Muncy becomes Stingrays third new summer signing

The Hull Stingrays have confirmed the signing of import forward Sean Muncy for the 13/14 Elite League campaign

The 28 year old  - who spent last season in the Dutch Eredivisie with Eindhoven Kemphanen, recording 12 goals and 36 points in 24 games - initially revealed he had signed through Twitter on Friday, writing:

"Excited to be a part of the @HullStingrays next season. Just give @Tends27 the puck and I'll be just fine! #eihl #uk #ellogov'na"

At that point the signing had yet to be confirmed officially by the club, however, with the new addition now public knowledge they have announced the signing through the Elite League website today. Muncy becomes the third new import signing this week after the announcement of Guillaume Doucet and Derek Campbell at Tuesday's fans forum.

A left shooting, 6'0 tall winger, Muncy has played with a number of former Stingrays and EIHL players throughout his career.

Starting his career in junior with the Cedar Rapid Roughriders of the USHL between 2002 and 2005, he played alongside now-retired  former Stingray Shane Lovdahl as well as NHLers Teddy Purcell (Tampa Bay Lightnigh), Justin Abdelkader (Detriot Red Wings), Alec Martinez (LA Kings) and Alex Stalock (San Jose Sharks) - helping the team to a first place finish in 2003.

He was moved on to the Des Moines Buccaneers and Waterloo Black Hawks via trade in 04/05 - enjoying his best season in the league as a 20 year old with 59 points in 59 games, ending the year as the USHL's tenth top scorer and second in Buccaneers scoring.

A move to study Sociology for four years at Ivy League college Brown University followed as he posted 29 points in 104 games and four years in the NCAA. During three of those four years he was named on the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference All-Academic team, honouring outstanding students in the ECAC.

He graduated from Brown in 2009 and began his professional career with the Rio Grande Killer Bees the following season - briefly icing alongside Stingrays captain Kurtis Dulle during a two-game spell in Texas for the Canadian before he moved on.

Muncy enjoyed a great rookie campaign in the CHL as he was picked for the Central Hockey League All-Star game - where he was named Most Valuable Player after picking up two goals and two assists - before being named on the 09/10 CHL All-Rookie Team at the seasons end, having notched 14 goals and 47 points in 61 games.

He, unsurprisingly returned to Rio Grande in 10/11 - picking up 14 goals and 31 points in 37 games prior to Christmas - before being loaned up to American Hockey League side the Houston Aeros for one game in December 2010, making his AHL debut, and only appearance, in a 2-1 victory over the San Antonio Rampage.

A Chesterfield, Missouri native, he was traded to his homestate CHL side the Missouri Mavericks in exchange for former Nottingham Panthers defenceman Dominic D'Armour in 2011. In Kansas City, Missouri he was unfortunately unable to replicate the success he had  in Rio Grande and he was waived twice before the end of the season, first joining Fort Worth Brahmas before ending the season with no points in four games with the Arizona Sundogs.

After racking up CHL totals of 30 goals and 55 assists in 127 games, Muncy moved to Europe in 2011 recording 23 goals and 50 points in 30 games in the German fourth division with ESV Buchloe before moving to enjoy further pointscoring success in the Holland last season.

A former teammate of Lovdahl and Dulle and someone Stingrays coach Sylvain Clouiter has coached against, Muncy is a known quantity to the Rays boss who, upon signing the American, said:

"I am really pleased to have Sean on my team. He is a hard worker and a real competitor. I coached against him in the CHL so I know all about him and what we are getting. He used to play with Dulles in Rio Grande and I have actually been trying to sign him for the past couple of years. He played in the CHL All-Star team, he can play both ways, he skates extremely well, he is a good penalty killer and can play special teams. He plays hard every night - he is a good addition to the line-up."

With low penalty totals to his name and a solid, if not outstanding scoring record, but impressive list of awards in the NCAA and CHL, he will likely be a valuable asset for the Stingrays.

His Brown University Athletics bio describes him as "an extremely talented forward...one of the top penalty-killers on the team...[who] will also be expected to help lead Brown's shorthanded efforts."

While his abilities shorthanded will be an added bonus for a team that had one of the EIHL's worst penalty kills last season, as an import forward the American will be required to help offensively. Encouragingly, Tommie Hartog - Muncy's coach in Eindhoven last term - backed up what Cloutier said when he joined the Dutch side, stating "he is a very fast guy with good hands" as did his coach in Germany who also said "extremely fast and technically gifted striker".

With the signing of Muncy and Doucet as well as that of Campbell, Cloutier looks to have made a move to fill that 'consistent secondary scoring' shaped hole which the club so lacked last season.

'Soupy' surprise as five join for 13/14

The Hull Stingrays tonight announced the addition of import Guillaume Doucet, the surprise return of Derek Campbell and the re-signing of Brits Scott Robson, Sam Towner and Tom Squires for the 13/14 Elite League campaign.

26 year old forward Doucet joins the Stingrays after spending the last two seasons with French Alps based side Morzine-Avoriaz Penguines in the French top flight - where he notched 21 goals and 40 points in 52 games.

The New Brunswick native has produced offence right throughout his career notching 84 goals and 178 points in three years in junior (QMJHL) and 53 goals and 108 points in 112 Canadian college games with McGill University prior to his two years in France.

He capped his two years in France as Morzine-Avoiraz's second top pointscorer in the 12/13 playoffs - behind former Belfast and Coventry forward Evan Cheverie - as the Penguines were knocked out by Rouen at the Quarter Final stage.

A diminutive, speedy winger with an eye for goal, Doucet - who is also a former teammate of Great Britain international Colin Shields - has been brought in by coach Sylvain Cloutier to provide the kind of secondary scoring that the Stingrays lacked last season as the league's lowest scorers.

“Guillaume came highly recommended by a lot of people I spoke to. He is a very good skater, smart and will add scoring to our team. The feedback I got was positive. He is a good team-mate and a great guy to have in the dressing room. He is not a big guy but he is a competitor and comes to work every night. As a coach that is all I can ask. He is going to be a big part of our team."

While Doucet's addition may prove to be the most important signing on the night, the big surprise of the night was reserved for the return of playmaker-turned-enforcer Campbell - who rejoins the club after a season away split between the English Premier League and Elite League.

The now 33 year old Canadian wrote his name into Hull Stingrays folklore during the 11/12 EIHL Playoffs, recording a hat-trick that led the club to their first ever Playoff Semi-Final berth with in a memorable 5-2 second leg Quarter Final victory against Yorkshire rivals the Sheffield Steelers. Campbell went on to end that short but historic and unforgettable post-season with five goals and two assists in three games as the Stingrays were defeated by Nottingham at the Semi-Final stage.

Having left the Stingrays last summer, largely due to the uncertainty surrounding the club, he joined the EPL's Sheffield Steeldogs alongside Dmitri Rodin and hit nine goals and 24 points in 24 games. He was released by the Ice Sheffield based side just prior to Christmas as the club looked to "re-evaluate things" after an awful start to a season in which they were expected to compete for silverware.

The Steeldogs rivals the Manchester Phoenix - who originally brought the Ontario native to the UK from the ECHL - then quickly snapped up the player post-Christmas. He went on to light up the EPL offensively while on a short-term contract with Tony Hand's side, scoring an incredible seven goals and seven assists in just eight games.

After leaving Manchester, another former club the Coventry Blaze - where he lifted the 09/10 EIHL title - came calling. Having recorded a further five goals and 11 assists in 20 games with the Blaze, Campbell ended the 12/13 regular season with a fight against Stingray favourite Ryan Hand in a defeat on the last day of the season. He came good in the playoffs again this season, scoring a goal and two assists in four post-season games as the Blaze, like the Stingrays a year earlier, fell at the Semi-Final stage of the playoffs.

As strong on the puck as any that has ever dressed in Stingrays colours, it will be hoped that Campbell - who himself boasts an impressive point scoring record in the EIHL with 106 goals and 324 points in 338 games - will once again ice pair up with Jason Silverthorn, with whom he brilliantly combined with during the 11/12 campaign.

Although he largely shied away from the physical stakes last season, both of his fights co-incidentally came against the Stingrays at the Hull Arena with the latter the aforementioned fight on the last day of the regular season in which he was given little choice but to fight. Awkwardly, the first of those fights came on 3rd February against former teammate and, now, future teammate Martin Ondrej - who has already re-signed to the Stingrays for 13/14.

While not his primary role on a team that needs offence from every crevice, Campbell's addition adds some toughness to a side that, it is believed, may not be retaining the services of enforcer Hand. While Hand is and will remain a fan favourite, Campbell would be a much needed upgrade offensively with the ability to mix it up if required.

There are and have been vocal and insistent critics of the seven year Elite League veteran at most of the club's he has played for. Much of that criticism is directed his way because of his, at times, lethargic appearance and style of play, and his tendency to drift in and out of games, however, it must be noted that, while those critics may have a point, they are often at their loudest when Campbell is doing his damage when returning to their club (aka one of his five former sides).

With that said few can doubt his commitment to the cause or the end product at Elite League level with two championship titles, 324 points in 338 games and 1389 penalty minutes to his name. Indeed, while his form (some say interest) over a game may fluctuate, it is those moments of inspiration, strength and skill that have defined Campbell's career, and that is best applied to his season in Hull.

Of 'Soupy' rejoining the club for a second season Cloutier said:

“I am really excited to have Soupy back. He was a big part of our team the season before. He scored that hat-trick in Sheffield which got us to the final four weekend. He was disappointed with how that ended and he wants to help us go to the next level. Soupy has nearly a point a game in the Elite League, he is one of the toughest players in the league and he competes. He has won a couple of Elite League titles, he knows what it takes to win and he is an experienced guy who is gong to be a big plus to our team."

Brits Robson, Towner and Squires all return for their second full campaigns in Hull following differing maiden seasons in the city.

Squires joined the Stingrays in November from English Premier League side Sheffield Steeldogs after a disappointing spell in which he recorded just three assist in 13 games.

The 22 year old - who worked his way through the ranks in Sheffield during the first seven years of his career - provided the Stingrays with some much needed British EIHL experience, an area they were particularly lacking in from the outset, having spent 105 games with the Sheffield Steelers between 2010 and 2012.

Ice-time and opportunities were limited for the former Great Britain junior international during his time with the Steelers but Cloutier gave him a regular shift with the Stingrays allowing the Sheffield born foward to produce seven goals and 12 assists for 19 points in 44 games.

His re-signing, as well as that of Matty Davies and Ben Bowns, gives the Stingrays a good platform of established British players at Elite League level with one or two more expected before the off-season ends. Like Bowns and Davies - who have both been recognised by Great Britain coach Tony Hand - Cloutier now expects Squires to make the step up to the next level:

"Tom has what it takes to make that next step up. He proved what he could do when he joined us in November last season and he will be a better player next year. With Tom and Matty Davies we have a couple of exciting young British players who can go on and play for the national team. I know Tom can produce for us, he has a nice touch around the net, but he has also improved defensively and I can also rely on him in key situations."

Meanwhile the re-signing of  17 year old defenceman Robson and 18 year old forward Towner gives Cloutier a pair of prospects for the future albeit with a thriving junior section likely to produce more in the coming seasons.

The pair served their apprenticeships icing for the under-18's and English National League Stingrays - where they recorded 11 points in 14 games and five points in three games respectively -  while also making fleeting appearances for the senior side.

Neither has yet recorded their first Elite League goal - though Towner did score in last season's pre-season friendly against the Sheffield Steeldogs and had two assists to his name in the EIHL - but that will surely change in the coming season as their ice-time increases.

While Towner saw more ice-time over the course of the 12/13 season, Robson possibly made the biggest single game impact when presented with his first regular shift in final day victory over the Coventry Blaze, not looking out of place on Elite League ice.

There is still time aplenty for both players to develop and there is certainly no urgency in rushing them into regular action - particularly so young, when it can potentially have an adverse affect on their futures -  however, Cloutier has been encouraged by the starts they have made to their senior careers.

"Sam is still young but he has a lot of potential and we will be looking to give him more ice time next season. How much he gets is down to him. He came in and never let anyone down last year. He will be more mature next season, he will be working extremely hard during the summer to bulk up and it is up to him to take advantage next year."

"Scott is another youngster with a lot of potential. He maybe didn’t play as much as he would have liked last season but we didn’t want to rush him. He did a great job when he did get his chance and, like Sam, he will be bigger and stronger next season and can really push on."

These five signings boost the Stingrays roster for 13/14 to 11 with netminder Bowns, defenceman Ondrej and forwards Cloutier, Silverthorn, Jereme Tendler and Matty Davies already signed up with the off-season little more than four weeks old.

Lovdahl and Rodin retirement confirmed; Doucet set to sign?

In an interview with the Hull Daily Mail, Hull Stingrays player-coach Sylvain Cloutier confirmed on Thursday that defencemen Shane Lovdahl and Dmitri Rodin would not be returning to the club next season and will likely be retiring from the sport this summer.

38 year old Rodin re-joined the Stingrays in January after starting the year in the English Premier League between the Sheffield Steeldogs and Telford Tigers - where he notched just one goal and four assists in 27 games in the second tier.

The offensive defenceman - who possesses a big slapshot and even bigger hip check, which typically made him a favourite with home fans - added a goal and seven assists this season to his first season totals of nine goals and 18 assists.

Indeed, it was the Estonian's offensive abilities from defence which undoubtedly played a huge part in the Stingrays record 11/12 campaign as they reached the EIHL Playoff Semi-Finals in his first season at the club.

While he was undoubtedly in the twilight of a career which saw him ice in the IHL and AHL in North America and Russian, Slovakian, Czech, Polish and Hungarian top flights, and he had obviously lost a step or two over 23 seasons and 900 games, Rodin's quality with the puck on his stick remained.

Though he has aspirations to become a coach in the future, it is thought he will retire from the sport and move to London this summer after captaining Estonia at the IIHF World Championships Div I Group B in Ukraine this week, ending a 23 career that began with Narva HK PSK in Estonia in 1990.

In contrast, Alaskan native Lovdahl has confirmed his retirement at the age of 28 after four seasons and 275 games of professional hockey.

An alumni of the USHL - where he spent three seasons as a junior with the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders - and the University of Alaska-Anchorage - where he hit eight goals and 25 assists in four years and 110 games - he made his professional debut with the Quad City Mallards of the IHL in 09/10.

He went on to spend two further seasons with Quad City in the CHL and a summer in Australia with the Adelaide Adrenaline before a move to Hull and the Elite League materialised last summer ahead of what would turn out to be his swansong in the sport

A quiet, unassuming but effective blueliner, the highlight of his season came on 3 March as he led the club offensively and physically with two goals and a fight in a a crucial 3-1 win over conference rivals the Fife Flyers.

It is often said of defensive defenceman in general that the more inconspicuous they are on a game-by-game basis the better they are performing and that was certainly the case with the solid American - who very rarely  stepped out of place.

He confirmed his intention to retire to the Hull Daily Mail earlier in the season and will return to Alaska from Europe.

Meanwhile in other news, it is believed the club are close to announcing the signing of 26 year old French-Canadian forward Guillaume Doucet as their first new addition for 13/14.

His agent, 37 Hockey, confirmed last week that he has signed a contract to play in the Elite League in 13/14 and it was later revealed by BritishIceHockey.co.uk that Hull is likely destination.

After graduating from Canadian college McGill University in 2011 with 53 goals and 108 points in 112 games, the diminutive winger has gone on to spend the last two seasons in the French top flight Ligue Magnus with Morzine-Avoriaz Penguines accumulating 21 goals and 19 assists for 40 points in 46 games.

Photos copyright Dean Woolley

Ondrej to return for third season

Photo courtesy Dean Woolley

It was announced prior to the Hull Stingrays victorious final game of the 12/13 season last night that Slovakian defenceman Martin Ondrej has re-signed for a third season with the club.

The hard hitting 6'1 blueliner has become a staple of the Stingrays blueline this season as one of the club's most consistent performers, posting two goals, 13 assists and 60 penalty minutes in 45 games after replacing countryman Tomas Valecko early in the season.

Originally signed from Italian second division side Milano Rossoblu in 2011, Ondrej took time to settle in Hull last season and struggled, particularly positionally, early in his first season in the country. He eventually found his form towards the tail end of the 11/12 campaign and produced some of his best hockey when it mattered most in the EIHL Playoffs as the Rays made the semi-finals for the first time.

Despite interest from Sylvain Cloutier last summer, Ondrej initially opted to remain in his hometown Presov in Slovakia due to personal reasons icing in seven games.

The release of Valecko after a disappointing spell in which he recorded just four points in 12 games then opened the door for the 29 year old to make his return in October.

Upon re-joining the club Ondrej started where he left off at the end of 11/12 season and immediately shored up a leaky defence that would go on to have one of the club's best seasons statistically. The 185 goals conceded in 52 games this season is the Rays second best showing in the Elite League after the club's debut campaign in which they conceded 11 fewer in 54 games during 06/07 under Rick Strachan.

Ondrej was close to, if not the club's best, most consistent defenceman last season and the difference between the first half of his first season and second half of his second season is night and day

Renowned for his big hits and a good outlet pass from defence, Ondrej will return for his third season in Hull during 13/14 and Cloutier is hoping he will continue his upturn in form:

"Marty has been great for us this year. He rebounded from last season. He knew this was his chance to prove himself and he has done that. Now we need him to build on this season and get even better next year. He is a key part of this club and he is going to help us move forward. We have a good core back already and we are going to work hard this summer to make sure we bring the right guys in."

Ondrej joins player-coach Cloutier, netminder Ben Bowns, topscorer Jereme Tendler, Matty Davies and Jason Silverthon on the Rays roster for 13/14

Stingrays end season with convincing victory over the Blaze

Hull Stingrays 4-1 Coventry Blaze

Arthur Foster photo

The Hull Stingrays tonight closed out the 12/13 Elite Ice Hockey League campaign - their tenth anniversary season - in the best possible fashion with a comfortable 4-1 victory over the playoff-bound Coventry Blaze.

Enforcer Ryan Hand returned to the line-up for the Rays following a one-game suspension, however, defenceman Martin Ondrej sat out due to a niggle picked up in the narrow loss to Sheffield last night.

The somewhat surprising news of the night came during the player introductions as it was announced that the Slovakian blueliner had signed a contract to return to Hull for a third season in 13/14 becoming the sixth player already announced by the club.

In front of a big crowd for the final game of the season - including a good following from Coventry - both sides took their time to get into the game, possibly due to the fact neither had anything riding on the game with the Blaze confirmed in fourth place in the Elite League and the Stingrays in tenth spot.

With Hand back in the line-up but Coventry enforcer Benn Olson not in the line-up it was left to former Stingrays Derek Campbell to decline the Stingrays fans favourite a fight with a fight not forthcoming early in the game, as has been the case for the entire season against the Blaze at the Hull Arena.

It was tussle, albeit an unexpected one, that brought the game to life though as Matty Davies reacted to a challenge from a Coventry player, taking the fight to Blaze captain Shea Guthrie in the corner.

Just over two minutes later the Stingrays lead through Jason Silverthorn after some great work along the boards by Tom Squires on James Griffin eventually saw a blocked shot fall to the Canadian - who beat Blaze netminder Peter Hirsch glove side.

The biggest hit of the night then followed as Dmitri Rodin - who tonight may have played his final game before retiring - crushed Steven Chalmers with a hit that saw the Brit limp off the ice with a leg injury.

With nothing to play for as far as the league standings would go, both sides were giving plenty of ice-time to their young British players, who are potentially the future of their clubs. For the Stingrays that saw Scott Robson receive his first regular shift of the season at home - following last night's game - alongside captain
Kurtis Dulle.

The 17 year old was massive surprise, putting in a brilliant performance for someone of that age, as he was to a lesser extent in his last real outing in pre-season.

Indeed, fellow youngster Sam Towner - who has benefited from ice-time, albeit small amounts, throughout season - set up Hand, who ably deked Hirsch only to disappointingly hit the bottom of the post when presented with a largely open goal. His time to end the season on a high would eventually come though.

Hirsch was again called in to action after 14 minutes as the Elite League's top scorer Jereme Tendler was put through on a breakaway only for the Danish netminder to stop Tendler with a lovely toe save down low.

Five minutes later and Tendler was again put through, only to this time be denied a goalscoring opportunity by a blatant hook by Mike Bayrack for which referee Tom Darnell awarded a penalty shot.

Third time lucky and the Stingrays number 27 made no mistake - faking a shot before reverting to backhand his shot in to a gaping goal for his 43rd and final goal of the season.



With effectively nothing to play for this weekend, the Blaze - coached tonight by next season's head coach Mattias Soderstrom - seemed happy to sit back and go through the motions for large parts of the game - none more so than the beginning of the second and third periods.

In each of the final two periods the Rays came out strongly, controlling the puck and possession and they deservedly extended their lead to 3-0 because of this in the second period with Coventry defenceman James Griffin - who made a couple of mistakes throughout the game but was impressive for someone so young and relatively inexperienced - slipping up before a neat combination of Davies and Sylvain Cloutier saw Dulle knock his 12th goal of the season home.

Somewhat harshly on Stingrays netminder Ben Bowns, his bid for a deserved second shutout of his debut Elite League campaign was denied on 49 minutes as a relatively tame Greg Leeb shot slipped through the GB international for what was one of very few sloppy goals conceded by the standout keeper this season.

Though a shutout would have put a cherry on top of the Stingrays cake for their final game of the season, a further goal from Davies - who knocked home from shot range a deflected point shot that wriggled through Hirsch's pads - and Hand's long awaited bout with Campbell would ice the victory.

Davies goal on 54 minutes was his 48th point of the season - comfortably a career best and a Stingrays best for a Brit in the Elite League - making him the top flight's fifth top British point scorer this season, capping quite the season for the 23 year old from Hull.

The final hurrah for the Stingrays 12/13 season was Hand's 13th and final fight of the season, against Campbell - who reluctantly dropped the gloves after the Rays enforcer's insistence and persistent questioning with less than a minute remaining.

The fight - unsurprisingly just his second of the season against the Blaze after their resistance to dropping the gloves with him despite being the league's most physical side - was a tame effort with Hand trying his best to to free an arm. Though neither party truly offloaded any devastating punches, Hand scored the victory with intent and a number of punches that may, or may not have connected.

A roar erupted around the Hull Arena for the final time this season as Hand stepped into the penalty box for the last time and with his name, once again, ringing out from the stands.

The final buzzer marked the end of the season and also, likely, the career's of Shane Lovdahl - who recently announced his intention to retire at the end of 12/13 - and, maybe also, 38 year old defenceman Rodin - who ceremonious touched centre ice on the final buzzer, possibly signalling the end of his 23 year career - while there may be others who also decide to call it a day.

The Stingrays ended the season with the league's top scorer (43 - Jereme Tendler), the league's 13th top scorer (25 - Dominic Osman) and the league's 5th highest pointscoring Brit (48 - Matty Davies).

Unfortunately, the only statistic that ultimately matters is that, despite all the promise and some brilliant performances, the Rays finished bottom of the Elite League, third in the Gardiner Conference and out of the playoffs - even if the gap between the playoffs and the Stingrays was incredibly marginal.

Elite Ice Hockey League 2012/2013 - Final Standings

 Gardiner Conference 2012/2013 - Final Standings

Regardless, the general feeling amongst the club's loyal fanbase is that it's been a thoroughly entertaining season in the blue and yellow of the Hull Stingrays, if not up there with one of the best in the club's ten year history.

At the end of the day, and season, the only fact that truly matters is that the Stingrays made it through their tenth season of existence under a new and local owner, Bobby McEwan, with no serious or obvious financial issues, with their pride in tact and with nothing but a potentially great future.

Here's to another 10 years!

Go Stingrays!

FBB Three Stars

1. Scott Robson

2. Tom Squires

3. Dmitri Rodin

Eliminated Stingrays narrowly defeated at Ice Sheffield; Clan claim first Gardiner Conference

Sheffield Steelers 4-3 Hull Stingrays

In complete contrast to their visit to Ice Sheffield almost exactly a year ago when they shocked the Sheffield Steelers to qualify for the EIHL Playoff Semi-Finals for the first time, the Hull Stingrays traveled to South Yorkshire tonight already officially eliminated from playoff contention but put in a spirited display in a 4-3 defeat.

The Braehead Clan's victory over the Dundee Stars last night confirmed that the Hull Stingrays would not be extending their campaign beyond the regular season for the first time in three years, nevertheless, Sylvain Cloutier's side put up a good fight in defeat tonight despite falling behind early.

The Rays - who were without suspended enforcer Ryan Hand - found themselves behind after just 47 seconds thanks to a Jeff Legue marker. They responded almost immediately however Jereme Tendler netting a 42nd goal of the season 33 seconds later.

Matty Davies then gave the Stingrays a seventh minute lead in front of a sold out away following before Sheffield hit back later in the first to regain the lead through defenceman Danny Meyers and import forward Simon Ferguson.

What turned out to be the game winning goal from Shawn Limpwright followed four minutes into the second extending the Steelers lead to 4-2 before Stingrays captain Kurtis Dulle reduced the deficit to one goal with a powerplay goal on 36.16.

The Rays were unable to force an equaliser in the final twenty minutes giving the Steelers a 4-3 victory and completing a 6-0 season whitewash over the Stingrays in the process.

Elsewhere in the Gardiner Conference this evening, the Braehead Clan were confirmed as inaugural Gardiner Conference champions despite a heavy defeat to the Fife Flyers.

The Kirkcaldy side's win sealed their first ever EIHL playoff berth and they join the Edinburgh Capitals in the playoffs after their 3-2 win over the Dundee Stars confirmed that they, and not the Stars, would be progressing to the post-season.

The Stingrays end a disappointing but, at the same time, encouraging 12/13 Elite League campaign with a home fixture to the Coventry Blaze tomorrow evening.

Tendler scoops second awards night treble in three years

Forward Jereme Tendler scooped his second Hull Stingrays end of season awards treble in three years at tonight's 12/13 awards evening.

The Canadian - who has bagged 41 goals and 66 points in 56 games this season - picked up Forward of the Year, Players' Player of the Year and, the big prize, Supporters Player of the Year at tonight's award evening held at Jazz Bar.

Meanwhile resurgent forward Matty Davies picked up Most Improved Player of the Year after a breakout year, captain Kurtis Dulle was named Defenceman of the Year - having turned around his play in the last couple of months - and Ryan Hand was named Fans Favourite.

Finally, Sylvain Cloutier named rangy defenceman Jeff Smith as Coaches Player of the Year.

Dundee extinguish Stingrays playoff hopes with 5-0 whitewash

Dundee Stars 5-0 Hull Stingrays

The Hull Stingrays chances of qualifying for the Elite League Playoff Quarter Finals for the fourth consecutive season were tonight all but extinguished completely in a chippy 5-0 defeat to conference rivals the Dundee Stars in Scotland.

Altercations involving the Stingrays Dominic Osman, Ben Bowns - who was thrown out during the second intermission - Sylvain Cloutier and Ryan Hand marred the fixture which the Stars won, unsurprisingly, thanks to five powerplay goals through Billy Bagron (2), Mike Wirrl (2) and Matt Baxter.

First regulation defeat against Devils so costly for Stingrays

Hull Stingrays 2-4 Cardiff Devils

The Hull Stingrays tonight suffered a costly first regulation defeat this season against the Cardiff Devils by way of a 4-2 loss at the Hull Arena.

Heading into the fixture, Sylvain Cloutier's side could boast an impressive 4-0-1 record against the Welsh side this campaign and they desperately needed to improve that record to 5-0-1 if they wanted to boost their chances of making the Elite League post-season.

However, a double from Ben Davies and further goals from Stuart MacRae gave the Devils a 3-2 lead after Stingrays strikes from Dominic Osman and Jereme Tendler.

Chris Blight completed Cardiff's first regulation victory over the Stingrays this season with an empty net goal with ten seconds remaining.

Davies re-signs for 13/14

The Hull Stingrays have today announced the re-signing of standout British forward Matty Davies for the 2013/2014 Elite League campaign.

The 23 year old diminutive centre has had a breakout season with the Stingrays accumulating seven goals, 36 assists and 43 points in 55 games so far during his fourth year in the Elite League.

That points total puts the Hull native 5th amongst British players in the Elite League in points and has also catapulted him into Great Britain national team contention with coach Tony Hand naming him as a reserve for GB's Olympic Qualification tournament in Latvia.

Having posted totals of 10, 20 and 17 points in each of the last three years - in between which was sandwiched a minor fallout with coach Sylvain Cloutier in 2010 - Davies' rise to prominence has been meteoric this season as he has played a big part in the club's success.

Despite his lack of physical presence at 5'6, Davies has been a regular on the scoresheet thanks to his combination of speed, skill and playmaking abilities - creating a formidable partnership with American forward Dominic Osman.

The retention of British players like Davies, GB netminder Ben Bowns and the rumoured re-signing of Sheffield born forwards Tom Squires and Danny Wood is key for the Stingrays in a league in which British players and British depth is often seen as the key to success.

This re-signing - particularly after such an impressive career year - is therefore something of a coup for the Rays and Cloutier with experienced up-and-coming British players in high demand.

On re-signing Davies admitted that it "wasn't a tough decision" to re-sign for the 2013/2014 season with the club heading in the right direction:

"...As I've always said I wanted to play for Stingrays. It's not just because I'm local and it means something to me, I just like where the club has come from since Sylvain joined it. I think we have progressed every season and a lot of people understand that. It's been hard this season because Bobby McEwan is in his first year as owner, but I think it looks promising for the future. I just want to keep building my own career and keep helping the club to build."

Cloutier has evidently made a lightning quick start to recruitment for next season, ensuring the core of his squad are signed up as early as possible. Of his latest addition, the Rays player-coach said:

"Matty's one of our key core guys and wears the Stingrays' shirt with pride, so he was one of the priorities to get signed up. He has developed well as a player and can put numbers up for us, and we expect him to do that again next season. We've been together here for four years and he's comfortable with me as a coach so it was an easy decision to invite him back again.