Hull Stingrays
Encyclopedia
Hull Stingrays are a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...

 club from Kingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull , usually referred to as Hull, is a city and unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary, 25 miles inland from the North Sea. Hull has a resident population of...

. They were formed in 2003 and play their home games at Hull Arena.

The Stingrays replaced previous clubs Hull Thunder
Hull Thunder
The Hull Thunder were a British ice hockey club from Kingston upon Hull, England. Formed in 1999, they competed in the now defunct British National League playing their home games at Humberside Ice Arena ....

 1999–2002, Kingston Hawks 1996–1998, Humberside Hawks 1993–1995, and Humberside Seahawks
Humberside Seahawks
Humberside Seahawks later known as Humberside Hawks and then Kingston Hawks, were an English ice hockey club from Kingston upon Hull. Founded during 1988 the club played their home games at Hull Arena. The club went through several name changes due to council influence...

 1988–1992. On 10 August 2010, owners Mike & Sue Pack announced that the club was ceasing operations due to a lack of funds to complete the 2010–11 season, but a takeover by Elite League rivals Coventry Blaze
Coventry Blaze
Coventry Blaze are an ice hockey team based in Coventry, England. They currently compete in the British Elite Ice Hockey League .-Club history:...

 was confirmed on 17 August 2010, enabling the team to take its place in the Elite League for the 2010–11 season.

Rebirth

The Stingrays were formed in 2003 replacing the Hull Thunder as members of the British National League
British National League
The British National League is a defunct second-level professional ice hockey league in the United Kingdom. Although no formal promotion and relegation existed during its period of existence, it was considered to have a standard below that of the Ice Hockey Superleague and above that of the...

. The new owners, Mike and Sue Pack along with Rick Strachan, who served as head coach through the end of the 2008–09 season, came with a promise of financial stability.

The initial challenge for the club was to re-establish the belief that the Hull Arena could host a team playing professional hockey at all, following a previous history of failed attempts, some valiant and some best forgotten.

Unfortunately the damage to the sport's credibility in the city was a burden that was not easily shaken off and some of the fans stayed away waiting for what they thought was the inevitable to happen. But the ownership were true to their word and a season was completed without any of the previous crises that had become common place. Stability was established and although success on the ice proved more elusive, as Rick Strachan said at the time "The bus is moving in the right direction."
The team had very much an Eastern European feel to it and was captained by local idol, Stephen Johnson, tempted back from a threatened retirement for one last season. Alongside him the Ukrainian contingent included a guy who made a huge impact for his never say die attitude and innovative use of the six words of English that he had mastered, fans favourite Evgeny Alipov - 'Big Al'.

So the foundation was in place and with the first objective of stability secured and confidence building, the club entered the next season in the BNL keen to apply the lessons learnt and to start to climb the ratings. Although still very much having to keep a close eye on the purse strings, the squad had a much stronger feel to it when the first puck dropped on the 2004–05 campaign.

Coach Strachan brought in Scott Wray, Jeff Glowa, Craig Minard and Ladislav Kudrna
Ladislav Kudrna
Ladislav Kudrna is a professional ice hockey player. He played for the Hull Stingrays in the 07/08 season, and has recently signed a contract with the Swindon Wildcats of the EPL for the 08/09 campaign. He ended the 06/07 season by playing in two playoff games for Newcastle Vipers against the...

 in nets to join Alipov, Nikolaev, Burgess, Gomenyuk as his eight import contingent and with a strong British content including Slava Koulikov, and the Phillips brothers, hopes were high.

A 'top four finish' was predicted by the coach but this turned out not to be ambitious enough. Stingrays were overtaken for second place in the last fortnight by Guildford and Newcastle, the team made the Winter Cup semi-finals and gained a play-off place.

Amazingly it could have been even better had star defenceman Minard decided not to quit the club in November leaving a young British defence to be marshalled by Gomenyuk. Another blow followed when free-scoring Scott Wray had to return home for personal reasons. Not surprisingly the replacements proved not to be as effective and the team's form suffered.

That season was memorable for the 'crossover' competition that pitched the British National League teams against their bigger spending, import heavy neighbours in the Elite League. Widely expected to provide one sided games, the reality was a little different and most of the games provided sporting contests worthy of the name.

Although the Stingrays had to endure a couple of bad losses during this competition they also achieved memorable victories over Coventry, London and Sheffield at home, and also took the points off Cardiff on the road. Goalie Kudrna was often the hero and his performances gained him a place, with Gomenyuk on the BNL All-star team.

The crossover competition was planned to be a potential pre-cursor to a closer relationship between the two leagues but, in fact, the reality was far from that - 2004–05 season proved to be the last for the British National League.

The Newcastle Vipers and the Edinburgh Capitals decided that their futures would be more secure in the Elite League leaving the remaining five clubs having to consider their own futures. The English clubs made the decision they had to drop to the four import English Premier League whilst the two remaining Scottish clubs, Dundee and Fife were left with no alternative than to build their business in the SNL.

The Stingrays embarked on what was the only viable option and a team was put together which we thought could be effective in that league. But with the work permit regulations ruling out re-engaging any of the Ukrainian core of the previous team, the recruitment was going to be key. The season proved to be a tough one and although the club gained a cup-final spot after a memorable 16 shot penalty shoot out victory over the Guildford Flames the club failed to pick up the silverware after being edged out by Bracknell.

A young British contingent struggled against some of the more experienced and mature squads and the mid-table slot felt an under achievement following the previous years progress.

The EIHL

The Packs were unhappy playing their team in the Premier League. Travelling costs were significant for the predominantly south east based league and spectator numbers fell. After the end of the 2005–06 season, the Stingrays sought admission into the Elite Ice Hockey League
Elite Ice Hockey League
Several competitions fall under the jurisdiction of the Elite League. In 2006–07, the EIHL ran a total of four competitions: the league, playoffs, Challenge Cup and Knockout Cup. The league consists of a single division, each team playing three home games and three away games against the other...

. Their application was finally approved after weeks of speculation on 22 June 2006. Hull now have a representative in the top-flight division of British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 Ice Hockey for the first time since the Humberside Hawks played in the Premier Division of the British Hockey League
British Hockey League
The British Hockey League was the top-flight ice hockey league in the United Kingdom from 1982 until 1996, when it was replaced by the Ice Hockey Superleague and the British National League...

 in the 1995–96 season.
In the first four years of its life, the club was in the unique position of competing in all three of the country's senior leagues and it is a major achievement that Hull hockey has moved on and can now provide the supporter with a view of the best Ice Hockey teams and the best players in the land.

The Stingrays had a tough start to their life in the EIHL as they fought to the death for a playoff place, eventually finishing 9th as their decision to opt with a mix of their old Eastern European style with several Canadians ultimately did not pay off.

In 2007 Lifetime Sports Ltd, the Hull Stingrays parent company, established itself as a Community Interest Company. This means that it is a non-profit making organisation dedicated to providing services and facilities to the community in which it operates, that being, Hull, Humberside and the East Riding.

For the 2007–08 season Rick Strachan once again decided to change his signing policy, this time ditching the Eastern European, and predominantly Ukrainian approach, by signing North Americans such as Bryce Thoma, Paul Cabana, Rob Rankin
Rob Rankin
Rob Rankin is an American former professional ice hockey player who during his career played in the American Hockey League, the ECHL, and the British Elite Ice Hockey League....

, Brad Patterson, Jake Riddle and Garry Luini. Once again the Stingrays failed to make a consistent impact on the league as they finished in 10th, and last place, 5 points behind 9th placed Basingstoke Bison
Basingstoke Bison
The Basingstoke Bison are an English Ice Hockey club from Basingstoke. They currently compete in the English Premier Ice Hockey League and have previously been members of the Ice Hockey Superleague and its successor the Elite Ice Hockey League- History :...

.

The Stingrays once again finished outside the playoffs in 2008–09, missing out on the post season by seven points, for the third year in a row. At the end of the season, Stingrays coach, Rick Strachan, was asked to step down. Stingrays co-owners Sue and Mike Pack cited financial reasons for the departure of Strachan, who was eventually replaced by Sylvain Cloutier
Sylvain Cloutier
Sylvain Richard Cloutier is the player coach of the Hull Stingrays of the Elite Ice Hockey League...

 on 9 April 2009. Rick Strachan remains a director of the club. Cloutier is backed up by former team-mate Curtis Huppe
Curtis Huppe
Curtis Huppe is a Canadian ice hockey forward currently playing for the Guildford Flames in the English Premier Ice Hockey League.- Career :...

 as Assistant Coach, and both will continue playing.

The Stingrays finished 8th in the 2009–10 Elite League season, gaining 43 points from 56 games, finishing only 3 points behind the 7th place Newcastle Vipers
Newcastle Vipers
The Newcastle Vipers were an ice hockey club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. Former members of the Elite Ice Hockey League, the club previously held membership in the British National League.- History :...

. This is the highest tally for points the team has gained since becoming the Stingrays in 2003, beating the previous record of 39. The team also achieved in excess of .500 hockey in the period from Christmas to the end of the season, the first time it had done so over a sustained period.

Shortly before the 2010–11 EIHL season was about to begin, club owners Mike and Sue Pack announced the team was to no longer operate due to financial issues. However on 17 August 2010, only six days after the closure of the club was confirmed, a takeover by Elite League rivals Coventry Blaze
Coventry Blaze
Coventry Blaze are an ice hockey team based in Coventry, England. They currently compete in the British Elite Ice Hockey League .-Club history:...

 was confirmed, enabling the team to take its place in the Elite League for the 2010–11 season.

Despite their financial difficulties and a late start to the 2010-11 season (which resulted in the team having to play an unenviable 10 games in 20 days towards the end of the season) Stingrays managed a respectable 7th place finish in the Elite League. They beat every team in the league except for the Cardiff Devils
Cardiff Devils
The Cardiff Devils are a Welsh ice hockey team who play in the British Elite Ice Hockey League. The team currently plays in the temporary Cardiff Arena...

 at least once, including a spectacular 6-1 victory over the Nottingham Panthers
Nottingham Panthers
The Nottingham Panthers are a British professional ice hockey club based in Nottingham, England. They are members of the Elite Ice Hockey League...

 in the final game of the regular season. In the playoff quarter-finals Stingrays were defeated by the Devils 8-4 on aggregate.

The 2011-12 pre-season has seen the Stingrays get off to a promising start, beginning with a home victory and an away draw against owners Coventry Blaze
Coventry Blaze
Coventry Blaze are an ice hockey team based in Coventry, England. They currently compete in the British Elite Ice Hockey League .-Club history:...

, a draw with English Premier League side Sheffield Steeldogs
Sheffield Steeldogs
The Sheffield Steeldogs are a semi professional ice hockey team, based out of the iceSheffield complex in Sheffield, England.The club came into existence during the summer of 2010 as a replacement for the previous tennants of the iceSheffield rink, the Sheffield Scimitars, after the Scimitars were...

 and impressive victories over Dutch sides Geleen Eaters
Geleen Eaters
Ruijters Eaters Geleen is the professional ice hockey team of Geleen, The Netherlands. It plays in the North Sea Cup , the highest-level hockey division in the Netherlands and Belgium...

 and Tilburg Trappers in the P&O Ferries Cup which saw them crowned champions.

Club Roster 2011–12

Goaltenders
Number |Player Catches Acquired Place of Birth
30 Andy Brummitt R 2011 Harlow
Harlow
Harlow is a new town and local government district in Essex, England. It is located in the west of the county and on the border with Hertfordshire, on the Stort Valley, The town is near the M11 motorway and forms part of the London commuter belt.The district has a current population of 78,889...

, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

53   Christian Boucher R 2010 Orleans, Ontario
Orléans, Ontario
Orleans , also written Orléans, is a suburban area within the city of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It is located in the eastern part of the city along the Ottawa River, about from downtown Ottawa. The Canada 2006 Census gave Orleans a population of 95,491. It became a ward of the City of Ottawa in 2001...

, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

Defencemen
Number |Player Shoots Acquired Place of Birth
6   Martin Ondrej R 2011 Presov
Prešov
Prešov Historically, the city has been known in German as Eperies , Eperjes in Hungarian, Fragopolis in Latin, Preszów in Polish, Peryeshis in Romany, Пряшев in Russian and Пряшів in Rusyn and Ukrainian.-Characteristics:The city is a showcase of Baroque, Rococo and Gothic...

, Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...

7   Dmitri Suur R 2011 Talinn, Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...

13 Daniel Scott L 2011 England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

19 Sam McCluskey L 2011 Dundee
Dundee
Dundee is the fourth-largest city in Scotland and the 39th most populous settlement in the United Kingdom. It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firth of Tay, which feeds into the North Sea...

, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

24   Josh Mizerek R 2011 Duluth, Minnesota
Duluth, Minnesota
Duluth is a port city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is the county seat of Saint Louis County. The fourth largest city in Minnesota, Duluth had a total population of 86,265 in the 2010 census. Duluth is also the second largest city that is located on Lake Superior after Thunder Bay, Ontario,...

, USA
Forwards
Number |Player Shoots Position Acquired Place of Birth
8 Matty Davies R RW 2011 Beverley
Beverley
Beverley is a market town, civil parish and the county town of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England, located between the River Hull and the Westwood. The town is noted for Beverley Minster and architecturally-significant religious buildings along New Walk and other areas, as well as the Beverley...

, East Riding of Yorkshire
East Riding of Yorkshire
The East Riding of Yorkshire, or simply East Yorkshire, is a local government district with unitary authority status, and a ceremonial county of England. For ceremonial purposes the county also includes the city of Kingston upon Hull, which is a separate unitary authority...

, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

9   Dominic Osman L RW 2011 Dearborn, Missouri
Dearborn, Missouri
Dearborn is a city in Buchanan and Platte counties in the U.S. state of Missouri. The population was 529 at the 2000 census.The Platte County portion of Dearborn is part of the Kansas City, MO–KS Metropolitan Statistical Area, while the Buchanan County portion is part of the St...

, USA
16 Ryan Lake L C 2010 Hull
Kingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull , usually referred to as Hull, is a city and unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary, 25 miles inland from the North Sea. Hull has a resident population of...

, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

21   Jason Silverthorn R RW 2009 Owen Sound, Ontario
Owen Sound, Ontario
Owen Sound , the county seat of Grey County, is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada...

, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

26 Tristan Cameron-Harper L C 2011 Dundee
Dundee
Dundee is the fourth-largest city in Scotland and the 39th most populous settlement in the United Kingdom. It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firth of Tay, which feeds into the North Sea...

, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

27   Jereme Tendler L C 2010 Viceroy, Saskatchewan
Viceroy, Saskatchewan
Viceroy is a hamlet in Saskatchewan.Viceroy is located just north of Willow bunch lake adjacent to the famous Big Muddy Valley. Once a bustling community with 2 schools, 2 restaurants, bowling alley, theatre and many other businesses. After 2 fires in the past century it has shrunk to a much...

, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

37   Derek Campbell
Derek Campbell
Derek Campbell is a Canadian professional ice hockey player, currently playing for the Hull Stingrays in the EIHL.- Career :...

R LW 2011 Nepean, Ontario
Nepean, Ontario
- Recent quantity of snow :- History :Nepean Township, originally known as Township D, was established in 1792 and originally included what is now the central area of Ottawa west of the Rideau River. Jehiel Collins, from Vermont, is believed to have been the first person to settle in Nepean...

, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

55   Frantisek Bakrlik L RW 2011 Litvinov
Litvinov
Litvinov or Litvinova a Russian last name derived from the word litvin. It is shared by the following people:* Alexander Litvinov‎ , Russian general in the Imperial Russian Army and the Red Army...

, Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....

83   Sylvain Cloutier
Sylvain Cloutier
Sylvain Richard Cloutier is the player coach of the Hull Stingrays of the Elite Ice Hockey League...

L C 2009 Mont-Laurier, Quebec
Mont-Laurier, Quebec
Mont-Laurier is a town and incorporated municipality in northwest Quebec, Canada, located on the banks of the Rivière du Lièvre, a tributary of the Ottawa River. Known as the “Capital of the Haute-Laurentides”, the motto of the town is Laurus elationis praemium, which translates to “Lift the...

, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

90 Bobby Chamberlain L LW 2011 Hull
Kingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull , usually referred to as Hull, is a city and unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary, 25 miles inland from the North Sea. Hull has a resident population of...

, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

93 Jack Watkins L C 2011 Durham
Durham
Durham is a city in north east England. It is within the County Durham local government district, and is the county town of the larger ceremonial county...

, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...


Honours

Includes honours achieved under previous names.
  • English League
    English League (ice hockey)
    The English League was an early ice hockey league in England. It was founded in 1931 and operated until 1936 when it disbanded, being replaced by the English National League.A new league of the same name was founded during 1988 and continued on until 1997....

    • Champions (1): 1988–89

  • British Division One
    • Champions (1): 1991

  • British Championship
    British Championship
    The British Championship is the most prestigious ice hockey cup competition in the United Kingdom, and also the longest established ice hockey competition. It has been run under various formats and titles since 1930 and contested annually since 1966...

    • Runners-up (1): 1993

  • English Premier Cup
    • Runners-up (1): 2005–06

  • Autumn Cup
    • Runners-up (1): 1991

  • P&O Ferries Cup
    • Champions: 2011

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK