Narrow defeats hard to take for Stingrays

HULL STINGRAYS returned home from Scotland disappointed with just one point to show for their weekend’s efforts after one-goal defeats to Cardiff Devils and Edinburgh Capitals.
By The Newsroom
Published 26th Jan 2015, 00:23 BST
Two goals from Carl Lauzon couldn't prevent a 4-3 defeat for Hull Stingrays in Edinburgh on Sunday. Picture: Arthur Foster.Two goals from Carl Lauzon couldn't prevent a 4-3 defeat for Hull Stingrays in Edinburgh on Sunday. Picture: Arthur Foster.
Two goals from Carl Lauzon couldn't prevent a 4-3 defeat for Hull Stingrays in Edinburgh on Sunday. Picture: Arthur Foster.

An overtime winner from Devils’ Brent Walton earned the extra point in a 3-2 win at Hull on Saturday, with Edinburgh winning 4-3 at Murrayfield on Sunday night.

Kyle Flemington and Riley Emmerson gave Capitals a two-goal first period lead before Will Frederick pulled one back at 25.33 with his sixth of the season, captain Matty Davies, who missed the third period through injury, picking up an assist to register his 200th point in all EIHL competitions.

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Carl Lauzon then levelled for Hull in the 68th minute before the Capitals restored their one-goal advantage just over two minutes later through Emmerson’s powerplay strike.

Again Lauzon hauled his team level at 53.07 but, once again, the hosts found a swift response, sealing both points through Greg Collins within a minute.

“For the first 20 minutes we were still on the bus, we just did not show up and that is frustrating,” said Hull player-coach Omar Pacha.

“We did OK in the second and third periods but OK doesn’t get you wins on the road.

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“It is especially frustrating after the good performance against Cardiff.”

On Saturday, Pacha’s team could justifiably have felt satisfied at taking a point against a Cardiff side making a serious push for the overall Elite League title with oinly two defeats in 14 games.

The fact they were winning 2-1 after the first period will have made the result even harder to stomach for the hosts, although Walton put Cardiff ahead at 3.05 before Jordan Knox levelled five minutes later with his third goal for Stingrays since arriving in early December.

Just under two minutes later, Sam Towner doubled his goal tally for the season to put his side ahead.

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That is how it stayed until 34.28 when Jesse Mychan levelled for the title hopefuls.

A goalless third period brought overtime and it was the visitors who sealed the extra point when Walton struck at 62.19.

“We are disappointed we did not get the extra point but it was a point against a good Cardiff team,” added Pacha.

RESULTS

Sunday, Elite League: Cardiff Devils 0 Sheffield Steelers 6, Coventry Blaze 2 Dundee Stars 1, Edinburgh Capitals 4 Hull Stingrays 3, Fife Flyers 5 Belfast Giants 4 (SO), Nottingham Panthers 6 Braehead Clan 3.

Saturday, Elite League: Belfast Giants 5 Fife Flyers 2, Braehead Clan 7 Edinburgh Capitals 3, Hull Stingrays 2 Cardiff Devils 3 (OT), Sheffield Steelers 2 Coventry Blaze 1.

Related topics:CardiffScotland