Match Highlights: Excel Hull Stingrays 1-0 Newcastle Vipers

Boucher shutout completes four point weekend

Excel Hull Stingrays 1-0 Newcastle Vipers

A 31 shot shutout from Christian Boucher and a Lee Mitchell goal - his sixth since returning from injury - tonight helped the Excel Hull Stingrays to a tight one-nil victory over the Newcastle Vipers at the Hull Arena as they ended a hectic four game, six day schedule.

The match pit a 14 man Stingrays squad against just nine Newcastle outskaters and that advantage, albeit slender, saw the home side pepper Vipers keeper Charlie Effinger with with 59 shots, including 29 in the second period.

Mitchell's eighth minute effort in the end proved to be the difference as his game winning goal saw the Stingrays home in the lowest scoring game of the year for the club.

In continually difficult circumstances the Vipers showed true grit and could have taken the game to overtime - where last time out they defeated the Rays - if not for a late double save from shutout hero Boucher, who recorded a deserved first blank of the year.

As well as completing a four point weekend, the win gives the Stingrays A 2-2 record on their tough four game, six day schedule, following early losses to Cardiff and Belfast. Their next challenge comes on Wednesday as they face the Coventry Blaze for the final time this season.

Vipers strike to sink Stingrays

Hull Stingrays 2-3 Newcastle Vipers

The Excel Hull Stingrays tonight failed to complete a double over Elite League bottom side the Newcastle Vipers. Claiming just a point of the two on offer thanks to an Andrew Coburn double, Sylvain Cloutier's team eventually fell to a Kyle Sibley overtime marker with less than 60 seconds to play despite controlling large portions of the game at the Hull Arena.

Without Lee Esders (concussion), Matti Uusivirta and Lee Mitchell (knee), the Rays headed into the game on the back of a emphatic 7-4 win in Newcastle the previous night and took the initiative early on as Andrew Coburn fired home his first of two on the night short side on Vipers keeper Charlie Effinger, who would eventually turn away 33 shots.

The Vipers then levelled thanks to Dale Mahovsky, who deked his way around Christian Boucher just moments after Patrick Forsbacka had tied up the ever impressive Drew Bannister way off the puck in an infringement that went unseen by referee Andy Carson.

Despite the visitors having the advantage in the first ten minutes of the second, it was the Stingrays who once again took the lead with rookie Coburn again on the board after a turnover which Konstantin Kalmikov unselfishly layed off to the Canadian to score.

However, once again the Vipers, who visibly worked tirelessly as a team all night long, levelled, capitalising on a powerplay opportunity after Jozef Sladok had taken a wholly unnecessary rough call on John Schwarz, with Finn Patrick Forsbacka scoring on the man advantage after Kurtis Dulle had come close, but not close enough, to clearing the puck around the boards.

The Stingrays came out in the third and final period and well and truly took control of the game with Newcastle tiring, but ultimately they lacked the cutting edge that had seemingly been evident the night before. Effinger had a large part to play in keeping the Rays out though, stopping 13 third period shots, most notably making a sprawling save on a two-on-one which Matty Davies couldn't quite get a good enough connection on to force home with minutes remaining.

Danny Stewart will have been delighted with the point, particularly as his side had a clear game plan to take the extra point going into overtime. With Effinger in fine form and seemingly confident of stopping everything the Rays could throw at him, the Vipers invited the home side onto them, soaking up almost four minutes of pressure before counter attacking to strike the critical blow through defenceman Kyle Sibley on their only shot of the extra period with 57 seconds to play. Importantly, the shot clinched the Vipers first win on the road in 12..

Cloutier must regroup his troops from a disappointing but acceptable overtime loss given the 7-4 victory the previous night, although a result against Dundee tomorrow night is massive given his side are just two points off sixth placed Braehead and beginning to flag somewhat.

Rays Rating

6

FBB Three Stars

1- Drew Bannister (0+0)

2- Andrew Coburn (2+0)

3- Kurtis Dulle (0+0)

Match Highlights: Excel Hull Stingrays 2-3 Newcastle Vipers

Tendler trick helps Stingrays to win in Newcastle

Newcastle Vipers 4-7 Excel Hull Stingrays

A second Jereme Tendler hat-trick of the season tonight helped the Excel Hull Stingrays to a three goal victory over bottom side Newcastle in Whitley Bay.

The Stingrays, once again without Lee Mitchell who underwent surgery on his troublesome knee during the Christmas break, found themselves 3-2 down thanks to Newcastle goals from Dale Mahovsky, Jamie Carroll and Adam Reynolds with coach Sylvain Cloutier and Tendler bagging goals for the visitors.

Jason Silverthorn's first of the night levelled the scores four and a half minutes into the second only for Mike Prpich to restore the Vipers lead six minutes later. However, with less than five minutes remaining in the period Drew Bannister bagged a timely first goal for the club, shorthanded, to equalise at four each heading into the final period.

Tendler took matters into his own hands nearly three minutes into the third, giving the Stingrays the lead for the first time before sealing his second hat-trick of the year six minutes later.

Silverthorn's second of the night, an empty net goal with 85 seconds to play, then sealed the result in favour of the Rays with Newcastle due to travel to Hull tomorrow night.

Stingrays fight back from two down to take deserved win from Whitley Bay

Newcastle Vipers 2-4 Excel Hull Stingrays

The Excel Hull Stingrays fought back from two goals down to defeat playoff rivals the Newcastle Vipers in the tough surroundings of Whitley Bay Ice Rink tonight.

Buoyed by the return of forward Jason Silverthorn from concussion, the Stingrays yet again fell behind early thanks to a strike from Dale Mahovsky after just 81 seconds but came back strongly to outplay the home side in the first period.

The Vipers, in one of their 'Drive for Five' promotions in which they hope to bring 5,000 fans through Whitley Bay's old doors, came back into the game in the second, doubling their lead on 30 minutes through Toms Hartmanis after the Rays defence allowed the Latvian far too much time and space.

Crucially however, Jereme Tendler netted his 15th of the year and first of the game less two minutes before the of the second to halt the little momentum the Vipers had picked up in the middle stanza.

Ryan Lake then continued a fine run of form in his return to the sport scrambling home the equaliser from close in after Matti Uusivirta had rung the crossbar.

With less than five minutes remaining the Stingrays finally and deservedly took the lead through Andrew Coburn, who wristed a shot past netminder Charlie Effinger to all but seal the teams second win over the Vipers of the year.

Penalty killing specialist Tendler then netted again on the PK with just over two minutes to go to tally his seventh in six games and Lee Mitchell missed an empty net chance from close in before the Rays went home happy.

The victory sends Sylvain Cloutier's side into seventh place, two points ahead of the chasing pack of Newcastle, Dundee and Edinburgh, and six behind sixth placed side Braehead.

Rays Rating

7.5

FBB Three Stars

1- Andrew Coburn (1+0)

2- Jereme Tendler (2+1)

3- Christian Boucher (24 saves, 26 shots)

Match Highlights: Excel Hull Stingrays 4-2 Newcastle Vipers

Rays sting Vipers for first home win of year

Excel Hull Stingrays 4-2 Newcastle Vipers

Doubles from Jereme Tendler and Matti Uusivirta tonight helped the Excel Hull Stingrays end their three game home winless streak as they gained revenge for defeat in Whitley Bay last Saturday with a 4-2 victory over the Newcastle Vipers.

Injuries to Brits Ryan Lake, Craig Mitchell and Lee Mitchell forced coach Sylvain Cloutier to mix things around, pairing young Brit Ben Lowe primarily with Uusivirta and Konstantin Kalmikov while in form pair Matty Davies and Jason Silverthorn continued together.

Those changes caused the Vipers problems early on with keeper Effinger forced to make a trio of tidy kick saves from Rays forwards, although it was the visitors who had mustered the first chance of the game through Dean Holland.

They would also score the first goal of the game as a poor pass from captain Kurtis Dulle along his offensive blueline during a Vipers powerplay would let the Vipers counter and eventually net through Dale Mahovsky.

The Rays then went down to four defenceman for the remained of the game as Jozef Sladok rightly or wrongly received a five plus game penalty for a check to the head on Nathan Salem. Nevertheless, thanks to yet another sterling effort on the penalty kill, particularly from man of the match Silverthorn, who held off four Vipers to kill a large portion of the penalty, the five minute advantage went unpunished and the period ended with the Vipers leading a largely even first 20 minutes.

Save for a few more goals the second period could not have been much better from a Stingrays point of view. They shot out of the blocks first levelling on the powerplay through Uusivirta, who rifled high past Effinger from the point 51 seconds in, before the Finn grabbed a second on a rebound from a Kalmikov shot to hand the home side a lead they would not relinquish.

Jereme Tendler then one timed home the Stingrays third of the game on the powerplay to end the scoring in a 20 minute period of complete and utter dominance from the home team, who outshot an indisciplined Vipers side an astonishing 22-2.

After being completely outplayed in the second Danny Stewart's side came out in the third looking to prove a point and take both points on offer.

They did the former, refusing to give up on the cause with Patrick Forsbacka scored on the man advantage to reduce the lead to 3-2 as they appeared to turn a corner.

However, indiscipline again returned to the Vipers ranks costing them the chance to capitalise on their improved third period performance as four minor penalties were dished out to them in the final 10 minutes, including four to Forsbacka, who picked up his sixth and eighth of the game, to allow the Rays to re-establish their grip on the game.

Tendler ended the scoring by racking up his second of the game and fourth of the weekend to seal the deal and give Cloutier's side their first win of the season at Hull Arena, ironically in their worst home showing of the year.

A tough matchup against the Belfast Giants in Northern Ireland on Tuesday follows before a home and away double header against the Cardiff Devils next weekend.

Rays rating: 6.5
Stingray goalscorers: Tendler (2), Uusivirta (2)
Newcastle goalscorers: Mahovsky, Forsbacka
SOG: 43-24
PIM: 49-24
FBB Three Stars: 1-Silverthorn (0+0) 2-Uusivirta (2+0) 3-Davies (0+1)

23rd/24th October Weekend Preview

 V

 

Saturday 23rd October: Excel Hull Stingrays v Belfast Giants @ Hull Arena F/O 7pm

Sunday 24th October: Excel Hull Stingrays v Newcastle Vipers @ Hull Arena F/O 6pm

The Excel Hull Stingrays face a home double header against Belfast and Newcastle this weekend looking to get back on track following two contrasting defeats last week.

Having played their worst game of the young season so far in a loss against Newcastle at Whitley Bay last Saturday, the Rays returned home on Sunday and pushed the big spending Nottingham Panthers all the way to the death, eventually falling to a 3-2 loss.

This weekend sees Belfast's all conquering squad travel to Hull for their first game of the year against the Stingrays, having dominated the teams eight game series 7-1 last season. The Rays season may not hinge on their performances against the Elite League's big four but last weekend's home fixture against the Panthers proved that they are capable of competing with the big spenders if they perform well, particularly at home.

Although Belfast have recently signed reinforcements in the shape of former NHLer and regular AHLer Brad Smyth and Brit Ross Dalgleish, they may also take confidence from the fact the Giants have five key players out injured, including defenceman Richard Seeley and forward Colin Hemingway.

That means the Giants will travel to Hull with 13 outskaters, and with Mark Garside likely to return and coach Christiansen also able to suit up if required, they still possess more than enough firepower to continue their good start to the year this weekend, despite surprisingly tight victories over Dundee last week.

The Stingrays home double header continues on Sunday when the Newcastle Vipers journey south hoping to replicate last Saturday's 5-3 victory.

While Cloutier may insist it is just another important fixture in a 56 game journey, the Stingrays will be looking for revenge against a Vipers side that took full advantage of a painfully slow Rays start to win 5-3 at home last Saturday.

Former Coventry team mate Danny Stewart has built his roster from a variety of hockey backgrounds, and they proved last weekend that they are more than capable of beating the Stingrays. Finn Patrick Forsbacka and Latvian Toms Hartmanis impressed at a freezing cold Whitley Bay, however, Cloutier's side eventually got to grips with the intimidating conditions of Whitley Bay and in the end the Vipers were made to work hard for their win.

That lone loss summed up the Rays never-ending troubles on the road against a team they will be competing with for a playoff spot at the end of the season and a team that went on to lose 6-1 at fellow league rivals Edinburgh the following night.

The Rays, who will definitely be without Craig Mitchell and may be without brother Lee Mitchell this weekend, must therefore make up for that poor form away from home by winning as many of their games at Hull Arena as physically possible.

Two positive home performances out of two bodes well for the rest of the year but they must now start to turn those performances into wins, starting with a first game of the year against table topping Belfast before a revenge battle against Newcastle.

Elite League
Stingrays: 9th 4GP 1W 3L 0OTL 11GF 17GA 2PTS
Belfast: 1st 13GP 11W 1L 1OTL 54GF 35GA 23PTS
Newcastle: 7th 10GP 2W 7L 1OTL 23GF 51GA 5PTS

Form
Stingrays: L W L L L
Belfast: W W W W W
Newcastle: W L L W L

Last 3 Meetings
v Belfast
23/01/10 3-2 W H

04/02/10 4-2 L A

04/03/10 9-0 L A

v Newcastle
10/03/10 3-2 W H
14/03/10 6-3 W H

16/10/10 5-3 L A

Rays 09/10 Series
v Belfast: 8GP 2W 6L 14GF 37GA 4PTS
v Newcastle: 8GP 5W 3L 33GF 24GA 11PTS

Top Scorers
Stingrays
G: Silverthorn (3)
A: Dulle (4)
PIM: Gaisins, Sladok (11)

Belfast
G: B.Hemingway (10)
A: Shields (13)
PIM: Welch (28)

Newcastle
G: Forsbacka (7)
A: Carroll (7)
PIM: Schwarz (78)

Between The Pipes
Stingrays: Boucher (6GP 87.8sv% 4.33GAA)
Belfast: Murphy (12GP 90.9sv% 2.63GAA)
Newcastle: Effinger (10GP 85sv% 5.03GAA)

Absentees
Stingrays: Craig Mitchell (broken arm), Lee Mitchell (doubt; knee)
Belfast: Jeff Mason (wrist), Richard Seeley (knee), Colin Hemingway (unspecified injury) Mark Garside (doubt; lower body), Brandon Benedict (leg)
Newcastle: Full Strength

Predictions
Stingrays 2-4 Belfast
Stingrays 5-3 Newcastle

Whitley Bay loss condemns Rays to third defeat of year

Newcastle Vipers 5-3 Excel Hull Stingrays

The Excel Hull Stingrays were tonight condemned to their third defeat in four games away from the Hull Arena this season as they left Whitley Bay with a 5-3 loss to Elite League rivals the Newcastle Vipers.

Sylvain Cloutier's side got off to the worst possible start, Latvian Toms Hartmanis managing to work his way around the outside of fellow Latvian Kris Grundmanis to fire past Boucher for the Vipers first after just 56 seconds.

That start got the Rays off on the completely wrong foot in the intimidating and tight surroundings of Whitley Bay and it would taken them much of the first period to finally find their feet.

In that time the Vipers would go on to punish the Rays with powerplay goals from Kyle Sibley and Patrik Forsbacka in the first period before Trevor Read, who was part of a Stingrays blueline that at times had issues at the back, stuffed past Newcastle keeper Charlie Effinger on 17 minutes to net his first for the club on a 2-on-1 opportunity.

Jason Silverthorn, who at times seemed the only player capable of easily gaining the zone, then appeared to get the visitors right back in the game with a second powerplay goal of the game that beat Effinger high to reduce the deficit to one.

However, much like Wednesday night against the Steelers, the Rays poor concentration allowed a quick response from their opponents as Dean Holland's goal killed of any momentum they had gained from an improved early second period showing.

The Vipers, largely thanks to poor Rays defence and a solid showing from netminder Effinger, deserved their lead, despite the Stingrays twice hitting the post, and they further extended that advantage three minutes into the third with Forsbacka gratefully netting his second of the game and fifth of the year to all but end the Stingrays resistance.

While the game was effectively ended as a tie with that goal, the Stingrays improved right throughout the game and as the third wore on a mini Rays revival began as the Vipers looked to sit back and take the points.

A third powerplay goal of the night followed for the Rays as Matty Davies netted his own first of the year after hard work from rookie Andrew Coburn set him up at the back post but that would be it for the night.

The Rays continued to push forward but the killer edge that they lacked all game long failed to materialise and, with their defence failing to keep out a stringy Newcastle side well drilled and used to playing at Whitley Bay, the Vipers claimed just their second win of the year.

Cloutier's side now face a massive ask to claim anything from this weekend with a fixture at the Hull Arena tomorrow night against a high flying Nottingham Panthers side that last night gave Dundee a lesson in hockey, demolishing the Stars 12-2.

Rays rating: 5
Stingray scorers: Read, Silverthorn, Davies
Newcastle scorers: Hartmanis, Sibley, Forsbacka (2), Holland
SOG: 30-38
PIM: 21-13
FBB MOM: Jason Silverthorn (1+1)

16th/17th October Weekend Preview

 V

 

Saturday 16th October: Newcastle Vipers (7th) v Excel Hull Stingrays (8th) @ Whitley Bay Ice Rink F/O 7pm

Sunday 17th October: Excel Hull Stingrays (8th) v Nottingham Panthers (3rd) @ Hull Arena F/O 6pm

Having lost in midweek the Excel Hull Stingrays return to league action this weekend with fixtures against two teams also suffering from a poor run of form in recent weeks.

On Saturday the Rays travel to the intimidating Whitley Bay Ice Rink in the North East to take on a Newcastle Vipers side that has been built nearly completely from scratch this summer. Player-coach Danny Stewart, former team mate of Rays coach Sylvain Cloutier, was the man that brought in that nearly completely new squad, replacing Rob Wilson as coach, but he has so far found changing the Vipers fortunes difficult with just one win in eight games so far this year.

They will be hoping to kick start their year this weekend at home to the Stingrays but will be without forward Jaroslaw Rzeszutko, who will be out for at least another five weeks with a broken wrist. The Polish international is one of three European forwards that has stood out so far this year in a team whose make up is largely young North American's.

The fixture at the Bay, like last weekend's Scottish double header, will be particularly important for the Rays as a yard stick for the year ahead with Cloutier's side expected to be in close competition with the Vipers as well as Dundee, Edinburgh and Braehead in the season ahead.

The Rays then travel home to face a Nottingham Panthers side struggling for form after starting the year on fire. Player-coach Corey Neilson's side won their opening five fixtures, beating fellow title contenders Belfast and Coventry twice, however, they then went on to draw one and lose three of their next four. That brutal run for the Panthers came to an end on Wednesday when they got revenge for Braehead defeating them at the NIC at the end of September by defeating the Scots 5-2 north of the border.

In that game new signing Angel Nikolov registered a goal and three assists after arriving not long before the Panthers travelled to the game and he may be joined this weekend by former AHL forward Rob Bellamy, who is awaiting VISA clearance before coming to the UK, to boost the NIC sides numbers and quality.

They look to have one of the most offensive sides in the league with names like Beauregard, Clarke, Galbraith and new names McDonald, Sproat and Ryan, while former Stingray Stevie Lee returns home again. Needless to say the Rays will have to cut out mistakes that cost them dear on Wednesday in Sheffield if they are to gain anything from Sunday's fixture.

Unfortunately for both sides, Guillaume Lepine, who signed for the Rays in the summer only to leave for Nottingham following Mike and Sue Pack's departure, will not ice and add more spice to the fixture after receiving a ban in a defeat to fierce rivals Sheffield last week.

Nevertheless, the two sides and their supporters will renew their developing rivalry after some fierce battles in the last few seasons with a another healthy attendance expected at the Hull Arena.

Prior to that though the Rays will travel to Newcastle needing points to boost their league campaign ahead of the tough Nottingham fixture in which it would be a surprise to see the home side come away with the spoils.

Elite League
Stingrays: 8TH 2GP 1W 1L 0OTL GF GA 2PTS
Newcastle: 7TH 8GP 1W 6L 1OTL GF GA 3PTS
Nottingham: 3RD 9GP 6W 3L 0OTL GF GA12PTS

Form
Stingrays: D L W L
Newcastle: L L W L L
Nottingham: D L L L W

Last 3 Meetings
v Newcastle
06/03/10 1-7 W A
10/03/10 3-2 W H
14/03/10 6-3 W H

v Nottingham
10/01/10 3-6 L H
06/02/10 9-1 L A
07/03/10 6-7 L H

09/10 Series
v Newcastle: 8GP 5W 3L 33GF 24GA 11PTS
v Nottingham: 9GP 1W 8L 25GF 46GA 4PTS

Top Scorers
Stingrays
G: Kalmikov (3)
A: Dulle (4)
P: Kalmikov, Dulle (5)

Newcastle
G: Forsbacka, Hartmanis, Rzeszutko (3)
A: Speer, Carroll, Mahovsky (4)
P: Carroll, Mahovsky (6)

Nottingham
G: Clarke (10)
A: Zion (8)
P: Beauregard (13)

Between The Pipes
Stingrays: Christian Boucher (4GP 4.50GAA 87.6sv%)
Newcastle: Charlie Effinger (8GP 5.00GAA 85.8sv%)
Nottingham: Craig Kowalski (10GP 3.69GAA 90.5sv%)

Absentees
Stingrays: Craig Mitchell (broken arm)
Newcastle: Jaroslaw Rzeszutko (broken wrist)
Nottingham: Jonathan Zion (groin), Guillaume Lepine (suspension), Marc Levers (groin), Rob Bellamy (doubt; VISA issues)

Predictions
Newcastle 3-4 Stingrays
Stingrays 2-5 Nottingham

Around the EIHL: July

Braehead Clan

Watch out because the Clan are out to upset. Coach Bruce Richardson has signed former Nottingham Panther and goalscorer Brendan Cook from CHL Rapid City and has added Dominic Noel, a 6'0 centre who last season scored 28 points in 32 games between Norway and the Swedish Division One. It's not just upfront that they are looking good either, in defence Richardson has added solid defensive defenceman Cody Bostock from Odense in Denmark and pointscoring defenceman Jon Landry, who comes in after a season split between the CHL, where he hit 31 points in 38 games, and DEL. Netminders are now the order of the day in western Scotland.

Belfast Giants

The Giants are the side everyone is talking about this off-season even with five imports yet to sign. Returning to Northern Ireland is Canadian Brandon Benedict, who contributed 16 goals and 41 assists in the regular season and a further goal and four assists as the Giants won the playoffs. Doug Christiansen has added gritty pointscoring winger Josh Prutton, who hit 36 points in 68 ECHL games in Las Vegas last year, and defenceman Jeff Mason, who is another player that split last season between Europe, in this case the Bundesliga, and the ECHL. The Giants look good as it stands but with five more imports to sign it doesn't bear thinking about how much better they could get.

Cardiff Devils

The Welsh outfit completed their roster this month with four signings, two British returnees and two new import defenceman. Lumbering blueliner Justin Sawyer has signed from the ECHL to provide Brad Voth with some backup in the fighting stakes while standout former Manchester Phoenix Kenton Smith has returned to the UK after a year away in Italy with Valpellice, where he scored two goals and added 15 assists. The confirmation of Brits Alex Symonds and Ben Davies rounded of the Devils roster. The squad Gerard Adams has assembled looks quietly very good, a top four finish, given the Steelers situatuion, is almost a given, what else the South Wales side can do remains to be seen.

Coventry Blaze

A busy July for GB and Coventry boss Paul Thompson with the signing of five players, including four re-signings. The pick of the bunch is the return of of talismanic centreman Dan Carlson for a sixth year in the Midlands after hitting 20 goals and 50 assists last season. Elsewhere, goalscoring tough guy Brad Cruikshank, ever reliable defenceman Mattias Soderstrom and back up netminder Tom Murdy all return to the fold. The one new Blaze signing of the month is man mountain, and former Hull Stingrays target, Jeff Smith, who signs having registered four goals and 14 assists in a championship winning season in Holland with Nijemegen. Just one import remaining for the EIHL Champion Coventry Blaze with that rumoured to be a big one.

Dundee Stars

The Stars finally came to life with regards to signings with the addition of four imports, two of whom have previous experience in the EIHL. Peter Cartwright and Brent Hughes, formerly a Viper, look to have the speed and skill to put the Stars on the scoresheet and their lack of size should, in theory, be negotiated by the signing of entertaining enforcer Sean McMorrow, who will protect the low budget Stars side, and former ECHL power forward Mark Nebus, who also isn't afraid to drop them. On the blueline, coach Dan Ceman has recruited Jason Tessier, a defenceman who scored 32 points in the CHL last year. The Stars remain five imports and a couple of Brits away from a complete squad, August will be an important month for the inaugural EIHL Dundee Stars.

Edinburgh Capitals

The Capitals finally have a head coach. Brad Gratton, an experienced coach and former Cardiff Devil, was appointed as head coach of the Scottish side and immediately went about putting together a roster capable of competing in the upcoming year. Four imports have since joined the club, all with differing backgrounds. Defencemen Evan Schafer and Daniel Madsen have signed from the ECHL and Danish top flight respectively, while forwards Nick Fanton and Adam Taylor have joined from the NCAA and ECHL. Like the Stars, an important month of recruitment lies ahead for the Caps.

Hull Stingrays

Sylvain Cloutier thought he had completed his second squad as Stingrays player coach with six signings, culminating in the addition of former Basingstoke blueliner Trevor Read this month. He has re-signed Brit James Archer and last seasons top scorer Konstantin Kalmikov, while adding starting keeper Christian Boucher from Dutch champions Nijmegen, rookie Andrew Coburn from the NCAA, and Read and tough guy Matt Suderman from France. However, physical defenceman Stephen Burns, who was halfway through a two-year contract, quit the club, leaving Cloutier unexpectedly searching for the final piece of his jigsaw.

Newcastle Vipers

A quiet month for the Vipers and head coach Danny Stewart who continued his theme of having a young but talented squad for next year with the addition of two imports. Polish international Jaroslaw Rzeszutko signs after a career year last season in the Polish top flight and joining him is goalscorer Dan Speer, who becomes the second player to sign for the Vipers from Canadian college. As with Braehead, the netminder signed could be key to their fortunes next year.

Nottingham Panthers

A complete squad, all that is left for coach Corey Neilson to do between now and August is hope that the long wait for a league title ends in 2011.

Sheffield Steelers

What a month for the Steelers. Controversy, the club up for sale, the club not up for sale. No one really knows exactly what is happening or what will become of the Steelers by seasons end. One thing that is for sure is that the Steelers will have a coach for next season with the news that former NHLer Ben Simon will be the South Yorkshire clubs player-coach next year. Simon will have a tough job on his hands with news that some players formerly signed up may be having second thoughts about joining the club. It would be no surprise if Simon were looking to bring in his own players, particularly with the supposed discontent amongst the ranks. An interesting month ahead for Sheffield with more twists and turns likely just around the corner.

Around the EIHL: June

Belfast Giants

The Giants continued their strong start to the 2010 post-season with the month's most eye catching signing as Doug Christiansen lured back former Edinburgh sharpshooter Colin Hemingway, who registered 33 goals and 33 assists in just 47 games in Scotland in 07/08 and has since had great success in the ECHL. Joining him on the Giants roster behind Stephen Murphy is one of the leagues better backups, Nathan Craze, who was poised to move to France before deciding to return to Northern Ireland. Finally, on a less positive note, the man who netted the Giants playoff winning goal and one of their better players last term, Evan Cheverie, has left the club to sign in Norway. The Giants continue to build a squad that looks month-by-month, more and more likely to be title favourites.

Braehead Clan

Working in just his and the clubs second month in the EIHL, coach Bruce Richardson has made three more signings towards to Clan's inaugural season. He has brought in towering former AHL defenceman Tim Wedderburn, 25 year old fellow French-Canadian Bobby Chaumont after two pointscoring years in the CHL and enforcer, and brother of former Stingray Jonathan Bernier, Cedric Bernier. Two more very solid captures for Richardson and Bernier will undoubtedly entertain and protect at Braehead Arena.

Cardiff Devils

After a busy first month the Devils made just two signings in June with British youngster Sam Smith and 32 year old American centre Scott Matzka, who last season played in the Sweden second division and the top two Finnish leagues, including a two game spell in the SM Liga where he netted a goal. Matzka's is being hailed as one of the players to watch next year and it looks as though he will more than adequately replace the gap left by first liner Mark Smith.

Coventry Blaze

In a fairly quiet month, the capture of veteran forward Sean Selmser and netminder Brett Jaeger, both imports, strengthened the Blaze's title credentials probably more than any other side. 35 year old former Ayr forward Selmser has spent the past seven years since leaving Ayr in Austria to varying degrees of success, however, his capture is a coop for the Blaze and he may finally fill the leadership void left by Sylvain Cloutier. Jaeger, who won the CHL two years ago with Texas Brahmas, fills a void of his own, this time the one left by Danish netminder Peter Hirsch in a vital position for every EIHL side.

Dundee Stars

The Stars made three homegrown signings in June but Dan Ceman was yet to sign a fellow import, preferring to build a basis of semi-solid Brits before delving into the import market. Young defenceman Kris Phillips and backup Mark McGill joined from rivals Edinburgh and Euan Forsyth, who has experience in the BNL to his name, re-signed after a year with the club in the Northern League. Next for Ceman must be non-British players.

Edinburgh Capital

Just the single signing for Capitals fans to analyse this month with fan favourite and club record goal, assist and pointscorer Martin Cingel returning for his ninth year in the Scottish Capital. He joins Jeff Hutchins, Bari McKenzie and Kyle Horne at the coachless Capitals.

Hull Stingrays

After a month and a bit of silence, Sylvain Cloutier immediately announced the return of five British players and two new signings at the Stingrays fans forum, while he confirmed that Stephen Burns would be back for another year in the EIHL. Forwards Matty Davies, Lee Mitchell and Lee Esders re-signed in Hull again while defenceman Craig Mitchell and back up netminder Andrew Jaszczyk also returned to all but complete an offensively lacking but hard working British corps. Elsewhere, Cloutier added pointscoring ECHL centre Chris Korchinski and veteran defenceman, and new captain, Joshua Mizerek. The Rays have finally caught up with the rest of the league and they will now hopefully continue to build a solid roster on their ten import setup. On a sour note, it was revealed that evergreen forward Jeff Glowa had departed for the EPL to join former netminder and new Peterborough coach Curtis Cruickshank.

Newcastle Vipers

Two Brits and two imports for Danny Stewart's Vipers as the Rob Wilson (no not that one, his British namesake) and former EPL youngster Sam Zajac signed up to play for their native Newcastle club. Stewart took advantage of the new ruling allowing EIHL clubs to sign players from Canadian college as Dale Mahovsky joined the club after four years at the University of Alberta, while offensive blueline Kyle Sibley also signed to play at Whitley Bay after two years in Norway with Manglerud.

Nottingham Panthers

With their roster all but complete the Panthers added experienced, rugged former ECHL forward Dustin Sproat but lost netminder Kevin St-Pierre to retirement. The departure of the French-Canadian stopper could be seen as a blessing in disguise for Corey Neilson, who will now spend the last two months of the off-season searching for a defenceman and a replacement keeper.

Sheffield Steelers

Finally, the sorry looking Sheffield Steelers. Ravenged by stories of financial losses, the Steelers and Dave Matsos have still had time to sign three North American forwards. Sharpshooting, league leading sniper Jeff Legue has re-signed for another year with the club and joining him is former Coventry, Manchester and Newcastle forward Derek Campbell and Neil Clark, signed from the CHL.

Around the EIHL: May

Belfast Giants

The Northern Irish side claimed the EIHL playoff title just last month, however, they were almost immediately rocked by the news that the stalwart of that truimph, player-coach Steve Thornton, was quitting to return to Canada. The Giants frantically began searching for a coaching replacement, and by the time Doug Christiansen had crossed the Irish Sea to join the side as player-coach from fellow EIHL side Edinburgh the organisation had already re-signed the base of last seasons playoff winning squad in British netminder Stephen Murphy, defencemen Graeme Walton and Tim Cook, and forwards Evan Cheverie, Robert Peacock and Colin Shields. Having lost Thornton, George Awada, Shane Johnson and Mark Morrison joined the Canadian in retirement, and Nathan Craze and Kevin Phillips departed for France and Braehead respectively, leaving the Giants with big holes right across the board. Nevertheless, the perennial title contenders began to fill the gaps with the standout signings of AHL defenceman Jon Gleed from Bridgeport Sound Tigers and GB international Mark Garside, who followed Christiansen from Edinburgh. Should the Christiansen continue signing in the vein that he has in April and May, the Giants will be early favourites for the title.

Braehead Clan

The Clan were struck with an unexpected dilemma in late April as new player coach Adam Calder, the all time EIHL leader in goals, quit the club as rumoured, however, the Glasgow based side moved quickly to replaced him with Nottingham's determined former captain Bruce Richardson. The 32 year old immediately set about recruiting a solid set of Brits as D men Kevin Phillips and John Connolly joined from fellow EIHL sides Belfast and Edinburgh, and young, hopeful EPL forwards Sam Bullas (Swindon) , Matt Haywood (Sheffield), former Stingray Shaun Thompson (Basingstoke) and Adam Walker (Manchester) signed from the English Premier League (EPL) after eye catching seasons. He completed a busy first month in the job with the signing of Derek Patrosso, his first import, from Port Huron Ice Hawks where the American registered 70 points in 71 games, and former teammate and defensive defenceman MathieuWathier, from French top flight side Tours.

Cardiff Devils

The Devils, who finished runners-up to the Giants in the season ending EIHL playoffs, have been the second busiest side in the early off-season with the signing of no less than 14 players. Coach Gerard Adams has returned to full-time defenceman for the Welsh side, following the loss of Mike Hartwick (retirement), Scott Romfo and British veteran Jason Stone (EPL), however, joining the player-coach on the blueline is returnee GB international Mark Richardson and Canadian Mark Smith, who has signed after a wholly successful season in Edinburgh. In the hope of developing some homegrown netminding talent, Adams has already signed four British goalies, Michael Crisp, Joe Myers and prospect Martin Clarkson, all of whom will back up hometown hero and starting keeper Stevie Lyle. Upfront they have managed to retain a core of forwards, including Brad Voth, Max Birbraer, Ryan Finnerty, Phil Hill and Tylor Michel, adding point-scoring CHLers Stuart McRae and Jon Pelle to the mix, while losing just Mark Smith and Matt Towe to retirement and Guildford respectively.

Coventry Blaze

Following their fourth EIHL title the Blaze have had a steady but progressive summer so far. Although they have lost a couple of players to former player Tom Watkins and his new EPL side Telford Tigers, including Joe Henry and Jack Watkins, as well as Danny Stewart, who is the new player-coach of Newcastle, GB and Blaze coach Paul Thompson has, like many of the top sides, re-signed a majority of his best players from last term in Jonathan Weaver, Brian Lee, Greg Owen, Russ Cowley, Greg Chambers and Luke Fulghum, four of which are GB internationals. He has built on those key squad members with defensive defenceman and big hitter Brad Zanon and standout Edinburgh forward and NHLer of three games Owen Fussey, who have presumably been signed to replace the voids left by Jason Robinson and Adam Calder respectively. Danish international and championship winning netminder Peter Hirsch has confirmed he is leaving the side however and, while Thompson has confirmed there is a 'head turning' signing on its way, signing a quality netminder will now be seen as a must.

Dundee Stars

Understandably the EIHL's newest side have made just three signings since their admission to the league at the end of April. The first signing of their EIHL era, prior to the announcement of their new coach, became Dundee born forward John Dolan, who has served the club so well since it dropped out of the BNL. The signing all Stars fans were waiting for, however, was the appointment of player-coach and on 25 May, 36 year old former Nottingham, Sheffield and Bracknell forward Dan Ceman was announced as their second signing. Since leaving the Elite League in 05/06, he has spent four seasons in Denmark with Sonderjyske recording 168 points in 160 games and he is now charged with the task of making Dundee competitive in their first season of EIHL play, a challenge many start-up teams have struggled with. Since the announcement of Ceman as coach, another former BNL Star has rejoined the club with forward Gary Wishart re-signing to the club ahead of its first season in the EIHL.

Edinburgh Capitals

The loss of Doug Christiansen was a massive one for the Caps and since his appointment as Belfast player-coach it has been almost exclusively out-goings from the Scottish side as Mike Beynon (France), Mark Smith (Cardiff), John Connolly (Braehead), Ben O'Connor (France), Owen Fussey (Coventry) and Mark Garside (Belfast) have all exited Murrayfield. It's not quite been all bad news for the coachless Caps as general manager and acting head coach Scott Neil has managed to keep hold of import forward Jeff Hutchins and GB defenceman Kyle Horne, adding just Solway Sharks forward Bari McKenzie to the side. Nevertheless, he is left with the massive task of bringing the Caps up to speed by both signing a coach and getting said coach into a position to sign a competitive squad before September.

Hull Stingrays

Even quieter than the Caps this off-season have been the Stingrays, who have yet to make a signing this summer. While admittedly both player-coach Sylvain Cloutier and Stephen Burns were signed on two-year contracts and will return in 10/11, the noises coming from the Hull Arena have been reduced to silence since the departure of player-assistant coach Curtis Huppe. Indeed, since his release both James Hutchinson (EPL) and Adam Knight (CHL) have signed elsewhere, although admittedly, it is only a matter of time before the Rays summer kicks into gear.

Newcastle Vipers

Upon arriving on Tyneside Vipers new player-coach Danny Stewart was hit with the news that the core of Newcastle's British contingent was departing for pastures new. David Longstaff (EPL), Ben Campbell, Dean Holland (EPL) and Richie Lawson left the club, however, Stewart reacted speedily to their loss with the signing of backup netminder Liam McAllister, and  forwards Jamie Tinsley and Nathan Salem before adding experienced North East native Paul Sample to the mix after a year away from the sport. Joining himself on the import front so far is big utility defeceman Blair Stayzer, from IHL side Fort Wayne, and forward Jamie Carroll, who has 205 points to his name in a three year, 221 game stint in the IHL. During the month it was also confirmed that American defencemen Jerrmaine Domish (Sheffield) and Ryan Mahrle, and forward Matic Krajl (France) would not be returning to the Vipers.

Nottingham Panthers

Having re-signed Corey Neilson as player-coach, the Nottingham Panthers, as usual, shot out of the gates re-signing nine of last seasons semi-successful squad while adding a further six players to replace the departing Nick Toneys, Geoff Woolhouse, Mark Hatley, Bruce Richardson (Braehead), Kevin Bergin (France), Marty Gascon (France), Sean McAslan (retirement) and Cameron Mann (retirement). Defensively, Kevin St-Pierre retained his place between the pipes and in front of him British defencemen Tom Norton, Stevie Lee and Danny Meyers all returned to be joined by backup netminder Dan Green and offensive defenceman Jonathan Zion from fierce rivals the Sheffield Steelers. Upfront GB internationals David Clarke and Marc Levers re-signed as did experienced imports Jade Galbraith and Jay Henderson. Joining those familiar faces is tough guy Alex Penner from Colorado in the CHL, goalscorer David-Alexandre Beauregard, last seen in the UK with Manchester but signed after a brief spell in Italy and the CHL, Robert Lachowicz, who rejoins the club after a season of development in Manchester, and Billy Ryan, a former New York Rangers draft pick with experience of the ECHL and AHL.

Sheffield Steelers

Finally, the Sheffield Steelers, who, despite finishing in an all-time low 5th position last season, have re-signed seven of their squad as well as adding two former players who just left over a year ago. Forward Ashley Tait (Italy) and defenceman Steve Munn (Japan) have rejoined the side they won the double with in 08/09 and they join re-signees Mark Thomas, Kevin Bolibruck and Rod Sarich on D, and forwards Joey Talbot, Robert Dowd, Jason Hewitt and Jonathan Phillips in the squad for next term. The Steelers have also added Latvian national team stopper Ervins Mustukovs and Newcastle defenceman Jerrmaine Domish to the fold after releasing Andrew Verner, Dan Green (Nottingham), Ben Morgan (EPL), Scott Basiuk, Randy Dagenais, Mike Sgroi, Doug Sheppard (EPL) and Robert Farmer (EPL) from last seasons side.

2009/10 Season Stats

Stingrays Season Series

 v Belfast Giants

Record: 2 wins, 6 losses (Series lost)

Points: 4

Goals for: 14 (1.75 av. per game)

Goals against: 37 (4.62 av.per game)

 v Cardiff Devils

Record: 2 wins, 8 losses (Series lost)

Points: 4

Goals for: 19 (1.9 av. per game)

Goals against: 43 (4.3 av. per game)

v Coventry Blaze

Record: 1 win, 9 losses (Series Lost)

Points: 2 points

Goals for: 23 (2.3 av. per game)

Goals against: 46 (4.6 av. per game)

 v Edinburgh Capitals

Record: 4 wins, 4 losses (Series drawn)

Points: 10

Goal for: 30 (3.75 av. per game)

Goals against: 33 (4.12 av. per game)

 v Newcastle Vipers

Record: 5 wins, 3 losses (Series won)

Points: 11

Goals for: 33 (4.12 av. per game)

Goals against: 24 (3 av. per game)

 v Nottingham Panthers

Record: 1 win, 8 losses (Series lost)

Points: 4 points

Goals for: 25 (2.77 av. per game)

Goals against: 46 (5.11 av. per game)

 v Sheffield Steelers

Record: 4 wins, 4 losses (Series drawn)

Points:8

Goals for: 23 (2.87 av. per game)

Goals against: 29 (3.62 av. per game)

Home Record

Record: 15 wins, 16 losses
Points: 30 points
Goals for: 94 (3.03 av. per game)
Goals against: 120 (3.87 av. per game)

Away Record

Record: 4 wins, 26 losses
Points: 11
Goals for: 66 (2.2 av. per game)
Goals against: 139 (4.63 av. per game)

Season Comparisons

06/07: 9th 54GP 18W 33L 3OTL 114GF 174GA 39 Points
07/08: 10th 54GP 13W 34L 7OTL 119GF 197GA 33 Points
08/09: 9th 54GP 16W 33L 5OTL 154GF 243GA 37 Points
09/10: 8th 56GP 19W 32L 5OTL 152GF 234GA 43 Points

Team Records

Biggest Win: 1-7 W @ Newcastle Vipers (06/07/10)
Biggest Loss: 9-0 L @ Belfast Giants (04/03/10)
Highest Scoring Game: 6-7 L v Nottingham Panthers (07/03/10)
Longest Winning Streak: 3 (20/12/09-27/12/09, 23/01/10-31/01/10, 10/03/10-14/03/10)
Longest Losing Streak: 8 (11/10/09-01/11/09)

Individual Records

Goals: 31 Konstantin Kalmikov
Assists: 37 Jeff Glowa
Points: 58 Konstantin Kalmikov
Highest point scoring defenceman: 27 Pavel Gomenyuk
Highest point scoring Brit: 35 Lee Mitchell
PIM: 131 Adam Knight
PPG's: 8 Curtis Huppe
SHG's: 4 Konstantin Kalmikov
Sv.%: 89.8 Martins Raitums
GAA: 3.73 Martins Raitums
Most goals in a game: 4 Curtis Huppe (21/03/10 v Sheffield)
Most assists in a game: 4 Curtis Huppe (07/02/09 v Newcastle)
Most points in a game: 5 Curtis Huppe (21/03/10 v Sheffield)
Most PIM's in a game: 27 Pavel Gomenyuk (06/02/10 v Nottingham)

Final Roster

Netminders
#25 Martins Raitums
#33 Andrew Jaszczyk
Defencemen
#13 Craig Mitchell
#47 Adam Knight
#40 Pavel Gomenyuk
#27 James Hutchinson
#52 Stephen Burns
#71 George Halkidis 
??? Aivars Gaisins
Forwards
#83 Sylvain Cloutier
#9 Jeff Glowa
#17 Lee Esders
#93 Curtis Huppe
#19 Konstantin Kalmikov
#20 Lee Mitchell
#26 Matty Davies
#41 Jason Silverthorn
#6 Ben Lowe
Two Way Contract
#5 James Archer (EPL Sheffield Scimitars)
Retired numbers
#10 Stephen Johnson
Head Coach: Sylvain Cloutier
Assistant Coach: Curtis Huppe
Bench Coach: Bobby McEwan

New record high points total as Stingrays hit Vipers for six

Excel Hull Stingrays 6-3 Newcastle Vipers

12th/13th March Weekend Preview

 V

Saturday 13th March: Sheffield Steelers (5th) v Excel Hull Stingrays (8th) @ Sheffield Arena F/O 7pm
Sunday 14th March: Excel Hull Stingrays (8th) v Newcastle Vipers (7th) @ Hull Arena F/O 6pm

Form
Stingrays: L L W L W
Sheffield: W W W W L
Newcastle: L W L L L


Last 3 Meetings
v Sheffield
24/01/10 2-5 W A
21/02/10 3-2 W H
28/02/10 6-2 L A

 v Newcastle
20/02/10 5-4 L A
06/03/10 1-7 W A
10/03/10 3-2 W H

Season Series
v Sheffield: 2-4, 4 points, 13GF, 23GA
v Newcastle: 4-3, 9 points, 27 GF, 21 GA

Players to Watch
Stingrays: George Halkidis (42GP 6+15 30PIM)
Sheffield: Matt Hubbauer (41GP 22+19 91PIM)
Newcastle: Brent Hughes (13GP 5+8 14PIM)

Between the Pipes
Stingrays: Martins Raitums (18GP 3.9GAA 89.7sv.%)
Newcastle: Michel Robinson (39GP 3.8GAA 90.7sv.%)
Sheffield: Andrew Verner (44GP 2.77GAA 90.0sv.%)

Absentees
Stingrays: Aivars Gasins (broken hand)
Newcastle: Full Strength
Sheffield: Rod Sarich (broken foot)

Predictions
Sheffield 2-3 Stingrays
Stingrays 4-1 Newcastle

Stingrays narrow gap with Vipers to five points

Excel Hull Stingrays 3-2 Newcastle Vipers

Seventh heaven for Stingrays

Newcastle Vipers 1-7 Excel Hull Stingrays

Vipers come back from four down to snatch victory

Newcastle Vipers 5-4 Excel Hull Stingrays (After Shootout)