Devils 3, Clan 4 - OT Final
Coming off a brilliant away win over the league-leading Belfast Giants, the Cardiff Devils landed back in Wales just in time to take on the Braehead Clan. Last time these two teams played each other was on a double-header weekend, seeing Cardiff in Braehead on the Saturday -where they suffered a disappointing 3-1 loss- and Braehead visit the Welsh Capital on the Sunday, where Cardiff got revenge in full with an incredible 5-2 win. Will the tables turn and the Clan dominate in the BBT?
Just like every sporting event yesterday, the BBT served a minutes silence before getting down to business. It was slow to start with the Devils, getting an early penalty for too many men (served by Jeff Pierce at 2:35) but they held their heads up and killed off the unfortunate penalty. It took a little bit of time but the Devils managed some nice end to end action, with both goaltenders making good saves and with certain players, cough Frank cough, throwing some hard hits. The momentum started to pick up and Clan goaltender Jaakko Suomalainen was forced to make some super saves, with captain Stuart MacRae missing an open net in the middle. The final minutes of the first period saw a couple of Devils' penalties, with the Clan spending all of the powerplay in the Devils' zone, testing Stevie Lyle and his defense. Luckily our Welsh wall held strong and the period ended 0-0.
Unfortunately, due to a power problem, the second period had a delayed start. Everyone was definitely powered up for the action to start though, keeping themselves amused with renditions of the Mexican Wave to keep the spirits up. Once the lights were back on, the Devils went straight back to business, with Hill getting a penalty for interference. Despite immense pressure from the Clan's PP unit, the Devils kill off the penalty and return the favor tenfold when the Clan's Kevin Phillips was sent to the box. Although the penalty had finished, the Devils continued with their pressure and managed to find a hole, with Jeff Pierce volleying the puck passed Suomalainen to put the Devils on the scoreboard.
With the score leaning in the Devils' favor, they seemed to get their confidence back; or, at their least their physicality. Within 60 seconds, Hill was back in the box and Frank was thrown out for a dangerous check from behind, receiving a match penalty in the process. With almost two minutes of 5-on-3 powerplay, it was clear that the Clan were definitely at the advantage and they used it well.... at 34:16 the Clan equalize with a powerplay goal, coming from Mike Bayrack. However, the Devils were not to be beaten. In the following minute, the Devils went back ahead with a shorthanded goal from Max Birbraer. The Devils looked to have their magic back, when captain Stuart MacRae also tipped the puck over the line; unfortunately, Ref Carson called offside and the goal was disallowed. Braehead used this to their advantage and came back to score one of their own, making it 2-2, Mike Bayrack getting his second of the night.
The events of the second period seemed to have taken an effect on Cardiff, as, just 1:58 into the third period, Mike Bayrack claimed the puck and scored his third goal of the night, earning himself a hat-trick. For the following ten minutes, neither team were taking clear shots, until, at 54:32, Ben Davies got hold of the puck and leveled the score. With just under seven minutes to play, the score was tided at 3-3, with both teams desperate to get that winning goal. Despite all their efforts, the game went to overtime. The five minutes of the OT period were close, with both teams coming extremely close several times but in the final minute of OT, the Clan clinched the game, earning themselves a four-point weekend, after an incredible 10-1 win of fellow Celts, the Fife Flyers.
Putting the past behind us, the Devils will now spend the week preparing for their double-header against the Coventry Blaze. The last time these two teams met finished in a 6-1 home win for the Devils. Make sure you're down at the BBT on Saturday, for the 7pm face off, and that you follow along on the MNL if you can't make it to Coventry on Sunday! Let's Go Devils!
