Mayer hat-trick powers Stingrays to league double over Edinburgh

A five-goal, third-period blitz saw Omar Pacha’s team return home from Edinburgh Capitals with a 6-3 win, adding to the 3-2 triumph they enjoyed over the same opponents on home ice just 24 hours earlier.

After going behind at Murrayfield Arena to a strike from Rene Jarolin, Jordan Mayer levelled.

Two goals in just over a minute from Cory Tanaka and Mayer gave Hull a two-goal cushion and although Edinburgh twice pulled back to within one through strikes from Jade Portwood and Greg Collins, further goals from Carl Lauzon and Will Frederick – followed by Mayer’s hat-trick marker at 56.15 – ensured the visitors will head into tomorrow’s clash at Cardiff Devils in buoyant mood.

On Saturday, although Capitals player-coach Richard Hartmann’s late strike ensured a nervous final few seconds for Hull, Pacha’s team fully deserved their win.

Ahead through Zach Hervato in the 11th-minute – cancelled out by Kyle Flemington at 21.43 – further goals from Jordan Knox and captain Matty Davies proved enough for both points.

Sheffield Steelers may have only picked up one point from their Christmas double header with arch-rivals Nottingham Panthers, but they still emerged from the weekend as overall leaders, albeit their advantage over second-placed Braehead Clan is down to just a point.

Steelers’ head coach Gerad Adams was far from happy, however, labelling some of the refereeing decisions at the National Ice Centre on Saturday night as a “joke”.

Those included a hooking call in the closing seconds of regulation on Mike Forney which resulted in a powerplay for Nottingham in which they scored the game-winning goal just 38 seconds into overtime.

Colton Fretter and Robert Dowd put Steelers 2-0 up before Chris Lawrence and Charles Landry levelled.