capitals).
Pre-season 2013
Wed 28th August - Edinburgh Capitals (H)
Thu 29th August - Sheffield Steeldogs (A)
Sun 1st September - Edinburgh Capitals (A)
Wed 4th September - Sheffield Steeldogs (H)
Meanwhile, Stingrays young British forwards Lee Bonner and Sam Towner have been selected to a Great Britain Under-20's development squad for the upcoming Alexei Cherepanov Tournament in Lithuania.
The tournament - named in memory of former New York Rangers first round draft pick Alexei Cherepanov, who passed away at the age of just 19 after collpasing while playing in the Kontinental Hockey League in 2008 - will see Great Britain U20's take on their national counterparts from Lithuania, Poland and Belarus as well as junior sides Omsk Hawks and Kapitan Stupino in Elektrenai, Lithuania in late August.
Towner, 18, will join the side after spending a 52 game rookie campaign with the Stingrays in the Elite League during a season in which he made his national team debut with the GB Under-18's in Estonia - recording a goal in five games.
On his selection, Towner told the Hull Daily Mail:
“At the end of last season I went away with GB under-18s to Estonia, and that was good experience.The GB under-20s in Lithuania will be another experience and that should put me in good stead for the new Elite League season.”
Bonner's involvement with Great Britain will be his first in national team set up at the age of just 16, having signed his first deal with the Stingrays earlier this summer.
The Hull born forward - who recorded 18 goals and 29 points in 13 games at under-18 level last season - is highly thought of by Stingrays head coach Sylvain Cloutier and owner and coach Bobby McEwan - who have monitored his progress over a number of years at Hull Arena.
GB Under-20 coach Pete Russell has selected a development squad for the tournament and has said he will be using it as a chance to get new players involved in the national team set up and exposure to international hockey.
GB Under-20 coach Pete Russell has selected a development squad for the tournament and has said he will be using it as a chance to get new players involved in the national team set up and exposure to international hockey.
The pair will join up with the Under-20's for their games between 23rd August and 28th August before returning to Hull part-way through their pre-season training camp.
