Help required to lift Stingrays

With five regular season matches remaining, the Elite League's bottom club currently trail Vipers by seven points ahead of Wednesday night's clash between the two at Hull Arena (7.30). Another meeting between the two sides in East Yorkshire is scheduled for Sunday.

"We want to try and catch Newcastle, but we know we need help from some of the other teams," said Cloutier, who wants his players to take at least a point from each of their remaining games in order to achieve a best-ever tally of 40 points for a top-flight season.

The highest tally by Stingrays came in their first year in the top flight of British ice hockey when they posted 39 points which has been followed by hauls of 33 and 37.

After the Vipers clash, Stingrays visit Sheffield Steelers on Saturday before another home duel with Newcastle is followed by final regular season weekend match-ups with Cardiff Devils and Steelers.

"We just want to get as many points as we can and our goal is to eclipse the points total from last season and get past 39 which is the top points total they have had in Hull," added Cloutier.

"We are only four points from equalling the best total they have had in their history. Our goal is to get past that and we have five games left to achieve it."