Stingrays stave off threat from Devils in Cup thriller

Jereme Tendler proved to be the home side’s hero, scoring an eight-minute hat-trick either side of the second period break to lead his team to a 7-5 triumph.

Ryan Hand had opened the scoring for Hull after only 47 seconds before the visitors hit back through Chris Blight and Max Faulkner to enjoy a 2-1 interval lead.

Cale Tanaka then levelled in the 28th-minute, only for Faulkner to restore the visitors’ lead less than a minute later. Then Tendler – so often the scoring outlet for Hull in recent years, found his range and his treble, the first of which came on the powerplay at 33.39, and a 49th-minute short-handed effort from Jason Silverthorn made it 6-3 and a seemingly comfortable night for the home side.

But Faulkner - who plundered three goals against Sheffield Steelers on Sunday night - grabbed himself another hat-trick at 50.43 before Max Birbraer made it a one-goal game again just 13 seconds later.

Outshot 44-33 on the night, Hull found themselves under severe pressure– prompting them to call a timeout – before defenceman Tomas Valecko ensured both points with a last-minute empty-net strike.

While clearly delighted to have seen off one of the league’s top teams in Gerad Adams’s Devils – who beat Sheffield Steelers on the road on the opening night – Stingrays’ player-coach Sylvain Cloutier noted some areas of concern with his side’s performance.

“I was happy with the win, but disappointed with the way we let them back into the game,” said Cloutier.

“We sat back and took a couple of lazy penalties. I called a time-out and told the guys we had to get back to work.

“Other than that I was really pleased with how we played as Cardiff are going to be one of the top teams in the league this season.”

Hull finally get their league campaign underway this weekend when they travel to Scotland to take on Gardiner Conference rivals Dundee Stars (6.30pm).

Their first home game in the league takes place the following Saturday when they welcome Edinburgh Capitals to Hull Arena.