Stingrays respond to threat with Dundee win

SYLVAIN Cloutier put his entire Hull Stingrays’ squad on two weeks’ notice then got the response he was hoping for when they landed an overdue first-ever win on the road at Dundee Stars.

Player-coach Cloutier had gone into the weekend reminding his players that they were playing for their jobs, something which became even more apparent after Saturday night’s 3-2 loss at home to the Edinburgh Capitals.

And while the Capitals are certainly a more competitive team than last year when they barely managed to scrape through the season due to crippling fiancial problems, a home game against them is still one Hull would expect to win, especially if they want to be considered a top-six contender.

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Cloutier has stuck by his mis-firing roster since the start of September, witnessing only the one win in a shoot-out against Elite League newcomers Fife Flyers.

But, despite the misery of Saturday night in front of their own fans, the Stingrays players clearly heeded Cloutier’s frustrations to end their long wait for success at the Dundee Ice Arena.

Despite going behind to a third-minute Dan McGoff strike, they pulled themselves level before the end of the first, Cloutier picking the perfect time for his first goal of the season in the 19th minute.

It wasn’t until near the end of the next period that the deadlock was broken, Jason Silverthorn scoring a short-handed strike which saw Hull leapfrog Dundee to move out of the bottom two.

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Sheffield Steelers kept their Challenge Cup hopes alive, despite a second successive loss to arch-rivals Nottingham Panthers on Saturday night.

Ryan Finnerty’s team headed to the National Ice Centre looking to exact some swift revenge for a 4-2 defeat on home ice against the Panthers the previous Sunday.

But they were shutout on a night which saw Nottingham secure bragging rights again thanks to goals from Brandon Benedict, Marc Levers and Matthew Myers for a 3-0 victory that saw them qualify for the semi-final stages.

But the Steelers made sure they remain in a three-horse race for the second qualification spot with a 5-3 win over Cardiff Devils at Ice Sheffield last night.

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Jeff Legue and Colt King led the way with two goals apiece, with Lee Esders the other marksman.

Coventry Blaze – the other team in with a shout of Challenge Cup, Group B qualification – opened up the league title race over the weekend when they followed up a stunning 3-0 win at Belfast Giants with a 4-3 win at home to Nottingham last night.