Intensity required for Hull to triumph in Cardiff

With the Devils becoming the first side to lose to Elite League strugglers Dundee Stars on Thursday night, there is likely to be some kind of backlash coming Hull's way, although player-coach Cloutier believes his players are tough enough to cope.

With four of their seven British players currently out injured, Cloutier has drafted in forward Dean Tonks from ENL 2 outfit Solihull Barons for the trip to Cardiff, although he will not be available for tomorrow night's rematch between the two sides in the league at Hull Arena.

Tonks, 21, trained with Stingrays at the beginning of the season and played alongside Hull defenceman Jozef Sladok for Romford Raiders last season, scoring nine goals and 20 assists in 53 games.

This season, he has plundered 19 goals and 13 assists in just five games for the Barons.

"Dean trained with us a few times before the season and I said I'd give him a call if we needed help," said Cloutier. "He's keen to try this level and he'll have a point to prove.

"It's a very intense building to play in down in Cardiff and they use the smaller ice surface to their advantage.

"If we can get through the first 10-15 minutes we'll give ourselves a chance to win the game, but we have to go out and make sure we match their intensity."

The points were shared when the two sides produced a 3-3 draw in the competition earlier this month. Hull lost all five encounters in Cardiff last season.