Devils 2, Giants 1 - Final
It was clear that the results from last weekends games, especially the 3-1 defeat over Nottingham on Saturday, has definitely boosted the Devils' confidence. With Mark Smith being the only scratch, on account of recovering from concussion-like symptoms, everything was looking good for the Welsh side as they prepared to take on the league-leading Giants.
As we all know, it is a weekend for remembering and so, the players and fans took a minute out before the game started to applaud for a loyal Giants' fan who had recently passed on. Once the applause had died down, it was down to business. After losing to the Giants twice in as many games played against them, the Devils were gunning for revenge. They came out fighting, with some serious end-to-end action, but were struggling to get the puck on the net. With the shots on goal finally starting to climb, the Devils were playing well but just could not capitalize. Both teams threw some big hits and some even bigger shots, with Devils' Matzka and Dobben going close and the Giants' Dowd challenging Stevie Lyle, but neither team could seal the deal.
It was clearly tense in the Odyssey Arena, with neither side managed to get ahead. At 7:40, Max Birbraer was sent to the box for tripping and the Giants threw their-all into the powerplay, getting some great chances but failing to make more of it. Devils managed a couple of shorthanded breakaways that came to nothing, as well as killing the penalty. But it seemed that the Devils' fire had been ignited. At 9:26, Phil Hill put the puck behind Stephen Murphy, with the only assist going to Scott Matzka. In true Devils' fashion, they followed up with a penalty (S Smith-slashing-11:50). Once again the Devils' PK unit held strong and when Giants' Dowd was called up for holding, the Devils PP unit put in a good performance, though they failed to capitalize on the man advantage. A couple of Devils' penalties followed throughout the remaining minutes of the first, but the score remained the same. End of first, 1-0 Devils.
Despite the Devils leading 1-0, the Giants came out with the advantage - just over a minute of powerplay action. True to their form throughout the first period, the Giants threw their all at the net but both netminder and PK unit were holding steady, with a few shorthanded attempts getting throughout. On the other hand, they piled on the pressure on the PP but unfortunately had as much luck as the Irish. Both teams were starting to get a bit antsy and the hits were coming thick and fast. Due to this, the Welsh side may have been getting sloppy, with Giants getting passed them to take shots and make good plays. Captain Stuart MacRae was sent to the box for slashing and the Giants did not fail to use this advantage. Jeff Mason leveled the score at 25:49. But the Devils were determined; at 26:40, Kenton Smith put Devils ahead once more, on a delayed penalty.
The rest of the second period followed with penalties. At one point, it looked like Belfast were going to equalize, but Frank the Tank managed to get in the way, getting called up for interference in the process. Second finishes 2-1 Devils.
With the third came a new kind of desperation for the Giants, who were trying everything to get that equalizing goal. Unfortunately for them, Lyle and the defense held strong. Down the other end, Cardiff were also failing to widen the deficit. With no penalties and no goals in the final twenty minutes, the game finished 2-1 Devils.
Making sure to follow along with the Devils as they take on the Clan at the earlier time of 6:30pm, in the BBT; Let's Go Devils!
