Wednesday, 18 December 2013
Monday, 16 December 2013
Ladygin re-joins Stingrays
The Ukrainian spent two years in Hull between 2006 and 2008, impressing enough in the Rays inaugural Elite League campaign to pick-up the Defenceman of the Year award as he recorded ten goals and 17 assists in 54 games.
He was re-signed by former coach Rick Strachan in 07/08 and logged nearly 30 minutes of ice-time per game at times early on as injuries hit. He was then switched to forward during a second injury crisis later in the season having failed to replicate his offensive stats from his debut season and ended 07/08 with just two goals and 13 assists in 53 games.
As F Block Blog stated following 07/08:
"The Ukrainian man mountain proved solid and reliable with 30 minutes of ice time during the Stingrays injury crisis. During the second string of injuries he was reliable as ever as he moved up front as a forward. [He] will be disappointed with his points total after a 30 point 1st season but should return."Adding later:
"Ladygin wasn't a fan favourite of Evgeny Alipov proportions, however, he very very rarely put a foot wrong and was a solid defenceman, which many fans appreciated. His strength and confidence to take anyone on at the back (physically and defensively) was what endeared him to the fans the most."Since leaving the club in the summer of 2008 - after Strachan made it clear he would be having a clear out of imports - Ladygin has spent all of his time in Eastern Europe.
Primarily, he has iced in the relatively high standard of the Russian second tier, however, he has also mixed in short spells in his native Ukraine as well as single season's in the top flight in both Kazakhstan and Belarus.
Last season Ladygin was called up to the Ukrainian national team for the Olympic Games Qualifiers by former Humberside Hawk Alexander Kulikov - father of former Stingray and former teammate to Ladygin Slava Koulikov. The rangy blueliner iced in six games in his debut campaign for the national team, recording two assists as they were knocked out of the qualifiers by Slovenia - who progressed to Sochi 2014.
The signing of Ladygin officially bolsters the Rays blueline to six imports and eight defencemen, however, it is highly likely that utility man Kyle Mariani - who has spent the majority of the season as forward - will remain up front on the club's third line - where he has been constantly improving.
During his previous spell in the city Ladygin was a solid, imposing but not overly physical defenceman at 6'4, who rarely put a foot wrong. Offensively, while his shot from the point sometimes appeared somewhat awkward, he was something of a scoring sensation in his first season - ending the year as joint fourth topscorer. He failed to live up to that in his season season an will be under no pressure to produce offensively this season.
Indeed, given that either he or fellow recent signing and former teammate Pavel Gomeniuk, were supposed to be a forward replacement for Derek Campbell, it would appear player-coach Sylvain Cloutier is happy with the offensive threat posed by his forwards and that he wanted to shore up his D with these two signings.
Cloutier told the Hull Daily Mail:
"I have tried to sign Lady for a couple of years now. I played against him when I was with Coventry and always thought he was a tough player to play against. He did really well in his first year here before and was the defenceman of the year but in the second year he switched between defence and forward and it didn’t work out for him."The fact the Stingrays have managed to fill the import slot is an big boost for Cloutier and the Stingrays.
Provided Ladygin arrives in time, they could now be at full strength with maximum imports for the first time since in a long this weekend as Bobby Chamberlain returns from GB U20 duty and Tom Squires, Matty Davies and Sam Towner all potentially return from injury.
Saturday, 14 December 2013
Stingrays hit seventh heaven to complete remarkable Gardiner Conference run during challenging two-week spell
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)
Thursday, 12 December 2013
Wednesday, 11 December 2013
Gomenyuk signs for season; Smith named captain; 11th import inbound?
Ukrainian defenceman Pavel Gomenyuk has agreed to extend his short-term contract at the Hull Stingrays until the end of the 2013/2014 season.
The 35 year old guested for the club at the weekend as they dug in deep with a short bench to return home with a huge three points against Gardiner conference rivals following a shootout loss to Fife and 5-4 triumph over Edinburgh.
Gomenyuk - who will now partake in his 6th season in Hull - notched an assist and four penalty minutes over the weekend and is the club's fifth import blueliner.
While the defenceman has been criticised for some of his play in the past and would not have necessarily been most people's first choice, he is a welcome, cheap and most importantly immediate addition for Sylvain Cloutier - who has been struggling to pin down prospective players.
Of the Gomenyuk confirming his deal, Cloutier said:
The 32 year old veteran is incredibly well liked and respected both in the dressing room and by fans and is seen by Cloutier as the perfect captain and leader.
Finally, it is believed that the Stingrays have located and, indeed, signed their final import - a replacement for the long-departed Derek Campbell.
Speculation suggests that, pleased with the club's firepower in Jereme Tendler, Guillaume Doucet and the ever-improving Carl Lauzon, Cloutier may have plumped for a further import defenceman to shore up their back line in front of Ben Bowns and that that blueliner is another former Stingray.
The addition of another import defenceman would mean the versatile Kyle Mariani reverting back to his third-line forward spot alongside Tom Squires and Bobby Chamberlain - once he returns from Great Britain Under-20 duty.
Although the new import signing won't be in the country in time for Thursday's fixture in Dundee as they await a work permit clearance, it was hoped they may have him in the country in time for this weekend's home game against the Edinburgh Capitals.
The 35 year old guested for the club at the weekend as they dug in deep with a short bench to return home with a huge three points against Gardiner conference rivals following a shootout loss to Fife and 5-4 triumph over Edinburgh.
Gomenyuk - who will now partake in his 6th season in Hull - notched an assist and four penalty minutes over the weekend and is the club's fifth import blueliner.
While the defenceman has been criticised for some of his play in the past and would not have necessarily been most people's first choice, he is a welcome, cheap and most importantly immediate addition for Sylvain Cloutier - who has been struggling to pin down prospective players.
Of the Gomenyuk confirming his deal, Cloutier said:
"Gomy wanted to come back. He really enjoyed being back playing at the weekend, he settled in well with the other guys and had a lot of fun with them. He had no problem adjusting and you could not tell he had not played all season. Gomy is an experienced guy who will help out our defence a lot. He reads the game well and knows where to be out there. He will also boost our powerplay and penalty kill."Meanwhile, following the departure of former captain Matt Suderman, Cloutier today announced that alternate captain Jeff Smith has been chosen to become the club's new captain.
The 32 year old veteran is incredibly well liked and respected both in the dressing room and by fans and is seen by Cloutier as the perfect captain and leader.
"Smitty has always been a leader in the dressing room since he came here. He has the respect of everybody and is a leader on and off the ice. He is someone you can rely on out there, he has been around, has captained teams before and has a lot of experience. He has also won championships wherever he has been. Last season was a tough one for Smitty with the problems he had not even being able to put his skates on. But he kept on battling for the team and is someone who never gives up and that is why he got the coach's award.The move left a vacant alternate captain slot alongside Jason Silverthorn which Cloutier also announced has been filled by fellowed defenceman Martin Ondrej.
Finally, it is believed that the Stingrays have located and, indeed, signed their final import - a replacement for the long-departed Derek Campbell.
Speculation suggests that, pleased with the club's firepower in Jereme Tendler, Guillaume Doucet and the ever-improving Carl Lauzon, Cloutier may have plumped for a further import defenceman to shore up their back line in front of Ben Bowns and that that blueliner is another former Stingray.
The addition of another import defenceman would mean the versatile Kyle Mariani reverting back to his third-line forward spot alongside Tom Squires and Bobby Chamberlain - once he returns from Great Britain Under-20 duty.
Although the new import signing won't be in the country in time for Thursday's fixture in Dundee as they await a work permit clearance, it was hoped they may have him in the country in time for this weekend's home game against the Edinburgh Capitals.
Sunday, 8 December 2013
Stingrays hold on in Edinburgh to earn hard-fought three point weekend
Edinburgh Capitals 4-5 Hull Stingrays
More soon...
More soon...
Saturday, 7 December 2013
Stingrays pick up valuable point in lengthy shootout loss to Fife
Fife 4-3 Hull Stingrays (SO)
More soon...
More soon...
Wednesday, 4 December 2013
Gomenyuk makes surprise Stingrays return
Defenceman Pavel Gomenyuk will this weekend return for a fourth spell with the Hull Stingrays after player-coach Sylvain Cloutier today brought the Ukrainian back to the club as a short-term replacement for departed captain Matt Suderman.
The now 35 year old blueliner first moved to Hull ten years ago under Rick Strachan to join the Stingrays for their inaugural campaign in the British National League.
He spent two years with the Rays in the BNL before bouncing between the Stingrays and Newcastle Vipers in the Elite League between 05/06 and 07/08. His last spell in Hull lasted a further two years, first during Rick Strachan's final year as coach in 08/09 before Cloutier re-signed the then 31 year old for a further season.
Over his five year Elite League career Gomenyuk - who won the Elite League playoffs with Newcastle in 05/06 - has posted 32 goals and 83 assists for 115 points meanwhile he remains the Stingrays all-time leader in penalty minutes - having posted 494 PIM's in his previous 208 appearances for the club.
He joins the club having retired from the sport last season following four years in the English Premier League. Those four years were split between the Manchester Phoenix, Sheffield Steeldogs and Slough Jets and during that time he lifted 10/11 English Premier League trophy as alternate captain with the Manchester Phoenix and accumulated 31 goals and 132 points in 161 games.
With a crucial double header against Gardiner Conference rivals Edinburgh Capitals and Fife Flyers coming up this weekend and down two imports, Cloutier has moved to bring Gomenyuk - who lives locally - out of retirement and back to the club to strength the club's options.
While Gomenyuk has in the past been inconsistent in Stingrays colours, his undoubted strength is his powerful shot from the point and that is one area the Stingrays have struggled this season.
Equally, Cloutier - who has, as yet, been unable to find a replacement for Derek Campbell, let alone recently departed Suderman - will be grateful to the Ukrainian for stepping in at late notice to add numbers to his blueline at such a crucial time having retired from the sport last season.
The now 35 year old blueliner first moved to Hull ten years ago under Rick Strachan to join the Stingrays for their inaugural campaign in the British National League.
He spent two years with the Rays in the BNL before bouncing between the Stingrays and Newcastle Vipers in the Elite League between 05/06 and 07/08. His last spell in Hull lasted a further two years, first during Rick Strachan's final year as coach in 08/09 before Cloutier re-signed the then 31 year old for a further season.
Over his five year Elite League career Gomenyuk - who won the Elite League playoffs with Newcastle in 05/06 - has posted 32 goals and 83 assists for 115 points meanwhile he remains the Stingrays all-time leader in penalty minutes - having posted 494 PIM's in his previous 208 appearances for the club.
He joins the club having retired from the sport last season following four years in the English Premier League. Those four years were split between the Manchester Phoenix, Sheffield Steeldogs and Slough Jets and during that time he lifted 10/11 English Premier League trophy as alternate captain with the Manchester Phoenix and accumulated 31 goals and 132 points in 161 games.
With a crucial double header against Gardiner Conference rivals Edinburgh Capitals and Fife Flyers coming up this weekend and down two imports, Cloutier has moved to bring Gomenyuk - who lives locally - out of retirement and back to the club to strength the club's options.
While Gomenyuk has in the past been inconsistent in Stingrays colours, his undoubted strength is his powerful shot from the point and that is one area the Stingrays have struggled this season.
Equally, Cloutier - who has, as yet, been unable to find a replacement for Derek Campbell, let alone recently departed Suderman - will be grateful to the Ukrainian for stepping in at late notice to add numbers to his blueline at such a crucial time having retired from the sport last season.
Monday, 2 December 2013
Suderman quits Stingrays
Matt Suderman has today quit the Hull Stingrays citing abuse from fans - primarily but not exclusively online - and the poor standard of refereeing in the Elite League as his reasons for leaving the club.
Suderman - who was the Stingrays captain - leaves having registered just one point and amassed 115 penalty minutes in 22 games for the club.
Suderman - who was the Stingrays captain - leaves having registered just one point and amassed 115 penalty minutes in 22 games for the club.
Sunday, 1 December 2013
Stingrays make it three-in-three over conference leaders Clan
Hull Stingrays 4-3 Braehead Clan (After Shootout)
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