Cloutier 'honoured' to mark 1,000th game with winning Stingrays

Stingrays were humbled 9-1 by title contenders Nottingham Panthers at the National Ice Centre on Saturday, leaving Cloutier fuming.

But Hull were able to help Cloutier celebrate his 1,000th game as a professional in style by snapping a three-game losing streak on home ice.

Konstantin Kalmikov and Jason Silverthorn on the powerplay twice put Stingrays ahead only for Nathan Salem and Brent Hughes to level before Jerramie Domish edged Vipers in front on the powerplay.

Pavel Gomenyuk restored parity befoire Silverthorn again took advantage of the powerplay to score what proved to be the game-winning goal, with Kalmikov adding an empty-net strike with four seconds remaining.

Cloutier said: "To play my 1,000th game and to do it with that group of guys was an honour and a pleasure, they are a great bunch and I couldn't ask for a better group to play with.

"The win was the most important thing. The guys did a great job and responded well after the performance in Nottingham."

Cloutier admitted he was "embarrassed" after seeing his side walloped the previous evening.

"It was embarrassing for the fans, embarrassing for Mike and Sue (Pack - club owners), it was embarrassing for me as a coach," said Cloutier. "It was just embarrassing all round."

Sheffield Steelers - still only one place above bottom club Stingrays - also enjoyed a better second half of the weekend, bouncing back from a 3-1 defeat at home to Belfast Giants with a 4-3 win over the same opponents on Sunday.

Jonathan Zion, Kevin Bolibruck, Jeff Legue and Doug Sheppard fired the goals for Steelers.

After a goalless first period on Saturday, Joe Talbot fired Steelers ahead at 28.41 before the prolific Colin Shields levelled at 33.11.

At 50.26 and Pat Bateman scored the go-ahead goal for the visitors and as Steelers pressed for an equaliser, Pierre-Luc Faubert made sure of the points with an empty net marker with four seconds remaining.

Coach Dave Matsos - given a vote of confidence by owner Bob Phillips on Friday - said he was pleased with his team's response after he admitted feeling "let down" a few days earlier in the 4-2 Challenge Cup semi-final first leg defeat to Nottingham Panthers.

"We played a lot better this weekend" said Matsos.

"I think everyone who came to the games could see that. We played with some emotion and energy, we all bought into what we were trying to do and we picked up two points - to be honest we should have had all four."