Cardiff Devils vs Edinburgh Capitals (L) 29/09/2012

Devils 4, Capitals 1 - Final

  Coming off a difficult loss to the Belfast Giants on Thursday night, the Cardiff Devils were back at home last night, facing off against the Edinburgh Capitals.  After a tough few days of recovery, the Cardiff side knew they needed to step it up. 

  The game started with an immediate 5-on-3 advantage for the home side, but unfortunately they were unable to convert.  The Devils’ continued to exert pressure, forcing save after save from Edinburgh tender Craig Holland.  They finally managed to convert just before the 15 minute mark, via a short-handed goal from Mac Faulkner, who is proving to be a fantastic asset for Cardiff, the pass coming from Devin Didiomete.

  The Devils’ continued outshoot the Capitals for the rest of the period but Holland was immoveable – first twenty finished 1-0 Devils.

  Second period saw several early penalties for the Devils, with Osaer proving that he deserved his second star status.  The end to end action passed by with nothing noteworthy to report, until Cardiff Captain Stuart MacRae doubled the welsh side’s lead.  They continued to push for that third, with several brilliant passes coming from Faulkner but nothing could penetrate Holland.  2-0 at end of the second.

  Off into the third and it proved to be feisty.  The fans were welcomed back into the game with Didiomete dropping the gloves against MacIntyre, after being on the receiving end of a check off the puck.  Both received fighting majors and an additional minor each.  The Devils’ had Holland all but standing on his head after the two fighters returned but could not get anything through… The same could not be said for Osaer.  Capitals’ Zemberge managed to bury one in the Cardiff net, getting the visitors on the board, at 52.15.

  The Capitals’ glow didn’t last long; just under a minute later, Faulkner scored his second of the night, giving the Devils’ a 3-1 lead going into the final six minutes.  Just to round off the night, Didiomete finished his Gordie Howe hattrick by burying Cardiff’s fourth goal, with Faulkner assisting.

  A solid improvement by the Cardiff side, but with their next game away against the Nottingham Panthers on Tuesday, who will have revenge on the mind after last Sunday’s 6-5 Challenge Cup defeat, add to this their new NHL-lockout signing Anthony Stewart making his debut for the northern club this weekend, the Devils will definitely have to take their game up a notch this coming week! We all know that they will rise to the challenge; Let’s Go Devils!

Cardiff Devils vs Belfast Giants (L) 27/09/2012

Cardiff 0, Belfast 4 - Final

  It was time for the Red Army to mobilise once more as the Belfast Giants came to town last night!  After a thrilling 6-5 overtime victory over the Nottingham Panthers, which had everyone in the BBT biting their nails in anticipation, morale has been lifted in the Bay and everyone was excited to see the Devils fight it out for those crucial points.  Can they pull off another fantastic performance?

  The first period didn't start off as most in red would have liked; with an early powerplay goal from Rycroft putting the Giants ahead, things were quiet.  The home crowd were treated to some huge hits, by fan favourite Max Birbraer and serial chirper Devin Didiomete, which got the Red Army roaring but the period finished with just the one goal, despite the large amount of shots taken by both teams.

  Having clearly put the first period behind them, the Devils' came out for the second looking more confident in themselves.  The passing had greatly improved and the Giants' goaltender Stephen Murphy was putting on a brilliant display, whilst trying to keep his team ahead.  End to end action followed throughout the early stages of the period, with the Giants beginning to exert more pressure on the South Wales side.

  While the passing had improved from the first, it was the power play that suffered during the second.  The Devils were gifted two advantages in quick succession around the 25 minute mark but failed to capitalise on the chance, with the Giants having some good shots on goal despite being a player down!  This domination continued as the Giants were awarded a few power plays of their own, with Devils' fans watching on as referee Mike Hicks rewrote the rule book, putting Cardiff's Didiomete in the box for 'Clipping', Kenton Smith following behind shortly after.

  Birbraer continued to rouse the crowd with some extremely powerful hits but Murphy was immoveable in the Giants' net, so the period finished with the Giants still leading by one.

  The luck was definitely on the side of the Irish, with a succession of early third period goals putting the Belfast side four goals ahead, leaving Cardiff a lot of work to do if they were willing to fight for those all important points.  Fans and players from the Welsh side were looking lost entering the final five minutes, everyone praying that they would be able to pull something out of the bag.  Unfortunately, any attempts were too little, too late and the Giants' skated away with the points.

  Despite the disappointment, the Cardiff Devils will be shaking off the loss and throwing themselves back onto the ice on Saturday 29th September, when the Edinburgh Capitals cross over the Welsh border.  There's everything to play for and looks to be an interesting game.  Puck drops at 7pm, make sure you're there to support the boys!  Let's Go Devils!

(Can't make the game?  Follow along at www.the-inferno.co.uk/mnl for match night updates!)

Cardiff Devils vs Nottingham Panthers 23/09/12 (CC)

Devils 6, Panthers 5 - OT Final

  We were back in the BBT last night with the Cardiff Devils facing off against the Nottingham Panthers.  With the Devils getting off to an unsettled start this season, the Red Army were definitely looking for a big win against the age old foe from the North.  Coming off an overtime loss to Coventry in the Skydome on Saturday night and desperate to break a four game losing streak, the South Wales side had everything to play for.

  Cardiff came out strong, with Captain Stuart MacRae giving Cardiff the advantage after just 42 seconds!  New signing Devin Didiomete added to the excitement with some of those hard hits that Devils' are famous for, giving the crowd in the BBT something extra to cheer about.  Unfortunately, the Red Army was quieten momentarily when the Panthers equalised, via David Clarke, in the third minute.

  Although the scoring stayed level for the duration of the first period, it was not a boring period by any means; within the first five minutes, we'd already seen Devin Didiomete smash Lachowicz all the way into next week and match up against Lee in a brawl-style fight.  It seemed that rough was the name of the game in the Bay, with several roughing penalties following the Didiomete/Lee fight, as well as some aggressive slashing and cross checking.  This was definitely not a game to be missed.

  The second period was slightly calmer, despite the crowd being ignited for each of the three Devils' goals scored throughout the second twenty minutes!  Both goaltenders performed brilliantly, giving the crowd a show they aren't likely to forget anytime soon.  From the get-go in the second, the Devils' were emitting immense pressure on the Nottingham tender, Craig Kowalski, and he was all but standing on his head in a desperate attempt to keep the score level.  His efforts, however, did not prove successful, especially when Mark Smith put the Devils' ahead once more, just after the 25 minute mark.  He was soon followed by Mac Faulkner and Max Birbraer, all contributing into getting the Devils' three goals ahead going into the third period.

  The Devils' went on to score another goal in regulation, with Chris Blight finding the back of the net with just over five minutes left in the period.  Unfortunately, Nottingham seemed to have found their flow and the goals would not stop coming.  The Northern side managed to slip four goals past tender Osaer, coming from Werner, Myers, Lachowicz and Ling respectively, to even it up before the end of regulation.

  Despite the Panthers' new-found energy, Cardiff managed to cling on, calling a time out just after Benedict was sent to the box for hooking, using their time to come up with a successful plan to get the puck in the back of the net.  For the second time, first star Chris Blight came to the Welsh side's rescue, getting them that overtime goal that had been alluding the side for the past four games.  Second and third star when to Devils' Davies and Panthers' Myers.

  The guys now have a few days to recover before the Giants come crashing into the BBT on Thursday night (puck drop: 7:30pm).  Tickets are on sale now for what is sure to be an exciting match up between the two long time rivals.  Let's Go Devils!