Devils 2, Steelers 1 - Final
Cardiff would have
been full of celebrating Red Army fans last night, as the Devils stormed past
the Sheffield Steelers in a physically thrilling win. After several poor shows and disappointing results, Gerad
Adams and Neil Francis have been calling for patience from their fans, and that
patience has paid off!
The Devils started
brilliantly, with Devin Didiomete coming to life, sporting an early charging
penalty. The penalties continued
to come throughout the period, and the rest of the game, before Cardiff finally
capitalised on the man advantage.
At 11.02, Phil Hill shot the puck back door and put the Devils ahead
whilst Stephenson was in the box for tripping. The final few minutes past with a couple of penalties, and a
brilliant display of goal tendering from the Steelers’ DeCaro. In the end, the first twenty finished
1-0 Cardiff.
It was a slow start to
the second period, with Sheffield delaying their return to the ice. However, as soon as the puck drop, it
was all guns blazing. Just two
minutes in, Brit Josh Batch earned himself a 2+10 for a check to the head,
after flooring former-Devil Tylor Michel.
The physicality continued as both sides were penalised for roughing, and
hooking.
Just like in the
first, Cardiff’s goal in the second came on the powerplay, after Stephenson was
sent to the box again, this time coming from Mac Faulkner. After Faulkner beat DeCaro on his glove
side, the Steelers’ tightened up their defense and managed to push up, and slot
one past Osaer, putting them on the board just minutes before the end of the
second.
Sheffield were out
late again coming in to the third, with Michel missing from the line up. Both tenders were forced to pull a few
saves but neither team were able to add to their total, giving the Devils a
rare regulation win.
Following last night’s
home win, the boys are hoping to carry on their success in Coventry tonight,
where they will face Paul Thompson and his Blaze side, which contains
former-devil Sam Smith. If you’re
not heading up, make sure to follow the guys’ progress at Match Night Live on
The Inferno. Let’s Go Devils!
