Stingrays' imports are quick to adapt

The East Yorkshire club picked up their first home win last Sunday with a 4-2 triumph over Newcastle Vipers.

Two of the goals came from the stick of Jereme Tendler, adding to two the previous night in the 5-3 home defeat by leaders Belfast Giants.

Tendler was on target again in Belfast on Tuesday when Hull picked up a crucial point in a 5-4 overtime defeat to the Giants.

It took the 27-year-old Canadian's tally for the season to seven, along with five assists, while fellow import centre Matti Uusivirta, from Finland, has also shown promise – scoring five goals and three assists – much to the delight of Cloutier.

"I knew Tendler could score goals, it was all about how long it would take for him to adjust to the bigger ice surface," said Cloutier, who has one goal and five assists. "It does take time for players to adjust to new surroundings and time for them to connect with each other.

"I knew Uusi would be good defensively but it was whether he could find his touch from his junior days when he was an offensive power guy and now you can see it is starting to come together slowly."

Hull begin their weekend with a trip to South Wales to take on Cardiff Devils in Group B of the Challenge Cup where they will hope to record their first win in the competition after drawing 3-3 with Cardiff in Hull and losing out 6-3 at Sheffield Steelers.

On Sunday, Cloutier's team welcome Cardiff to Hull Arena for a regular league fixture (face-off 6pm).