Hull Stingrays 7-1 Edinburgh Capitals
The Hull Stingrays tonight completed a testing two-week, five-game stretch against Gardiner Conference sides with a relieving and comprehensive 7-1 home win over the Edinburgh Capitals.
During that time player-coach Sylvain Cloutier has had to endure captain Matt Suderman quitting the club, Hull Arena flooding, three road trips to Scotland and injuries to three of his British players while another is away on international duty with Great Britain Under-20's.
Despite such a tough run of fixtures and indeed a tough run of luck, tonight's victory ensured that the Stingrays claimed at least a point in all five of their fixtures against conference rivals and a massive eight points from ten points available. That is an outstanding return for any side, let alone a side that has had to deal with all of the above.
On the night, the Stingrays - who traveled to Dundee with just nine outskaters on Thursday and returned against all odds with a point from a narrow overtime loss - found themselves up against a similarly understrength Edinburgh side.
Both sides iced just 13 players - mainly sticking to two lines - but quickly it became evident the Stingrays were up against a Capitals side apparently bereft of any form or confidence, particularly defensively.
In all it took the Stingrays just 72 seconds to beat Edinburgh netminder Tomas Hiadlovsky for the first time as Jason Silverthorn was given time and space to fire a point shot invitingly towards Jereme Tendler - who redirected the puck home for a 1-0 lead.
The home side really took it to their opponents in the first period - outshooting them 14-8 - and Tendler doubled his and the Stingrays goal tally on 12.33 as he intercepted some poor play by the Caps in their own zone before beating Hiadlovsky for the second time.
43 seconds later a speculative long-pass from his own zone by Omar Pacha was high sticked down by an Edinburgh player straight to Stingrays player-coach Cloutier - who added a third with a nice finish on the breakaway.
Richard Hartmann's side immediately hit back through Marc Fowley only for the Stingrays to regain their three goal advantage.
The Stingrays fourth of the period came on a powerplay which looked all the better for the point threat of returning defenceman Pavel Gomeniuk. The Ukrainian came out of retirement to help the Stingrays last weekend but has now joined until the end of the season and he notched an assist on Jason Silverthorn's 16th minute goal.
Surprisingly Hartmann refused to call a time-out in the first period Stingrays offensive blitz but his troops appeared rejuvenated in early in the second period.
Overall, the lack of depth on the bench probably hurt the Caps more than the Stingrays as Guillaume Doucet and Carl Lauzon both regularly took advantage of a tiring Edinburgh line with their trademark burst of pace.
It was that burst of pace that led to the Rays fifth goal as, following a prolonged period of Edinburgh pressure in the Rays zone, the puck broke to Lauzon - who suddenly found himself with the space to break at pace down the ice - before Doucet squeezed the puck home on the ensuing two-on-one.
Probably most obvious Caps deficiency on the night was their defensive frailty and even netminder Hiadlovsky appeared to have given in the third period up for that reason following the Rays sixth of the night.
A second poor giveaway in their own end eventually saw home debutant Gomeniuk - who, it has to be said, had a great return to action at Hull Arena - pinch from the point and score the Stingrays sixth. The goal saw the clearly distressed Slovakian netminder pull himself from the game and return to the Capitals bench, only for Hartmann to order him back to the goal.
He returned and would then stop a Lauzon penalty shot - outwaiting the French-Canadian on the shot - having initially given away the penalty for throwing his stick on a breakaway.
However, the Stingrays continued to dominate the game and, for once, didn't let up on their opponent as they have been guilty of in the past, going on to outshoot their visitors 18-6 in the third period.
Tendler wrapped up the scoring with just under ten minutes remaining, notching his first hat-trick of the season after robbing the puck from Jan Safar by way of a nifty stick-lift right in front of the net before instantly firing the puck home.
The win will be a massive relief for Cloutier and his side after a really tough couple of weeks and should allow him and his side to rest easy on their well deserved day off on Sunday.
In claiming eight of ten points from their last five games the Stingrays have solidified their challenge for the Gardiner Conference and they currently sit top on 19 points from 15 games.
They should now slowly but surely return to full strength with Bobby Chamberlain expected back from GB U20 duty, a replacement for Matt Suderman anticipated soon and potentially at least Tom Squires and Sam Towner back for next weekend's fixtures at home to Nottingham and in Fife.
On the night, the Stingrays - who traveled to Dundee with just nine outskaters on Thursday and returned against all odds with a point from a narrow overtime loss - found themselves up against a similarly understrength Edinburgh side.
Both sides iced just 13 players - mainly sticking to two lines - but quickly it became evident the Stingrays were up against a Capitals side apparently bereft of any form or confidence, particularly defensively.
In all it took the Stingrays just 72 seconds to beat Edinburgh netminder Tomas Hiadlovsky for the first time as Jason Silverthorn was given time and space to fire a point shot invitingly towards Jereme Tendler - who redirected the puck home for a 1-0 lead.
The home side really took it to their opponents in the first period - outshooting them 14-8 - and Tendler doubled his and the Stingrays goal tally on 12.33 as he intercepted some poor play by the Caps in their own zone before beating Hiadlovsky for the second time.
43 seconds later a speculative long-pass from his own zone by Omar Pacha was high sticked down by an Edinburgh player straight to Stingrays player-coach Cloutier - who added a third with a nice finish on the breakaway.
Richard Hartmann's side immediately hit back through Marc Fowley only for the Stingrays to regain their three goal advantage.
The Stingrays fourth of the period came on a powerplay which looked all the better for the point threat of returning defenceman Pavel Gomeniuk. The Ukrainian came out of retirement to help the Stingrays last weekend but has now joined until the end of the season and he notched an assist on Jason Silverthorn's 16th minute goal.
Surprisingly Hartmann refused to call a time-out in the first period Stingrays offensive blitz but his troops appeared rejuvenated in early in the second period.
Overall, the lack of depth on the bench probably hurt the Caps more than the Stingrays as Guillaume Doucet and Carl Lauzon both regularly took advantage of a tiring Edinburgh line with their trademark burst of pace.
It was that burst of pace that led to the Rays fifth goal as, following a prolonged period of Edinburgh pressure in the Rays zone, the puck broke to Lauzon - who suddenly found himself with the space to break at pace down the ice - before Doucet squeezed the puck home on the ensuing two-on-one.
Probably most obvious Caps deficiency on the night was their defensive frailty and even netminder Hiadlovsky appeared to have given in the third period up for that reason following the Rays sixth of the night.
A second poor giveaway in their own end eventually saw home debutant Gomeniuk - who, it has to be said, had a great return to action at Hull Arena - pinch from the point and score the Stingrays sixth. The goal saw the clearly distressed Slovakian netminder pull himself from the game and return to the Capitals bench, only for Hartmann to order him back to the goal.
He returned and would then stop a Lauzon penalty shot - outwaiting the French-Canadian on the shot - having initially given away the penalty for throwing his stick on a breakaway.
However, the Stingrays continued to dominate the game and, for once, didn't let up on their opponent as they have been guilty of in the past, going on to outshoot their visitors 18-6 in the third period.
Tendler wrapped up the scoring with just under ten minutes remaining, notching his first hat-trick of the season after robbing the puck from Jan Safar by way of a nifty stick-lift right in front of the net before instantly firing the puck home.
The win will be a massive relief for Cloutier and his side after a really tough couple of weeks and should allow him and his side to rest easy on their well deserved day off on Sunday.
In claiming eight of ten points from their last five games the Stingrays have solidified their challenge for the Gardiner Conference and they currently sit top on 19 points from 15 games.
They should now slowly but surely return to full strength with Bobby Chamberlain expected back from GB U20 duty, a replacement for Matt Suderman anticipated soon and potentially at least Tom Squires and Sam Towner back for next weekend's fixtures at home to Nottingham and in Fife.
FBB Three Stars
1. Carl Lauzon (0+2)
2. Jereme Tendler (3+1)
3. Pavel Gomeniuk (1+1)
