EIHL fixtures announced; Rays start with 12/13 treble winners

The Hull Stingrays will begin their 2013/2014 Elite Ice Hockey League campaign on Saturday 7th September against reigning Elite League, Challenge Cup and Playoff champions the Nottingham Panthers it was revealed today.

Meanwhile, the club also announced today pre-season fixtures against Elite League rivals the Coventry Blaze and the English Premier League's Sheffield Steeldogs.

Unsurprisingly, upon announcing the 13/14 fixture list, the Elite League confirmed that they would continue with last season's preferred two-conference format with every team playing sides in their own conference four times home and away, and sides in the opposing conference twice home and away.

The Challenge Cup format also remains unchanged with the Stingrays again in Group B alongside the Cardiff Devils, Coventry Blaze, Nottingham Panthers and Sheffield Steelers - whom they will play once home and away.

The Rays will open and close their pre-season preparations against Mathias Soderstrom's Coventry side on Wednesday 28th August (Coventry Skydome) and Wednesday 4th September (Hull Arena) respectively, with games against Andre Payette's second tier Steeldogs side sandwiched inbetween on Thursday 29th August (Ice Sheffield) and Sunday 1st September (Hull Arena).

Three days after their final warm-up fixture on Saturday 7th September, the Stingrays will travel to Nottingham to open up the regular season in the toughest possible fashion against the 12/13 treble winners and 13/14 favourites for the title, the Nottingham Panthers.

Sylvain Cloutier's side follow up that baptism of fire with their first home fixture of the regular season against  the Braehead Clan in Ryan Finnety's second game as head coach.

The club's tough start to the season doesn't end there though as they face Erhardt Conference sides five times in their opening seven games in September - thanks mostly to to their grouping in the Challenge Cup, which admittedly brings other advantages.

Their challenge for the Gardiner Conference kicks in during October with six of their eight fixtures against conference rivals and it continues in November and December as they meet Erhardt Conference sides just four times in 17 games.

Once again, Stingrays will travel to Scotland - where they really struggled on their travels last term - on 14 occasions including two weekends north of the border on 7th and 8th December against Fife and Edinburgh, and 11th and 12th January against Braehead and Edinburgh.

By 12th October's meeting with the Fife Flyers, the club will have faced every Elite League side.

Other notable weekends include home and home weekends against the Dundee Stars (5/6 October), Edinburgh Capitals (26/27 October) and Coventry Blaze (2/3 November).

In the final five weeks of the season the Stingrays will face-off against the Dundee Stars and Sheffield Steelers three times apiece, ending the regular season on Sunday 23rd March at the Hull Arena against their Yorkshire rivals Sheffield.

Meanwhile, as far as the home fixture breakdown is concerned, the Saturday night is most certainly hockey night in Hull this season with 16 Saturday night face-off's, ten on Sunday and four on Wednesday.

Hull Stingrays Fixture List - Elite Ice Hockey League 13/14 

August 2013

2 Pre-season

2 Away

1 Erhardt Conference, 1 EPL

Wed 28th - Coventry Blaze (A) - PS
Thu 29th - Sheffield Steeldogs (A) - PS

September

2 Pre-season, 3 League, 3 Challenge Cup, 1 League/Challenge Cup

5 Home, 3 Away

1 EPL, 6 Erhardt Conference, 2 Gardiner Conference

Sun 1st - Sheffield Steeldogs (H) - PS

Wed 4th - Coventry Blaze (H) - PS
Sat 7th - Nottingham Panthers (A) - L/CC
Sun 8th - Braehead Clan (H) - L

Sun 15th - Cardiff Devils (H) - CC

Wed 18th - Sheffield Steelers (A) - CC
Sat 21st - Edinburgh Capitals (H) - L
Sun 22nd - Coventry Blaze (A) - CC

Sun 29th - Belfast Giants (H) - L

October

6 League, 2 Challenge Cup

4 Home, 4 Away

6 Gardiner Conference, 2 Erhardt Conference

Sat 5th - Dundee Stars (H) - L
Sun 6th - Dundee Stars (A) - L

Sat 12th - Fife Flyers (A) - L
Sun 13th - Nottingham Panthers (H) - CC

Sat 19th - Dundee Stars (H) L

Sat 26th - Edinburgh Capitals (A) L
Sun 27th - Edinburgh Capitals (H) - L

Thu 31th - Cardiff Devils (A) - CC

November 

6 League, 2 Challenge Cup

4 Home, 4 Away

6 Gardiner Conference, 2 Erhardt Conference

Sat 2nd - Coventry Blaze (H) - CC
Sun 3rd - Coventry Blaze (A) - L

Sat 9th - Belfast Giants (H) - L
Sun 10th - Cardiff Devils (A) - L

Sat 16th - Braehead Clan (A) - L

Sat 23th - Cardiff Devils (H) - L
Sun 24th - Edinburgh Capitals (A) - L

Sat 30th - Sheffield (H) - CC

December

9 League

4 Home, 5 Away

7 Gardiner Conference, 2 Erhardt Conference

Sun 1st - Braehead Clan (H) - L

Sat 7th - Fife Flyers (A) - L
Sun 8th - Edinburgh Capitals(A) - L

Thu 12th - Dundee Stars (A) - L
Sat 14th - Edinburgh Capitals (H) - L

Sat 21st - Nottingham Panthers (H) - L
Sun 22nd - Fife Flyers (A) - L

Sat 28th Edinburgh Capitals (H) - L

Mon 30th - Belfast Giants (A) - L

January 2014

10 League

4 Home, 6 Away

6 Gardiner Conference, 4 Erhardt Conference

Thu 2nd - Sheffield Steelers (A) - L
Sat 4th - Coventry Blaze (A) - L
Sun 5th - Fife Flyers (H) - L

Sat 11th - Braehead Clan (A) - L
Sun 12th - Edinburgh Capitals (A) - L

Wed 15th - Braehead Clan (H) - L
Sat 18th - Dundee Stars (H) - L

Sat 25th - Coventry Blaze (H) - L
Sun 26th Nottingham Panthers (A) - L

Wed 29th - Braehead Clan (A) - L

February

10 League

5 Home, 5 Away

6 Gardiner Conference, 4 Erhardt Conference 

Sat 1st - Fife Flyers (H) - L
Sun 2nd: Cardiff Devils (A) - L

Wed 5th - Fife Flyers (H) - L
Fri 7th - Belfast Giants (A) - L
Sun 9th - Nottingham Panthers (H) - L

Wed 12th - Braehead Clan (A) - L
Sat 15th - Cardiff Devils (H) - L
Sun 16th - Fife Flyers (A) - L

Wed 19th - Braehead Clan (H) - L
Sun 23rd - Dundee Stars (A) - L

March

6 League

4 Home, 2 Away

3 Gardiner Conference, 3 Erhardt Conference

Sat 1st - Dundee Stars (H) - L
Sat 8th - Sheffield Steelers (H) - L

Wed 12th - Fife Flyers (H) - L
Sat 15th - Dundee Stars (A) - L
Sun 16th - Sheffield Steelers (A) - L

Sun 23th - Sheffield Steelers (H) - L

EIHL 12/13 Fixtures: Two Scottish double headers; Panthers home opener for Stingrays

The Elite Ice Hockey League have today released their schedule for the upcoming 2012/2013 campaign and the Hull Stingrays will begin the upcoming season the way they ended the last - with a fixture against the Nottingham Panthers.

Thankfully for the Rays and their fans, the opening night doesn't and hopefully won't completely mirror that night in April at the Trent FM Arena - in which the Stingrays were defeated 10-3 in their first ever EIHL Playoff Semi-Final and Final Four weekend - as the Panthers and Stingrays start 12/13 at the Hull Arena in with a Challenge Cup fixture on Saturday 8th September (6.30pm).

That is followed up with another home Challenge Cup game - this time against the Cardiff Devils on Thursday 13th September - before the Rays travel north for their first league fixture of the campaign as they take on the Dundee Stars and their trio of former players in Sam McCluskey, Tristan Harper and Jack Watkins on Sunday 16th September.

The Rays complete their eight game Challenge Cup group campaign - from which four out of five teams will this season qualify for a new Quarter Final stage - on 10th November against the Coventry Blaze with the only note to the Challenge Cup campaign being that the Nottingham Panthers fixture on 13th November has been doubled up as a dual cup-league fixture.

Other notable fixtures include a first meeting with the Sheffield Steelers since that unforgettable night at Ice Sheffield last April (26th September), home Christmas fixtures against Sheffield (22nd December) and Edinburgh (27th December) and a first home game against former Coventry owners (10th November).

They end the season in March with five home league fixtures in seven games - including a four game homestand between the 3rd and 16th March. The club's final fixture of the regular season comes on Sunday 24th March against the Coventry Blaze.

The Stingrays have not been afforded the opportunity to cut costs and half the number of trips they make across the Irish Sea with an away double header against the Belfast Giants (they travel to Northern Ireland on 29th December and 2nd February).

However, they have been handed two double headers in Scotland on 1st and 2nd of December and 19th and 20th of January (both Braehead Clan and Edinburgh Capitals - in that order).

Though it could be said the benefits and saving in travel expenditure of those two weekends away could be nullified by hotel costs and a lack of home fixture, and therefore income through paying spectators, the Stingrays appear to have come out relatively well from the notoriously tough EIHL fixtures meeting.

New owner to-be and managing director Bobby McEwan made the decision to change - where possible - the club's preferred match night from a Sunday to a Saturday, meaning next season there will be 16 Saturday match nights, ten on Sunday and five mid-week home games - with Saturday's outweighing Sunday's for what is believed to be the first ever time during the Stingrays reign in Hull.

The potential and hopeful benefits of changing the preferred matchnight is believed to be two fold.

Firstly, there is a natural desire throughout the club to increase attendances - something which would be helped on a Saturday night as opposed to a 'school night' such as a Sunday.

Secondly Stingrays players should - in theory - be fresher, fitter and more prepared for a home fixture on a Saturday after a week of training than they would on a Sunday following an away game and a, more often than not, lengthy and tiring road trip - thus increasing the club's chance of winning their home fixture, in turn increasing positive feeling around the club. At least that's the idea and one the new ownership appear confident in at least trying.

Face-off times have also changed slightly with Saturday fixtures now facing off at 6.30pm - presumably, so as to allow fans of Hull City time to travel between the KC and Hull Arena - and Sunday and mid-week games generally facing-off at 6pm and 7.30pm respectively.

Stingrays to-be owner and managing director said of the opening night and Challenge Cup:

"It is a great way to start the season. Panthers are the cup holders and a top team and it will be a packed Hull Arena. All the teams will still be learning their systems and will not be up to scratch straight away. There will be a lot of mistakes but if we can play well then hopefully we can nick a win. The way the Challenge Cup is set up this season gives us a chance of making the quarter-finals and that is something we will be looking to do. I like the new league format, there will be more competitive games and our goal will be to win our conference."

Please see below for the Stingrays full fixture list for the 12/13 campaign. Please be advised dates can and probably will change. See www.hullstingrays.net for further information including face-off times.

Hull Stingrays Fixture List -  Elite Ice Hockey League12/13

September 2012

2 Pre-season, 4 Challenge Cup, 4 League - 6 Home, 4 Away

Sun 2nd - Sheffield Steeldogs (H) - P/S
Thu 6th - Sheffield Steeldogs (A) - P/S
Sat 8th - Nottingham Panthers (H) - CC
Thu 13th - Cardiff Devils (H) - CC
Sun 16th - Dundee Stars (A)
Sat 22nd - Edinburgh Capitals (H)
Sun 23rd - Edinburgh Capitals (A)
Wed 26th - Sheffield Steelers (H) - CC
Sat 29th - Coventry Blaze (A) - CC
Sun 30th - Braehead Clan (H)

October

2 Challenge Cup, 6 League - 4 Home, 3 Away

Sat 6th - Dundee Stars (H)
Sun 7th - Belfast Giants (H)
Sat 13th - Nottingham Panthers (A) - L/CC
Sun 14th - Dundee Stars (A)
Sat 20th - Dundee Stars (H)
Sun 21st - Sheffield Steelers (A) - CC (Ice Sheffield)
Sat 27th - Fife Flyers (H)

November

2 Challenge Cup, 8 League - 4 Home, 6 Away

Thu 1st - Cardiff Devils (A) - CC
Sun 4th - Fife Flyers (H)
Sat 10th - Coventry Blaze (H) - CC
Sun 11th - Coventry Blaze (A)
Tue 13th - Fife Flyers (A)
Sat 17th - Belfast Giants (H)
Sun 18th - Edinburgh Capitals (A)
Sat 24th - Fife Flyers (A)
Sun 25th - Braehead Clan (H)
Thu 29th - Braehead Clan (H)

December

8 League - 3 Home, 5 Away

Sat 1st - Braehead Clan (A)
Sun 2nd - Edinburgh Capitals (A)
Sun 9th - Nottingham Panthers (A)
Sat 15th - Nottingham Panthers (H)
Sat 22nd - Sheffield Steelers (H)
Sun 23rd - Cardiff Devils (A)
Thu 27th - Edinburgh Capitals (H)
Sat 29th - Belfast Giants (A)

January

9 League - 4 Home, 5 Away

Sat 5th - Cardiff Devils (A)
Sun 6th - Sheffield Steelers (H)
Sat 12th - Edinburgh Capitals (H)
Sun 13th - Coventry Blaze (A)
Sat 19th - Braehead Clan (A)
Sun 20th - Edinburgh Capitals (A)
Sat 26th - Fife Flyers (H)
Sun 27th - Fife Flyers (A)
Wed 30th - Edinburgh Capitals (H)

February

9 League - 4 Home, 5 Away

Sat 2nd - Belfast Giants (A)
Sun 3rd - Coventry Blaze (H)
Sat 9th - Dundee Stars (H)
Sun 10th - Dundee Stars (A)
Wed 13th - Braehead Clan (A)
Sat 16th - Cardiff Devils (H)
Sun 17th - Sheffield Steelers (A)
Sat 23rd - Fife Flyers (A)
Sun 24th - Braehead Clan (H)

March

8 League - 5 Home, 3 Away

Sat 2nd - Braehead Clan (A)
Sun 3rd - Fife Flyers (H)
Sat 9th - Dundee Stars (H)
Sun 10th - Nottingham Panthers (H)
Sat 16th - Cardiff Devils (H)
Sun 17th - Dundee Stars (A)
Sat 23rd - Sheffield Steelers (A)
Sun 24th - Coventry Blaze (H)

Stingrays set for key fixtures announcement

Tomorrow mornings much anticipated Elite Ice Hockey League 2012/2013 fixtures announcement could be crucial for the Hull Stingrays and their - soon to be official - new owner and managing director Bobby McEwan.

The club - who will, at this point, be fully aware of the outcome of June's important fixtures meeting and the season ahead - have been placed in the yet-to-be officially named 'Northern' Conference following the EIHL's decision to split the top flight in two based on geography.

That decision - supposedly coincidentally - placed the Rays with like-minded Scottish 'minnows' the Dundee Stars, Edinburgh Capitals and Fife Flyers, as well as the Braehead Clan, all of whom they will face six times home and away - up from four last season.

'Southern' Conference and relatively big spending sides Belfast Giants, Cardiff Devils, Coventry Blaze, Sheffield Steelers and the Panthers, meanwhile, will take on the Stingrays just twice home and away - down from four last season - much to the chagrin of EIHL fans the length and breadth of the UK.

The Stingrays - who are now at the tail end of a takeover but at the time of the structure change were in the midst of one - were largely believed to be the 'worst' affected given they now face longer, more frequent and costly road trips to Scotland, and fewer visits from well-supported relatively local sides Nottingham and Sheffield.

Financially it was believed the implications could be massive for the Stingrays - more so than any other side given their geographical location in comparison to other sides in the conference - while on-ice, the effects of hours of travel between East Yorkshire and Scotland would surely also be sizable.

After an initial mix of anger and skepticism from fans, McEwan reassuringly stated at a June fans forum that he was confident the extra competition and increased likeliness of success created by the club facing sides on a similar financial footing more often would negate any detrimental effects from the additional travel and fewer visiting fans.

It was thought the club would also seek to further reduce any other potential negative effects by doubling up a number of fixtures - in particular the two expensive road trips across the Irish Sea against Belfast - which itself has helpfully been reduced by one from last season - or a couple of the increased number of trips to Scotland.

The fixtures announcement will reveal whether or not they have been successful in pitching their plight to the nine other member teams - if they even sought to as suggested.

A pre-season double header against closely linked English Premier League side the Sheffield Steeldogs is one fixture already in the diary ahead of the beginning of the EIHL on 8th and 9th September.

The sides have swapped five players so far in the off-season including Dmitri Rodin, Derek Campbell, Ben Bowns, Chris Sykes and Janis Ozolins and will face each other at the Hull Arena on Saturday 2nd September and Ice Sheffield on Thursday 6th September with the Rays also looking to face another, as yet, unnamed team on Sunday 3rd September.

Though it is believed there was a desire to host another installation of the P&O Cup - which the Rays lifted last season and has featured teams from both the EIHL and Holland in recent years - it seems unlikely there will be one this season given an already tight pre-season schedule.

McEwan revealed to the Hull Daily Mail last week that the clubs players will be arriving in Hull on the 28th or 29th August ahead of the Steeldogs fixtures the following weekend - leaving little to no time for the pre-season tournament which has traditionally been held during the August Bank Holiday.

Brit trio commit ahead of October first fixture

British trio Lee Esders, Andrew Jaszczyk and Matty Davies have today become the first three players to commit to the Hull Stingrays, player-coach Sylvain Cloutier and new Coventry based ownership group for the upcoming 10/11 Elite League campaign.

Fan favourite Esders, 21, will return for his fourth year in Hull, where he has a cumulative total of 24 goals and 16 assists, while fellow forward Davies has re-signed for a second year in the city, having registered one goal and nine assists in 51 games last season.

Netminder Jaszczyk also returns to Hull, again as backup keeper, having previously signed to ice behind Canadian Christian Boucher, who is another that is likely to remain with the club. The former first choice keeper at the Kingston Jets will be hoping to gain more ice time than the six games he iced in last year, during which he registered a 4.24 goals against average and a 87.7sv.%.

Hull trained forwards Esders and Davies and Rotherham born Jaszczyk have remained faithful to Cloutier and the club they iced for last season, and will line up for the Stingrays first game under new ownership on Sunday 3 October with a home Challenge Cup fixture against the Cardiff Devils.

The game will mark a new and exciting era at the club, and will see the Rays ice in their first game without former owners Mike and Sue Pack at the helm. Excitement is already building in the city following the clubs near miss this summer and new club director Mike Cowley is urging fans to welcome the team back to the ice, promising an 'opening night to remember':

"If people have plans for that night, they need to cancel them! If there's something they want to watch on the TV, record it. We want the return of the Stingrays to be something special!"

While off-ice preparations are undoubtely important for a club that is essentially starting from scratch, the team on the ice will ultimately go a distance to deciding the success of the club as a business and for that reason coach Cloutier has an important job on his hands.

He is charged with the job of ensuring that the remaining ten players to not have already re-signed, or signed elsewhere, do arrive in Hull for late September's week long training camp.

While Jason Silverthorn, who is all but announced as returning to the club, will be an important first import signing, brothers Lee and Craig Mitchell are absolutely crucial given the dearth of available British talent so late in the summer.

Their return would be a massive boost to the new ownership and, on top of the trio re-signed today, would give the club a good footing to build from, while their failure to return would be a big blow to a new ownership looking to get off to a good start.

The club will outline their plans for that good start and announce season ticket packages as well as other details at a fans forum next Thursday.

Stingrays to face Giants and Devils on opening weekend

The EIHL today released their full fixture list uncharacteristically early and the responce has been largely positive from all ten clubs.

For the second year in a row the Hull Stingrays home opener will be against perennial title challengers, and last seasons playoff champions, the Belfast Giants, in a weekend in which they also face playoff runners-up Cardiff on the opening day of the new season.

The Rays open their fifth season in the EIHL on Saturday 4 September (7pm) with a trip to Wales to face the Cardiff Devils, whom the Rays infamously clashed with on the second weekend of the season last year, before they return home to take on the Giants, who they faced in their opening home fixture last term, on Sunday (5.30pm).

A double header against the Sheffield Steelers, starting with a Challenge Cup game at the Sheffield Arena, follows the next weekend in the first of four home and away double headers over the season. In a changed format, due to the addition of Braehead and Dundee, the three clubs joining the Steelers in the Stingrays very tough Challenge Cup group are Cardiff, Coventry and Nottingham, with each side due to face the other once, home or away.

A festive calendar consisting of a double header against Newcastle closes with a home game to EIHL newcomers Dundee, before they open the new year with an away fixture in Northern Ireland against the Giants.

Finally, the Stingrays end the season with a home double header for the third year in a row as Edinburgh and Nottingham visit the Hull Arena for the final time of the 10/11 season.

A full list of fixtures can be found on the Stingrays official website.

Playoff Quarter Final details confirmed

The details of the Excel Hull Stingrays first ever appearance in the EIHL Playoffs have been revealed in a matchup which will see Sylvain Cloutier's side pit against former side and 09/10 EIHL Champions the Coventry Blaze.

Hull Arena will be the venue for the first leg of the Quarter Final next Saturday ( 5.30pm face-off) before the Rays travel to Coventry on Sunday night (6pm face-off), having hopefully claimed a lead in the first leg.

The Skydome based side own the best record against the Stingrays this year, as they dominated the season series between the two sides winning nine of the teams ten meetings, scoring 46 goals and conceding half that amount, on their way to their fourth title in their 10th anniversary season.

Elsewhere in the EIHL, runners up Belfast face the Newcastle Vipers, the 3rd placed Nottingham Panthers play the Edinburgh Capitals and the Cardiff Devils ice against the Sheffield Steelers.

Stingrays 09/10 fixture list revealed

The Excel Hull Stingrays full 09/10 fixture list has been revealed and the season will see a new look, new attitude Rays play each of their eight Elite Leauge rivals, twice home and twice away, in a 56 game schedule.

The Rays begin their campaign on Sunday September 6 with a home fixture against Belfast before another home fixture six days later against a revamped Newcastle Vipers side.

They will begin their fight for the Challenge Cup with an away fixture in Cardiff the following day and will go on to face Cardiff at home as well as Nottingham and Coventry, home and away.

However a special Elite League rule, announced last week, which allows teams to double up Elite League fixtures and Challenge Cup games to prevent fixture congestion, will see one of the Rays Elite League games in Nottingham doubled up as a cup game.

A favourable run in sees the Rays ice four times on home ice in the final five fixtures of the season, whilst they end the 09/10 Elite League season, their fourth in the top flight, with a replica of last seasons final weekend with games against Cardiff and Edinburgh, home and away respectively.

The Elite League also announced that the long awaited Oktoberfest will take place on Saturday October 4 with a full set of fixtures at Sheffield Arena, much like rugby league's Millennium Magic Weekend.

Check www.hullstingrays.co.uk for official confirmation

SEPTEMBER

06th v Belfast
12th v Newcastle
13th @ Cardiff (Challenge Cup)
19th v Edinburgh
20th @ Coventry (Challenge Cup)
26th @ Cardiff
27th v Nottingham (Challenge Cup)

OCTOBER

3rd v Edinburgh
4th OKTOBERFEST
10th @ Nottingham
11th v Sheffield
17th @ Coventry
18th v Belfast
24th v Coventry (Challenge Cup)
25th @ Edinburgh
31st v Cardiff (Challenge Cup)

NOVEMBER

01st @ Newcastle
07th v Edinburgh
08th @ Coventry
14th v Nottingham
15th v Coventry
21st @ Sheffield
22nd @ Cardiff
29th v Belfast

DECEMBER

03rd @ Belfast
05th v Sheffield
06th @ Edinburgh
13th @ Nottingham
16th v Coventry
19th @ Cardiff
20th v Nottingham
26th @ Edinburgh
27th v Edinburgh

JANUARY 2010

02nd @ Nottingham
03rd v Newcastle
09th @ Newcastle
10th v Nottingham
16th v Coventry
17th @ Coventry
23rd v Belfast
24th @ Sheffield
30th v Cardiff
31st @ Coventry

FEBRUARY

04th @ Belfast
06th v Nottingham
07th v Newcastle
13th v Cardiff
14th @ Cardiff
20th @ Newcastle
21st v Nottingham
27th v Coventry
28th @ Sheffield

MARCH

04th @ Belfast
06th @ Newcastle
07th v Sheffield
13th v Cardiff
14th v Sheffield
20th v Cardiff
21st @ Edinburgh

GAMES TO BE ANNOUNCED

@ Belfast
@ Sheffield
v Newcastle

Stingrays to open 09/10 against Belfast

The Excel Hull Stingrays will open the 09/10 EIHL season, their fourth in Britain's top flight, with a home fixture against Northern Ireland's Belfast Giants on Sunday 6 September.

But with Edinburgh not set to start their season until later in September, possibly due to their involvement in the Scotland Homecoming Tournament, featuring two American Hockey League sides, the Rays will not have a fixture on the first day of the season, Saturday.

Sunday's fixture, against a Belfast side that last season finished 4th in the league and won both the Knockout and Challenge Cup, is expected to face-off at the normal time of 5.30pm but official confirmation is still set to be received.

The Rays currently hold a dismal record in Elite League opening weekends having come away with a six straight losses and just one point in six games. However, new coach Sylvain Cloutier will be hoping to break that jinx in what will be his first competitive game in charge following three pre-season fixtures.

Stingrays All Time Elite League Opening Weekend Fixtures

06/07
Sat @ Newcastle 4-10 L
Sun v Manchester 3-4 L

07/08
Sat v Newcastle 2-3 PSL
Sun @ Edinburgh 3-6 L

08/09
Sat v Manchester 3-4 L
Sun @ Nottingham 2-6 L

Stingray news

Say it quietly......Stingrays return to full strength

Import forward Matt Reynolds and Jamie Thompson look set to return to the Excel Hull Stingrays lineup for this weekend's games against the Cardiff Devils and Sheffield Steelers after five and four week layoffs respectively.

Thompson, who had scored eight goals in 26 games, suffered a neck injury against the Sheffield Steelers some weeks ago whilst Reynolds, who led the Stingrays in points and goals before his injury, broke a finger in the same game. They will both return to full training this week and should they not suffer any re-occurrences , will play in back to back games against Cardiff and Sheffield.

The games this weekend should see the Stingrays return to full strength for the first time since the opening day of the season.

Rick Strachan said:

"Thompson and Reynolds should be ready for full practice this week. We’ve missed them. Matt was our top scorer when he got injured and he plays on our special teams and powerplay."

We will then have a full bench and it is something we are looking forward to. It will take a lot of responsibility of the shoulders of some of our young kids who have been carrying this team. Guys like Jeff Glowa and Konstantin Kalmikov have also been going every second shift for a month and those guys are dead tired and they need a rest."

All Stars Prepare

The Elite League's inaugural All Star game will face off on Thursday night at the Coventry Skydome with four Excel Hull Stingrays in the lineup. And whilst players like Steve Slonina, Matt Reynolds and Konstantin Kalmikov have been at the heart of the Stingrays push for their first ever playoff berth, the Elite League have implemented a two import and two Brit rule from each team, meaning many of the Stingrays 'stars' will miss out.

The result of the rule has seen Brits Slava Koulikov and Lee Mitchell selected alongside the ever brilliant Jeff Glowa and Curtis Cruickshank and all four will lineup on Thursday alongside the rest of the Southern All Stars.

Auctions, Auctions, Auctions...

The auctions for the Stingrays Valentine's Day shirts, used in their 4-3 loss against the Manchester Phoenix, are beginning to come to an end. Currently Lee Esders and Jeff Glowa are the highest priced shirts at £78.01, with Slava Koulikov in second with a price of £77. However there are still shirt's available in the auction including James Cooke's #18 shirt, Aaron Wilson's #23, Pavel Gomenyuk's #40 and Richie Thornton's unworn #6 shirt. The eBay site can be found here.

There is a similar auction for the game worn All Star jerseys to be used on Thursday in the EIHL's first All Star game. The eBay site for this auction can be found here. It contains All Star jerseys for the Stingrays Jeff Glowa, Slava Koulikov, Curtis Cruickshank and Lee Mitchell.

Kerr To Sit Season

With the return to action of import forwards Jamie Thompson and Matt Reynolds comes bad news for defenceman Stuart Kerr, out since November.

With Thompson and Reynolds the Stingrays have 11 fit imports, out of an allowed 11 under EIHL rules, and Kerr, who has played just 24 games for the Stingrays, recording six assists, will be forced to sit for the remainder of the season unless the Stingrays suffer yet more injuries.

Despite rumour of Kerr being let go by the Stingrays, who are one of, if not, the lowest budget team in the league, it seems that Kerr will remain will the team as both a good will move and backup for any more injuries the team will suffer.

The signing, and impressive displays, by young Finnish defenceman Antti Turunen seem to have been the determining factor in Kerr sitting on the sidelines for the final few weeks despite allegedly returning to fitness in the last fortnight.

Caps v Devils

In their only game in hand before they, and the Stingrays, ice 11 times on the same nights in the run up to the playoffs, the Edinburgh Capitals face a Cardiff Devils on Wednesday. The Caps are ahead of the Stingrays by games between the sides after their 7-4 win against the Devils on Sunday took them level on points.

Gomenyuk another All Star...sort of

Pavel Gomenyuk, who is having a career year after scoring ten goals and 17 assists, has agreed to ice in Newcastle player-coach Rob Wilson's testimonial game.

The match will pit a Rob Wilson's All Star Select against a North East All Star select and will feature a number of players from Wilson's 20 career in Britain.

Fixture Change

The Stingrays scheduled game in Manchester on March 8 has now been moved to Thursday March 19.

Cardiff-Stingrays, Wednesday game cancelled

The Stingrays game against the Cardiff Devils has now been cancelled according to KCFM. It was a game that new Stingrays forward, Jamie Thompson, was set to make his debut in, however Thompson will now have to wait until Saturdays fixture in Belfast, against the Giants, to make his debut in European hockey.

Fixtures revealed...

The Stingrays will begin their third season in the Elite League with a home fixture against the Manchester Phoenix on Saturday 6th September, followed by an away tie against the Nottingham Panthers on Sunday 7th September. They complete their season with two home games on Saturday 21st March and Sunday 22nd March against the Nottingham Panthers and Edinburgh Capitals.

2008/09 Excel Hull Stingrays fixture list (bold=home fixture):

Sat 06 Sep: v Manchester League 17:30

Sun 07 Sep: @Nottingham League 16:00

Sat 13 Sep: @Cardiff League 19:00

Sun 14 Sep: v Belfast League 18:00

Sat 20 Sep: v Coventry League 17:30

Sun 21 Sep: @ Edinburgh League

Sat 27 Sep: @ Sheffield League 19:00

Sun 28 Sep: v Nottingham Challenge Cup 18:00

Sat 04 Oct: v Sheffield League 17:30

Sat 11 Oct: v Nottingham League 17:30

Sun 12 Oct: @ Coventry Challenge Cup 18:00

Sat 18 Oct: @ Basingstoke League

Sun 19 Oct: v Edinburgh League 18:00

Sat 25 Oct: v Newcastle League 17:30

Sun 26 Oct: @ Manchester League 17:30

Wed 29 Oct: @ Cardiff Challenge Cup 19:30

Sat 01 Nov: @ Belfast League 19:00

Sun 02 Nov: v Sheffield League 18:00

Sat 08 Nov: v Edinburgh League 17:30

Sun 09 Nov: @ Belfast League 18:00

Sat 15 Nov: v Cardiff League 17:30

Sun 16 Nov: @ Edinburgh League

Wed 19 Nov: v Basingstoke League 19:30

Sat 22 Nov: @ Manchester League 18:30

Sun 23 Nov: @ Nottingham League 16:00

Sat 29 Nov: v Manchester League 17:30

Sun 30 Nov: v Belfast League 18:00

Sat 06 Dec: @ Basingstoke League

Sun 07 Dec: v Basingstoke Challenge Cup 18:00

Wed 10 Dec: v Newcastle League 19:30

Sun 14 Dec: @ Edinburgh League

Sat 20 Dec: v Coventry League 17:30

Sun 21 Dec: @ Coventry League 18:00

Sun 27 Dec: @ Basingstoke League

Sun 28 Dec: v Belfast League 18:00

Sat 03 Jan: @ Sheffield League 19:00 Ice Sheffield

Sun 04 Jan: v Basingstoke League 18:00

Sat 10 Jan: @ Coventry League 19:00

Sun 11 Jan: v Newcastle League 18:00

Sat 17 Jan: v Sheffield League 17:30

Sun 18 Jan: @ Nottingham League 16:00

Sat 24 Jan: @ Newcastle League 17:30

Sun 25 Jan: v Basingstoke League 18:00

Sat 31 Jan: v Coventry League 17:30

Sun 01 Feb: @ Cardiff League 18:00

Sat 07 Feb: @ Newcastle League 18:30

Sun 08 Feb: v Cardiff League 18:00

Sat 14 Feb: v Manchester Knockout Cup 17:30

Sun 15 Feb: @ Manchester Knockout Cup 17:30

Thu 19 Feb: @ Newcastle League 19:15

Sat 21 Feb: v Cardiff League 17:30

Sun 22 Feb: @ Sheffield League 18:00

Sat 28 Feb: @ Belfast League 19:00

Sun 01 Mar: v Nottingham League 18:00

Sat 07 Mar: v Manchester League 17:30

Sun 08 Mar: @ Manchester League 17:30

Sat 14 Mar: @ Cardiff League 19:00

Sat 21 Mar: v Nottingham League 17:30

Sun 22 Mar: v Edinburgh League 18:00