Stingrays Make Playoffs After Win v Steelers: (EIHL) Game Recap

Sunday 23rd March 2013 - Hull Stingrays (23-24-4) v Sheffield Steelers (31-16-4) @ Hull Arena. Face off: 6pm

Steelers face Hull on the final regular game of the season and Hull have to win to have a chance of qualifying for the playoffs! and after Sheffield's last visit to Hull they wont be looking to give up points easy.

Due to the poor visibility at Hull it's just a game recap today well to be honest because I was in fancy dress I was too busy singing and dancing :)



Hulls biggest game of the season got underway and there was several early penalties called for either team before eventually on 14:08 Matthew Davies scored into an open goal assisted by Tendler and Silverthorn it was a goal that probably shouldn't have stood after an interference call on Jason Hewitt was ignored but the lead didn't last long when on 16:49 when Danny Meyers played in Jason Hewitt all along to the right of Ben Bowns to score low past Bowns and level the score at 1-1. The biggest talking point of the period was after Spencer was deemed to have hit from behind which I believe he did but Hull are saying it was a check to the head but it forced Jeff Smith to come of the bench and fight with Spencer at 17:40 in which after the fight Tim Spencer received a 2+10 for checking from behind and a 5 for fighting and Jeff Smith receives a 2+10 for Instigating as well as five minutes for fighting. There was more than one occasion during the period with coming together of players and Mike Hicks just seemed to have lost the plot tonight and had lost control but both teams would go into the first break level at 1-1.
End of the 1st Period: Hull Stingrays 1-1 Sheffield Steelers
Shots on Goal: Stingrays 8-12 Steelers

The second period even started in madness with Sheffield having five players in the penalty box after further penalties to Baldwin and Hill as well as Omar Pacha after a coming together at the end of the 1st that would soon become 6 players for the Steelers after Dustin Kohn for cross checking and just a minute after the power play was killed Hull went ahead on 24:41 after a great pass from Jason Silverthorn played in Guillaume Doucet who fantastically chipped the puck over the committed Frank Doyle to send the Hull faithful crazy. On 29:39 Mike Hicks called a ridiculous decision when he rewarded Hull with a penalty shot in which the Hull player was never in control of the puck and Dustin Kohn was called for interference but yet he had a further Steelers defender in support, Tendler took the penalty shot with a slow skate up and forced Doyle to make the first move to make his job easier to put Hull 3-1 up at the midway point of the game. But just 37 seconds left with Sheffield on the power play Chad Langlais would score from the blue line low down on Bowns assisted by Kohn to bring Sheffield within one goal. With time running out on the period Hull would extend their lead back to two on 58:08 when Doucet scored assisted by Lauzon and Cloutier despite and injury to Mark Thomas on the play that involved Thomas taking a skate to his neck/face, Doyle was left to clean up the blood himself after Hicks was allowing Hull to go around being goons. Hull though would take a 4-2 lead into the interval.
End of the 2nd Period: Hull Stingrays 4-2 Sheffield Steelers
Shots on Goal: Stingrays 15-10 Steelers

The third period was largely dominated by Sheffield as Ben Bowns repeated his performance from two weeks ago as he kept Sheffield out heroically, Sheffield were unfortunate not to make it 4-3 after referee Mike Hicks disallowed a perfectly good goal after Steelers shot and puck over the line hits the back bar and comes back out under Bowns and everyone in the arena except Hicks agreed it had gone in so sarcastically I suppose it was a great save by Bowns, There was however no penalties called just a lot of Sheffield shots but couldn't beat Bowns. Hull held on to win 4-2 to secure a playoff quarter final place.
Shots on Goal: Stingrays 5-22 Steelers

FINAL SCORE: Hull Stingrays 4-2 Sheffield Steelers

Boxscore (1st-2nd-3rd-OT-[PIM]-{PP}-S)
Hull         - 1-3-0-0-[31]-{0/5}-28
Sheffield - 1-1-0-0-[33]-{1/4}-44

Hull Man of the Match: #33 Ben Bowns
Sheffield Man of the Match: #1 Frank Doyle

Referee: #27 Mike Hicks
Referee:
Linesman: #28 Jonny Liptrott
Linesman: #22 Paul Staniforth

So the league season comes to end and the playoff quarter finals are settled and its Edinburgh who miss out after finishing dead last and the Cardiff Devils also miss out on a chance of being in the final four for an 11th straight year after they lost to Coventry in overtime and Hull obviously beat Sheffield and Fife went on to beat Braehead for a second night in a row and it was also confirmed that Sheffield would play Coventry in the quarter final for a second year in a row and after last year revenge is on the cards.

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Tom
@TomWalkeden
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