Hull Stingrays 0-2 Belfast Giants
A superb 60 save effort from netminder Ben Bowns was tonight not enough to prevent the Hull Stingrays from losing by two goals to nil at home to the Belfast Giants.
The fixture pit the Great Britain national team number one netminder Stephen Murphy in the Giants net against his understudy Bowns and the contrast between their 60 minutes couldn't have been more stark.
While Bowns was called into action early and often - stopping 21 of 22 shots in just the opening period and 60 of 62 overall - Murphy had just six Stingray shots to deal with in the first and 19 overall.
The only Belfast shot that did beat the Stingrays netminder in the first period came from the stick of Dustin Whitecotton on the powerplay after 6.30.
The veteran Canadian was given time and space close in on Bowns to pick his spot five hole after Rays defenceman Jeff Smith was preoccupied with removing another Giants from in front of the crease
In fairness to the Giants, it was absolutely no more than they deserved even after just six minutes as they asserted their dominance over the Stingrays from the opening face-off and never looked back.
For large periods - in fact, the vast majority of the game - the Stingrays were powerless to prevent wave after wave of Belfast attack and Belfast puck possession. When Sylvain Cloutier's side did finally manage stem the flow they were unable to create any attacking drive of their own and if they did their offensive advances were snuffed out by a solid Belfast defensive core.
The only thing that ever looked like really denying the Giants two well deserved and hard fought points was Bowns. Unfortunately for the Rays following that sixth minute goal, he wasn't able to snipe home the all-important first Stingrays goal that just might've given them the momentum that they so craved.
Referee Michael Hicks was rightly vilified by home fans - and possibly also some of the Giants contingent that have traveled over for their away double header this weekend - for failing to live up to his early billing but in truth he had no impact on the outcome of the game.
Having called pretty much anything and everything in the opening period - totaling 14 minutes and seven minor penalties - Hicks appeared to become somewhat more relaxed towards infractions as the game wore on. Coincidentally or not, this perceived change in attitude towards penalties tied in with a number of missed calls on the Stingrays.
Whether those debatable penalties had been given or not, the home side still simply wouldn't have had enough - skillfully or physically - to defeat an overpowering Giants side.
Excellent on the penalty kill, stopping eight of nine opportunities including a rousing five and a half minute kill late in the second, the Stingrays powerplay - while offering a welcome break from the constant Belfast offensive pressure and puck possession - struggled and was unable to generate any true scoring chances.
Carl Lauzon probably came the closest to opening the scoring for the Stingrays late on in the second period as his shot on the powerplay rang off the cross bar and up over the plexi-glass.
The home side were trailing 2-0 by this point - having again been heavily out shot 23-6 in the second period - after Calvin Efring sold Martin Ondrej an exaggerated shot fake before beating Bowns with a wicked shot moments later.
It was a complete performance from the Giants and 2-0 up heading into the third they gave the Stingrays no respite firing a further 17 shots on the Stingrays net with Bowns equal to all of them.
Though the Giants had done more than enough to beat a Stingrays side that whose offence they smothered, it is worth pondering whether they would have run out winners had they been facing an Erhardt Conference side.
Worryingly for the Stingrays, had it not been for the performance of their netminder, they could have found themselves on the end of a morale sapping thrashing.
Bowns' outstanding man of the match performance - or not as it were, as the match sponsors mystifyingly gave it to Omar Pacha - kept the Stingrays within reaching distance of snatching a point against all odds. That's not to say the Stingrays as a team didn't work hard in their attempts to keep the visitors at bay, simply that on this occasion they were beaten by a better team.
Cloutier and his side will do well to learn from the Giants performance but equally, although they relied on Bowns more than they would've liked, they will take heart from the fact they kept Belfast largely at bay and within striking distance minus an all important import.
They will travel to South Wales on Sunday to re-visit the scene of their thrilling 6-5 shootout loss to the Cardiff Devils less than two weeks ago.
The Devils will be boosted by the signing of former NHLer Tomas Kurka - who will make his debut - and they will face a Stingrays side that have yet to defeat an Erhardt Conference side in league play this season.
A superb 60 save effort from netminder Ben Bowns was tonight not enough to prevent the Hull Stingrays from losing by two goals to nil at home to the Belfast Giants.
The fixture pit the Great Britain national team number one netminder Stephen Murphy in the Giants net against his understudy Bowns and the contrast between their 60 minutes couldn't have been more stark.
While Bowns was called into action early and often - stopping 21 of 22 shots in just the opening period and 60 of 62 overall - Murphy had just six Stingray shots to deal with in the first and 19 overall.
The only Belfast shot that did beat the Stingrays netminder in the first period came from the stick of Dustin Whitecotton on the powerplay after 6.30.
The veteran Canadian was given time and space close in on Bowns to pick his spot five hole after Rays defenceman Jeff Smith was preoccupied with removing another Giants from in front of the crease
In fairness to the Giants, it was absolutely no more than they deserved even after just six minutes as they asserted their dominance over the Stingrays from the opening face-off and never looked back.
For large periods - in fact, the vast majority of the game - the Stingrays were powerless to prevent wave after wave of Belfast attack and Belfast puck possession. When Sylvain Cloutier's side did finally manage stem the flow they were unable to create any attacking drive of their own and if they did their offensive advances were snuffed out by a solid Belfast defensive core.
The only thing that ever looked like really denying the Giants two well deserved and hard fought points was Bowns. Unfortunately for the Rays following that sixth minute goal, he wasn't able to snipe home the all-important first Stingrays goal that just might've given them the momentum that they so craved.
Referee Michael Hicks was rightly vilified by home fans - and possibly also some of the Giants contingent that have traveled over for their away double header this weekend - for failing to live up to his early billing but in truth he had no impact on the outcome of the game.
Having called pretty much anything and everything in the opening period - totaling 14 minutes and seven minor penalties - Hicks appeared to become somewhat more relaxed towards infractions as the game wore on. Coincidentally or not, this perceived change in attitude towards penalties tied in with a number of missed calls on the Stingrays.
Whether those debatable penalties had been given or not, the home side still simply wouldn't have had enough - skillfully or physically - to defeat an overpowering Giants side.
Excellent on the penalty kill, stopping eight of nine opportunities including a rousing five and a half minute kill late in the second, the Stingrays powerplay - while offering a welcome break from the constant Belfast offensive pressure and puck possession - struggled and was unable to generate any true scoring chances.
Carl Lauzon probably came the closest to opening the scoring for the Stingrays late on in the second period as his shot on the powerplay rang off the cross bar and up over the plexi-glass.
The home side were trailing 2-0 by this point - having again been heavily out shot 23-6 in the second period - after Calvin Efring sold Martin Ondrej an exaggerated shot fake before beating Bowns with a wicked shot moments later.
It was a complete performance from the Giants and 2-0 up heading into the third they gave the Stingrays no respite firing a further 17 shots on the Stingrays net with Bowns equal to all of them.
Though the Giants had done more than enough to beat a Stingrays side that whose offence they smothered, it is worth pondering whether they would have run out winners had they been facing an Erhardt Conference side.
Worryingly for the Stingrays, had it not been for the performance of their netminder, they could have found themselves on the end of a morale sapping thrashing.
Bowns' outstanding man of the match performance - or not as it were, as the match sponsors mystifyingly gave it to Omar Pacha - kept the Stingrays within reaching distance of snatching a point against all odds. That's not to say the Stingrays as a team didn't work hard in their attempts to keep the visitors at bay, simply that on this occasion they were beaten by a better team.
Cloutier and his side will do well to learn from the Giants performance but equally, although they relied on Bowns more than they would've liked, they will take heart from the fact they kept Belfast largely at bay and within striking distance minus an all important import.
They will travel to South Wales on Sunday to re-visit the scene of their thrilling 6-5 shootout loss to the Cardiff Devils less than two weeks ago.
The Devils will be boosted by the signing of former NHLer Tomas Kurka - who will make his debut - and they will face a Stingrays side that have yet to defeat an Erhardt Conference side in league play this season.
FBB Three Stars
1. Ben Bowns (60 saves)
2. Omar Pacha (0+0)
3. Matt Suderman (0+0)
