Cardiff Devils vs Coventry Blaze (L) 25/10/2014, Cardiff Devils @ Coventry Blaze (CC) 26/10/2014

Devils 6, Blaze 3 - Final (Saturday)

Devils 4, Blaze 0 - Final (Sunday)

Hello guys and girls!  

What a fantastic four-point weekend!  Facing the Coventry Blaze both home and away, our Cardiff Devils managed to bring home points in the League and the Challenge Cup, securing second place in the Challenge Cup group.

Saturday night not only saw an amazing comeback from 3-1 down to a 6-3 win for the Devils, but the news that NHLer, and former Devil, Paul Bissonnette would be rejoining our already talented squad.  Earning himself 21 points in only 11 games for the Welsh side, it is safe to say we were all extremely exciting to hear of his return.

But Andrew Lord and his team demonstrated that if Biz were to return to our ranks, which unfortunately is not the case anymore (http://www.cardiffdevils.com/news/devils-news/bissonnette-deal-is-off/), he would only be a bonus to the skills already being showcased every night in the BBT.

Things started a bang for the Devils as both Trevor Hendrikx and Matt Myers redecorated the boards with Blaze-shaped holes!  The rough and tumble affair could only get better as Brent Walton went short side, top shelf with only three minutes on the clock! 

Unfortunately, despite the quick start, the Devils could not hold on to the intensity for the rest of the first – and found themselves 3-1 down going into the break, after the Blaze saw goals from Ben Arnt, Steven Goertzen and Ryan O’Marra respectively.

But hope was not lost, as forty-four seconds into the second period Andrew Hotham added his first tally of the night, as he came tumbling out of the penalty box, thanks to a delay of game minor at the end of the first.

Joey Martin also added to the scoreboard with the Devils’ fourth shorthanded goal of the season so far, sending the puck between the legs of Stewart – who was definitely getting a warm welcome from blocks two and three!!  I mean, even I could hear the taunting and I was a computer screen away from the action!

The Blaze found their selves with the man advantage again as they opened the third period, tied with the home side at three apiece.  Unfortunately for the visiting team, the Devils are on fire on the penalty kill this season and Andrew Hotham was able slot in a rebound to add his second of the night, and the Devils’ second straight short handed goal – putting their shorthanded tally up to five for the season. 

With Andrew Lord leading from the front on how to deal with the pesky Blaze (and seeming to enjoy putting them through the boards whenever possible!), alternate captain Jake Morrisette was busy adding his seventh goal of the season, tipping the puck passed a very agitated Stewart with just short of twelve minutes left in the game.

To round off the scoring Chris Jones showed off the skills learnt in the Devils’ development programme and picked some Blaze pockets before getting the puck to Joey Haddad.  As with the luck of the Welsh on Saturday night, Joey could not miss and the Devils’ finished out the game with a 6-3 score and retained those all-important League points!

Sunday saw the Devils and the Red Army travelling up to the SkyDome for some Challenge Cup action.  With the Blaze only holding one win in six Challenge Cup games, they were desperate to finish the competition on a high note.

Now we all know that very few rinks can rise to the challenge when it comes to the noise inside the BBT but from what I saw of the webcast on Sunday (which wasn’t a lot as most who tried to watch the game will understand!), the most noise on Sunday was coming from the away block – and for good reason!

Despite being on Blaze turf, crowd favourite Ben Bowns earned himself his first shutout of the year, after the Devils’ cruised to a 4-0 victory over a depleted Coventry side.  After a good start to the season, you have to wonder what has happened to Marc LeFebvre’s side.

The only Devil missing from both weekend games was Carl Hudson, after he suffered a hand injury against Sheffield last Saturday – which, it was announced over the webcast on Sunday, could leave him out for up to 6 weeks.  Bench Coach Neil Francis was suspended for Saturday’s game, while Trevor Hendrikx did not ice on Sunday for reasons unknown.

With only 14 PIMs between the two teams over the entire 60 minutes, the stats almost show a boring game compared to Devils/Blaze match ups in the past.  In fact there were no penalties in the third period at all!

While penalties were lacking – which could be considered an improvement on the silly penalties the Devils’ were taking just a couple of weeks ago – the Welsh side still managed to earn themselves a powerplay goal.  With the tally standing at 23 PP goals so far this season, that means nearly half of all goals scored, in all competitions, this year are on the man advantage.

Definitely an improvement on previous years, eh?

But that comes later.  Almost like déjà vu, Brent Walton opened the scoring just before the first period close – a goal that nearly all viewers at home missed due to webcast technical problems.  As I was one of these unfortunate many, I have been promised it was a very pretty goal, with the feed coming from Josh Batch before Walton found the narrowest channel possible!

The second period saw both Joey Martin and Doug Clarkson increasing the deficit, with Clarkson adding that PP goal.

To round off the game, Andrew Hotham added the fourth just two minutes into the third period – another goal that most of us missed, and didn’t learn about until about 5 minutes from the end of the game!  Safe to say I was glad to get my money back after that technical debacle!

After a thrilling weekend, it’s time to look ahead to next week.  Unfortunately the Devils have only got the one game – a visit from the Nottingham Panthers on Sunday.  It would have been nice to have been welcoming Biz back to the Tent, but never mind!

Make sure you get yourself down to the BBT!!  I’ll be cheering from across the Atlantic, as I venture over the pond to watch my beloved Pittsburgh Penguins this coming weekend – so let’s fill the Tent so I can show the Yanks what a hockey night should really look like!

Let’s Go Devils!

Cardiff Devils vs Hull Stingrays (CC) 11/10/2014, Cardiff Devils @ Coventry Blaze (L) 12/10/2014

Devils 7, Stingrays 2 - Final

Devils 3, Blaze 1 - Final

This past weekend saw another fantastic effort from our Cardiff Devils as they defeated Hull to win two Challenge Cup points in the Bay on Saturday – the first game of the season for the new owners no less – before travelling up to the Skydome to bring home two league points on Sunday. 

There were certainly a lot of happy people surrounding the Devils’ organisation on Saturday night!  With an amazing 7-2 win against the Stingrays, who are looking more impressive in their campaign this year, the BBT was unusually red this past Saturday as the new owners made their debut in the rink, which was nearing capacity as a 2000+ crowd cheered a full Devils’ bench to victory. 

With seven goals from six different players, the Welsh side definitely put in a team effort to pull off such a great result.  Seeming to be the norm at the moment, both Haddad and Martin treated us to powerplay goals (at 19:10 and 44:47 respectively), but it’s Brent Walton’s goal (at 25:54) that has everyone raring!

An outstanding finish, Walton enters the zone and dekes the defenseman before putting the puck behind David Brown on the backhand – demonstrating the talent we’ve all been waiting to see since preseason!

While most of Saturday night was spent cheering – and dancing around the lockers at work whenever I got the chance to check the score! – Matthew Myers provided a little disappointment for Devils’ fans as he was awarded a 5+Game for a check from behind on Eric Galbraith – a hit that earned him a two game suspension from the Department of Player Safety (the update can be found here: http://www.eliteleague.co.uk/two-match-ban-for-myers-p194100) and a seat on the bench for Sunday’s game against Coventry and the first game of next week’s double header against Sheffield.

Despite losing Myers for the second half of the game, momentum was not lost, especially with firecracker Jesse Mychan back in the line up for the first time since the 14^th September after suffering a hand injury.

The Devils’ no. 80 was definitely back and ready to shake up some feathers, making sure the Rays knew he would lay down and let them hassle his teammates.  Jesse also provided the first of the four third period goals that helped cement the win!

But it was Doug Clarkson who shined brightest, with two goals and a permanent presence whenever he was on the ice.  He’s a hard guy to miss but I’m pretty sure the Hull players were definitely feeling the Doug shaped bruises all the way north!

After experiencing such a thrill on Saturday night, the Red Army were ready and raring as they made the tedious journey to Coventry on Sunday for a 5:15 FO against the Blaze. 

With an impressive start to the season under their belt, many expected the Blaze to come out fighting, especially after losing out to Sheffield in their Challenge Cup match up the night before!  Unfortunately for the home fans, the blue fire seemed to be out on Sunday as the Devils came away with a 3-1 and those crucial league points!

Matthew Myers was the only Devil missing from the ice on Sunday, after he received a two-match suspension for a check from behind on Eric Galbraith the previous night.  On the other side of the ice, the Blaze were missing Mike Egener due to an undisclosed injury, but it seems like most of the Blaze failed to show up for the game….

The opening five minutes looked promising for both sides; Cescon and Hotham acquainted themselves early on, both earning themselves five minutes (and an extra two for roughing for Cescon), but things went downhill for the home side.

In fact, the Blaze were lucky not to be down by two before the end of the first.  In the opening minute or so, the Devils managed to shoot one past Brian Stewart, who was recently awarded the Blaze’s Fall Player award for the month of September (a title he earned on Sunday, as the score could have been a lot worse if it had not been for him), only to have it call off by Hicks after it was decided the net was off.

While this kind of controversy seems to follow our beloved (yuck!) Hicks around, there are several reports (from Devils’ fans as well) to support the call. 

Devils were also given the chance to double their lead at the halfway point in the second with a penalty shot, after Blaze captain Ashley Tait held Joey Martin on a breakaway – unfortunately for Devils’ fans, Stewart was up to the challenge and the shot was saved.

Coventry were certainly lucky not to be down by four going into the third period and their desperation finally won out as they brought the game back within one just 32 seconds into the third period – Steven Goertzen getting the home side on the board for the first time.

However, the small amount of renewed energy from the goal would not be enough to force the Devils back and Player/Coach Andrew Lord added one last solo effort just minutes after the single Blaze goal to cement the away win and bring those crucial league points back to the Bay.

So after a brilliant four-point weekend, the Devils are now looking ahead to the looming home and away double-header against Gerad Adam’s Sheffield Steelers.  This one’s for all the marbles – or at least four elite league marbles!  Make sure you get yourself down to the BBT on Sunday to cheer the team on!

Even I’m making it to this one, so be there or be square! See you there, Devils’ fans!!

Cardiff Devils @ Nottingham Panthers (L/CC) 13/09/14, Cardiff Devils vs Coventry Blaze (CC) 14/09/2014

Cardiff 1, Nottingham 3 - Final

Cardiff 4, Coventry 3 - Final

Good Evening!!!

Looks like we’ve had an interesting weekend of Cardiff Devils’ hockey gone by, after an unfortunate loss against the Nottingham Panthers on Saturday night in a joint league/challenge cup matchup – only for the boys to steam roll the Coventry Blaze in an exhilarating third period last night!

Throughout the entire 120 minutes of Devils’ hockey this weekend we’ve seen 11 goals, 134 PIMs, 1 bleeding referee and a bruised fan!  And, due to a mean boss who likes me to work all hours of the day and night, I’ve had a great day off catching up on everything that has happened over the past few days!

Saturday saw the Red Army make the long trip up to Nottingham, which, despite a valiant effort from everyone, ended 3-1 in favour of the home side.

Both sides saw a quick start to the game, with Panthers’ Bruce Graham driving a hole through the Devils’ defence after just over 6 minutes to put his side ahead, dropping the puck in the back of the net after picking up his own rebound.  However, it seems the cats’ whiskers were out of place just a few short minutes later as Chris Culligan evened up the score, gliding through the large space left open in the middle of the Panthers’ blue line, after Greg Jacina took an early trip to the penalty box for hooking.

Goal scorer Graham was quick to follow Jacina to the box for slashing but despite the Devils’ tremendous record on the powerplay this weekend, the score remained tied.  That is until Max Langelier-Parent (anyone else feeling sorry for the announcers on that one? Just me?) added another to the home side’s tally, giving them the advantage going into the second period. 

The second twenty saw plenty of bums on seats as Mike Hicks put his whisle to good use – handing out nearly half of the total PIMs for the night.  Unfortunately for the visiting fans, while the Devils have done extremely well so far on the penalty kill, the Panthers’ were able to steal the puck despite being a man down and Cody Wild managed to put the puck five-hole, scoring what would become the game winning goal with just under half the period remaining.

With tensions running high, we all kind of expected some handbags – it’s Nottingham after all!  While there were some roughing incidents early on (and I’m not just talking about Devils’ fan Helen Drane putting a dent in the puck with her arm!), the main event of the night was between Jesse Mychan and Charles Landry mid-way through the third.

After Landry decided Mychan was a bit to close to Craig Kowalski (who we all know can look after himself, usually in the dirtiest way possible), blood was shed, Landry was escorted off to be patched up and both players were awarded five for fighting with a direct ticket to the box – words all hockey fans love to hear, wouldn’t you agree?

In both games over the weekend our boys in reddy-green have demonstrated that they are a force to be reckoned with, whether we are playing with 5 skaters or not!  The special teams are something the guys have struggled with over the past few seasons; I distinctly remember someone comparing our powerplays to the disastrous Welsh lineouts from the 2012 6 Nations (remember those? Ouch!) but this year, it seems the tables are turning!!!

While many are insisting the Devils’ dominated from start to end against the Coventry Blaze last night, the score board showed a late turn in the team’s favour with a fantastic four-goal third period, three of which all happened in the space of 6 minutes!

As with many Cardiff-Coventry match ups, there were plenty of hits, chirps and all round nastiness.  Sunday’s game saw almost 90 penalty minutes awarded to the two teams – in total, not individually thank goodness!

And it wasn’t just the players getting a bit roughed up; referee Dean Smith was treated to a fat lip, thanks to the glove of Blaze no. 14, Cale Tanaka – wonder what that was about?!

The Red Army had plenty to cheer about throughout the game, especially with summer signing Doug Clarkson damaging the rink’s structural stability with Blaze-sized holes!  After a brilliant pre-season, Clarkson had a slow start in the opening weekend, possibly due to the lack of playing time he put in last year whilst recovering from injury, but came back to prove his metal this week against some of the toughest guys in the league.

To say that Blocks 2 and 3 enjoy watching Egener run and hide from the big Ontario native would be an understatement!

Thanks to Cescon and Goertzen, the Blaze were flying high going into the final period – despite being knocked down by each Devil that passed them.  Tensions were high but the home side did not disappoint.

As seems to be the fashion this year, the Cardiff boys fought hard for a comeback win that saw Coventry draw penalty after penalty – mainly because Brian Stewart couldn’t keep his hair on; he’s obviously never heard the phrase ‘sticks and stones’!  With three fabulous PPG to put the Welsh side in front, the Tent was rocking and looked like it was about to crumble as Jake Morrisette demonstrated why Player-Coach Andrew Lord fought to keep him in the Bay!

With just under four minutes left, Morrisette, with the help of Richardson and Martin (another great signing from the summer), ploughed his way through the Coventry defence and put the game out of reach.  While Jake was met with some doubts when he re-signed, there are no words to describe the beauty of his game winner last night!

Despite a last minute goal from a frantic visiting side, nothing could stop the Devils from finally claiming those well-deserved Challenge Cup points.

While we may have seen a topsy-turby weekend in way of results, I think we have seen the beginning of a beautiful campaign, in both the League and finally the Challenge Cup.  The constantly changing jigsaw has eventually come together and I think we are all liking the picture we are seeing!

Everyone enjoy your week and prepare yourselves for this coming weekend, as the Clan travel down to the BBT on Saturday as Cardiff continue their league campaign in style!!  Make sure you’re there so we can give Ben Davies, Joe Myers (yay!!!!) and even Chris Frank a big ex-Devils’ welcome!!!

Cardiff Devils vs Coventry Blaze (L) 31/01/2013

Devils 4, Blaze 3 - OT Final

  What a way to end January 2013?!  Thursday 31th saw the Coventry Blaze make a mid week trip down to the BBT to face off against your Cardiff Devils!  With the Cardiff/Coventry rivalry as high-strung as ever, these match ups are not to be missed.  Before this game, Coventry were leading the way with 4 out of 7 wins against Cardiff, and Devils' fans were desperately praying it was time to level it up.

  The game started quickly with a minor league wrestling match between Adam Harding and his GB roommate Matt Selby, both earning themselves a five minute major at 2.01.  Also within the first five minutes, Cardiff saw Piggot, Batch and Davies all in the penalty box (tripping 2.05, boarding 4.52, and, roughing 4.52 respectively) while Coventry also had to contend with several penalties. One of these disadvantages lead to the Devils' first goal, scored by Mac Faulkner at 10.04.  Davies doubled the lead two minutes later, assisted by Richardson - this giving Cardiff a 2-0 lead going into the second period.

  With the home side on a role, Jesse Gimblett also added to the welsh side's tally, giving them a three goal advantage for most of the second twenty.  This was lessened to two when James Griffin finally got one on the board for his team, slipping it past Chris Whitley.

  Despite the history between these two clubs, the game did not see a lot of penalties. After the combination of 15 PIMs for Coventry in the first period and 11 PIMs for the Devils, the only penalty seen for the rest of the game was a tripping call on Stuart MacRae just four minutes into the second. Could these teams be turning over a new leaf... Or has it finally become clear who starts all the trouble?

Either way, after the pair of goals traded during the second, we only had more goals to come in the final period. Unfortunately for Cardiff fans, those goals weren't crossing the line behind Peter Hirsch. Earning himself the Blaze MOM award, Greg Leeb managed to level the score for his team, with one at 2.50 and another at 11.44. Neither side was able to get the winning goal, so the game went into overtime.

Although scheduled for five minutes of overtime, fans in the BBT didn't even see two. After a nail biting third period, and losing a 2 goal lead, captain Stuart MacRae was not going to take any chances. Just 1.30 into the OT period, he slotted the puck past Hirsch earning his side that extra crucial point!

So with two points carefully tucked away, Cardiff now look ahead to Sunday, when they are set to face off against the Belfast Giants - who are desperate to get the Nottingham Panthers back in sight at the top of the table - as they travel to the BBT for a 6pm face off. Make sure you're down in the Bay support the boys! Lets Go Devils!

Cardiff Devils vs Coventry Blaze (L) 25/11/2012

Devils 5, Blaze 2 - Final

With hearts heavy from the previous night's loss, Cardiff fans and players alike were desperate to bring in those crucial league points. With the Blaze in town for the first time since the Brawl in the Bay, it was set to be a not-to-be-missed game!

Just like Saturday night, fans were welcomed with a slow first period, with a couple of penalties throughout. The same can be said for the first ten of the second.

However, despite the slight sense of deja vu, the crowd was in for a treat come the 30th minute. Already a fan favourite, NHL lockout signing Paul Bissonnette boosted his fan base, scoring the first of the Devils' five goals, the assist going to Mac Faulkner. Brit Adam Harding, who has just been called up to represent on the U20 GB squad, added the Devils' second just over a minute later.

Blaze's G Leeb answered with a goal of his own, but Captain Stuart MacRae was quick behind him to keep the Devils' two goal lead going into the third.

After a penalty for either side at the start of the period, MacRae added his second of the night - a powerplay goal, assisted by Blight and Bissonnette. Coventry were desperate to get back into the game but had been struggling to contain 'Biznasty' all night. After relying on their top line for most of the evening, they managed to pull one back but their hopes of stealing the points were put out when Blight scored an empty netter in the final minute.

Even a bout of handbags couldn't earn the Blaze anything, except a roughing minor and the game finished 5-2 in favour of the home side

It was a turbulent weekend but Cardiff came away with much needed points and are now looking forward to next weekend when they face the Sheffield Steelers in a double headed, home and away weekend. Let's go Devils!

Cardiff Devils vs Coventry Blaze: Disciplinary Findings

Sunday night saw two counts of disappointment for Cardiff Devils’ fans; after two hard fought games, the Coventry Blaze stripped the Devils of four crucial challenge cup points.  Unfortunately, the blunders did not end at the final buzzer.

Tension rose during the third, with Devils’ forward Max Birbraer being assessed for a match penalty, after a check to the head on Blaze defenseman Benn Olson, at 12.26.  For this Birbraer received an automatic five match ban, and was thrown out of the game.  The Elite League Disciplinary Council have confirmed this ban and ruled that it cannot be appealed.

As the conflict escalated after the final buzzer, during the tradition team handshakes, Birbraer was awarded an addition match penalty for leaving the dressing room after being thrown out of the game and rejoining the action on the ice, earning himself, originally, an extra game ban.  However, on deliberation, the Disciplinary Council have ruled that leaving the dressing room constitutes an automatic three match ban, increasing Birbraer’s total ban to eight matches.  As with number 23’s original match penalty, the Cardiff Devils Organisation cannot appeal against the ruling.

Fan favourite Devin Didiomete of the Cardiff Devils also received a match ban in all the action.  After receiving a fighting major and being escorted off the ice, Didiomete came to the defense of his bench coach, Neil Francis, and rejoined the altercation.  This led to him being assessed for leaving the dressing room, resulting in a three match ban that has been confirmed by the Elite League.  As with Birbraer’s penalties, Didiomete cannot appeal against this ruling.

With two of their power forwards out, Cardiff did not need any more misfortune.  Unfortunately, bench coach Neil Francis has been included in the penalised and been given a match/game penalty for travesty in the game, leading to a one match ban.  In addition to this, the Elite League have extended Francis’ ban by four games, his total ban lasting over five games. 

So, in total, the Welsh side will lose Birbraer for eight games, Didiomete for three and Francis for five, putting the Devils at an extreme disadvantage over the course of the following games.

On the other hand, after being at the centre of the controversy and engaging in an extremely unnecessary exchange with a Cardiff fan, who has now had his game privileges revoked for the remainder of the 2012/2013 season and all following seasons until 2017, was assessed a match penalty for incident with a spectator.  It has been decided the penalty is unjustified, therefore has been removed from Olson’s records and no further action will be taken.

Coventry received no other match/game penalties or bans during the event.

In addition to all bans and penalties mentioned above, the Elite League are further reviewing incidents that took place off-ice on Sunday night and will present their findings and a further statement in due course.  For comments from the Elite League on the penalties awarded, click on the link below to go to the official statement:

http://www.eliteleague.co.uk/elite-league-discipline-p179983

To view any and all statements made by the Cardiff Devils’ Organisation, click the links below:

http://www.cardiffdevils.com/news/devils-news/cardiff-devils-club-statement/

http://www.cardiffdevils.com/news/devils-news/cardiff-devils-club-acts-following-altercations-after-sunday-s-game/

http://www.cardiffdevils.com/news/devils-news/elite-league-and-investigation-update/

Cardiff Devils @ Coventry Blaze (CC) 27/10/2012

Devils 1, Blaze 2 - Final

  After a thrilling third period win on Thursday, the Red Army travelled to Coventry on Saturday night with high hopes of their Cardiff Devils continuing their win streak.  Unfortunately the Blaze were feeling hot and powered through to gain those precious two points, putting them all the more closer to the Challenge Cup quarter finals.

  There were some early minor penalties for both teams, followed by some exciting end-to-end action and the usually physical play when these two teams come together.  Zed physical play let to a 2
+10 for Benn Olson, with a cross-checking minor and misconduct for checking from behind.  The Red Army saw an improved Devils' power play but the Welsh side were unable to capitalise on the advantage.

  With the Devils' Brit line (Davies, Harding, Piggot) giving Hirsch problem, it was only a certain amount of time until the scoring started.  Having been worn down by the Devils forecheck, Hirsch had his own players getting in the way, after a slip up from Olson led to a chance for Cardiff power forward Max Birbraer putting the visitors ahead, just in time for the end of the period.

  Not a team to lie down easily, Coventry came out fighting for the second; just three minutes in, Shea Guthrie had scored an equaliser - this coming after some four on four hockey, with both teams having players in the box.  Coventry's physicality continued as Giudice earned himself a 10 min misconduct and a game misconduct for abuse of official, after pushing a linesman for calling an offside.  After a few more minors for both sides, the Blaze managed to push ahead, with a PPG coming from Schutte.
 
  Off to the third and it was now or never for the Cardiff Devils.  The Blaze started the period on the power play, after a late second period call on Max Birbraer.  The Devils stepped it up and defended well, keeping Coventry from increasing their lead.  The rest of the period flew by quickly, with the Devils pulling Osaer - but having no real effect.  Final score 2-1 Blaze.

  The Coventry Blaze travelled to the BBT on Sunday night for the return leg of this double ended Challenge Cup weekend, rounding off the weekend with a 3-2 win over the Cardiff Devils - meaning they took all four points and travel through to the quarter finals of the Challenge Cup.

  Don't forget to head down to the BBT on Thursday, as the Hull Stingrays come to town!  If you can't make it, follow along at Match Night Live on The Inferno.  Let's Go Devils!

Cardiff Devils @ Coventry Blaze (L) 07/10/2012

  Devils 4, Blaze 3 - OT Final

  

  Off to Coventry on Sunday were the Cardiff Devils and on par for a four point weekend!  After a thrilling 2-1 home win against the Sheffield Steelers, the Welsh side were all set to bring home those all important points.

  The Devils came out fighting, with some good chances early on.  The game was looking to be a physical one, with penalties coming for both teams, and Coventry’s Olson playing forward, hitting every Devil in range.  Cardiff managed to level him with an early first period goal, coming from fan favourite Max Birbraer, who was fresh on the ice after a three game suspension.

  The physical penalties continued and the Blaze starting applying the pressure on the powerplay.  Despite this, goaltender Phil Osaer stayed strong and the period finished with the Devils holding that one goal lead.

  Even with the Blaze carrying the man advantage into the second, after Mac Faulkner was penalised at the end of the first, the Devils came out strongly.  There were some big hits and breakaway chances, before Cardiff finally sealed the deal and added an extra to their lead, again coming from Max Birbraer.

  Unfortunately, the Blaze were not down and out; after former-Devil Sam Smith was sent to the box, Guthrie managed a shorthanded break, and slotted the puck past Osaer.  Second period finished 2-1.

  The third was full of penalties and full of goals.  With penalties coming from both sides, it wasn’t surprising that the goals would follow.  The first side to capitalise was the visitors, giving Cardiff a 3-1 advantage.  Coventry then followed this up with one of their own.

  With the score holding at 3-2, it seemed that Cardiff were going to clinch the points in regulation.  However, in a shock turn of events, Mike Bayrack evened the score with just over a minute remaining in the period. 

  With the Blaze forcing overtime, everyone in the Skydome was on the edge of their seat.  Cardiff seemed to dominate, pushing Hirsch to make several fantastic saves, before finally adding that all-important game winning goal, curtesty of Tyson Marsh. 

  Riding the high, the Devils will be in Belfast next Saturday (puck drop: 7pm) and the Red Army will be crashing into the O!  If you’re not travelling over, be sure to follow along with Match Night Live!  Let’s Go Devils!

Cardiff Devils vs Coventry Blaze 10/03/2012

  Hockey night in Cardiff and the Red Army welcomed (or not) the Coventry Blaze into the BBT for the usual fast, action packed game that occurs when these two teams get together.  The Devils were coming off a brilliant weekend, with an incredible win of the Braehead Clan on Friday, and a nail-biting 4-3 victory over the Dundee Stars.  On the other hand, we had Coventry, who were definitely flying after their four point weekend, two of those points coming from a thrilling 5-3 defeat over the Nottingham Panthers.  It was all to play for last night and neither team wanted to lose.

  Things started off slowly, with the majority of the first ten minutes being end to end play, both teams getting chances but not being able to capitalise.  We reached 6 minutes and the roof was lifted when, after Soderstrom was sent to the box for hooking, defensemen Kenton Smith shot the puck passed Hirsh, giving the Devils’ a one goal lead.  They managed to hold the lead until the 16^th minute, when Blaze’s MOM Kralj equalised.  With only a few minor penalties, the first finished 1-1.

  The second opened with a couple of penalties for the Blaze, though the Devils’ failed to convert any of their PP chances.  In fact, it was Coventry that got the next PP goal, with Devils’ Piggot in the box for slashing; the Blaze took the lead for the first time, with the credit going to Farmer. 

  The game began to heat up towards the end of the second, with Chris Frank starting the ball rolling by getting another 10 minute misconduct, this time for a check to the head.  With him off, you wouldn’t think there could be any more trouble.  But, at 34.25, Jurynec and Vanderveeken got into it.  No fighting majors were called but Veeks got 2 for roughing and Jurynec was awarded 2+5 for charging and a game for cross-checking.  Period finished 2-1 Blaze.

  Yet more minor penalties followed into the third, with neither side tallying.  The Red Army were starting to get desperate, until fledgling Adam Harding, currently playing on the top line whilst Burrows is out with an injury, scored the equaliser.  It was a tense final ten minutes, with both teams waiting for baited breath to see who would get the winner.

  In true Devils/Blaze fashion, the winner didn’t come until 61.47, when Devils’ Captain, Stuart MacRae, who is having a stellar second-half of the season, shot the puck passed Hirsh and gained the extra point for the Welsh side.

  The Devils’ are off to Sheffield tonight, heading towards a definitely showdown, as they try to catch third-place Nottingham and Sheffield battle to prove they are still in the title race.  Follow along at www.the-inferno.co.uk/match-night-live if you’re not travelling up to Sheffield, to see how the battle plays out.  Let’s go Devils!

Cardiff Devils vs Coventry Blaze 19/11/11

Devils 4, Blaze 1 - Final

  Hockey night in Cardiff and the boys welcomed the Coventry Blaze to the BBT, for the first game of a double-headed weekend.  After Saturday's game, the Devils followed their rivals up to the Skydome to play them in the second game of the weekend.  With this game begin a stretch of three games in five days for the Devils, they were desperate to get it off to a good start.

 The game started with end-to-end action, and some hard hits from Cardiff's finest.  With Blaze new boy Park Woo-Sang on the ice, our own Max Birbraer took it upon himself to welcome the South Korean to the BBT.  The Blaze followed this up with two penalties, giving Cardiff a 5-on-3 opportunity.  Unfortunately, the Blaze were prepared defensively, successfully killing off both penalties.  But the lack of success on the powerplay didn't hold the Devils back when the game returned to even strength.  At 7.15, powerhouse foward Phil Hill received the puck from Matzka and Voth, before sending it passed Blaze netminder Peter Hirsch to put Cardiff ahead by one.  More end-to-end action followed with a couple of penalties for each team.  Although both teams had some great chances, the goal light didn't light up again until 10:44, when Max Birbraer doubled Cardiff's lead to 2-0.

  With ten minutes left of the first period, things were started to heat up.  We all know that you cannot have a Cardiff/Coventry game without some physical play.  We have already had Brian Jurynec trying to wind up our very own Brad Voth; when Voth didn't react to the instigator, Jurynec moved on to someone who would fight back.  At 13:12, Devils' head coach Gerad Adams dropped the gloves with Jurynec, both earning themselves five for fighting.  With the Devils already on fire, this round of handbags seemed to set them blazing.  Within a minute later, Mark Richardson had added a third Devils' goal, with Hill adding his second of the night to the total not even thirty seconds later.  Peter Hirsch managed to pull out some saves in the last couple of minutes, before the period finished 4-0 Devils.

  After some incredible play by the Devils' defense in the first period, mainly from young Brit Josh Batch and forward/defensemen Scott Dobben, it was now time for the Blaze to step up their defense.  With Hirsch now finding his feet, or his gloves and pads, the Devils were having to try extra hard to get the puck passed him.  Before any more goals could be added to the Cardiff tally, Tim Burrows was sent to the box for intereference, giving Coventry the advantage.  Unfortunately for the Blaze, the Devils stepped up their special units and were defending well, even getting lucky enough for some shorthanded chances, though nothing came of them.  Despite having a worrying first period, Hirsch seemed to pick himself up during the intermission as he made his way through the second, stopping all Devils' chances on goal.  Lyle also kept up his stellar performance, not allowing any of the Coventry chances to get passed him.  Score at the end of the second, 4-0 Devils.

  Now I don't know what was said in the away dressing room during the second intermission, but Thompson must have made an extreme impression on his players; just 4:40 in the third and the Blaze managed to pull a goal back, coming from Robert Farmer.  With the score up to 4-1, we saw a couple of penalties, before goal scorers Birbraer and Farmer got into it, both earning themselves five for fighting, with Max getting the instigator and Farmer getting two for interference.  David Phillips also got two for delay of game, giving the Devils a 4-on-3 advantage.  With nothing coming from this extended penalty, there were a couple of other penalties but nothing could help the Blaze now.  They played well for the last five minutes but the game finished 4-1 Devils.

Cardiff Devils vs Coventry Blaze (CC) 29/10/11

Devils 6, Blaze 1 - Final

  It's Saturday night and the Cardiff Devils welcome the Coventry Blaze to the BBT tonight.  As we all know, Devils/Blaze match-ups are always interesting, and this one didn't disappoint!  Seven goals throughout the sixty minutes, plus a whole load of penalties, everyone in the BBT was buzzing.

  The action was non-stop from the beginning.  With the penalties coming thick and fast, the penalty units for both teams had to keep their heads up.  The Devils' penalty kill had a great night, not letting Coventry score any powerplay goals.  Instead, the Devils first goal, scored by Brad Voth, was a powerplay goal (7:27)!  During the first, Coventry also managed to get one on the board, but were unsuccessful in stopping Man of the Match Jeff Pierce from scoring his first of the night.  The score at the end of the first was 2-1 Cardiff.

  The second was a bit quieter than the first, with only a couple of penalties and only goal.  Although, it is said that the goal that put Cardiff two goals ahead, is a contender for the goal of the year, with MOM Jeff Pierce doing a full 360 degree turn before depositing the puck in the back of the net.  Goal scored at 28:29, with the help of Adams and Frank.  End of Second, 3-1 Devils.

  Finally, it was time for the last twenty minutes.  Just like when they played Dundee last Saturday, Cardiff did not slow their work effort, just because they were in front.  Although the boys didn't score five goals in the last period, they did manage three, securing a 6-1 victory.  The first of the three came from captain Stuart MacRae (49:02), followed by Kenton Smith with his first of the season (56:34).  The final Devils' goal was scored by assistant coach Scott Matzka (58:47), rounding off the scoring and bringing in those much needed two points.  With a win under the belts, the Devils go second in their CC group, four points behind Nottingham with a game in hand.

  Be sure to follow the boys when they play in Dundee tomorrow night!  If you can't get up to Scotland, then be sure to follow the MNL (http://www.the-inferno.co.uk/mnl/) for all the news from the Devils.  Let's Go Devils!

Cardiff Devils @ Coventry Blaze 25/09/11

Devils 2, Blaze 0 - Final

  It's that time again, and the Cardiff Devils are in Coventry tonight, showing the Blaze that preseason was just a warm up.  Coming off a win against the Hull Stingrays last night, Devils are out in force and raring to go!  As of last night, we have power-house forward Max Birbraer back, but we are also missing Luke Piggot, as he is back with the ENL Devils tonight, who are taking on the Bracknell Hornets at the BBT.  Speaking of the BBT, some people have been saying it is looking a little empty these days.... you should see the Skydome!  Compared to the Skydome, it would seem like the BBT is turning people away!

  The first period finished scoreless in Coventry, with end-to-end play throughout the period.  Both teams have seen some excellent goal-tending, both from Stevie Lyle and from Coventry's Peter Hirsch.  Equal to that, we have also seen some incredible shots from opposite ends of the ice, the puck hitting the pipes several times.

  As well as big saves, we have seen big hits, most coming from Canadian giant Brad Voth.  He has put many players on the ice, in addition to taking a few hard checks himself.  The period has seen only three minor penalties, two of those going to Cardiff -causing a 5-on-3 for Coventry, although they failed to capitalize- both for hooking.  Going into the second, both teams were looking for that opening goal.

 And, just over seven minutes into the second, player/assistant coach Scott Matzka managed to get Cardiff on the scoreboard, with an nice set up from Jeff Pierce and Max Birbraer, who is playing like he was never away. Chances came for both sides, as Coventry tried to level the score.

  The second twenty minutes saw a couple of interesting penalties, with the Blaze side trying to get Cardiff forward Brad Voth fired up, with little success.  Both Bryan Jurynec and Mike McClean had go, dropping the gloves to try and entice the big enforcer but Voth just didn't want to know, which is strange for number 26, who isn't unfamiliar to dropping the gloves.  Saying that, Voth has yet to drop 'em this season, although he has had plenty of opportunity.  Anyway, we also saw a slash from Cowley and a cheeky trip from Batch.  Second finishes with Devils 1-0 up.

  Going into the third, it was all or nothing for the Coventry Blaze, who, having not won a game in the challenge cup, were desperate for those two points.  Unfortunately, despite playing good hockey for most of the game, the Blaze could not get past the wall of white blocking the Cardiff goal.  The man himself, Stevie Lyle, gave a show stopping performance all night long, earning himself a shutout and the man of match award.

  Whilst Lyle held strong at one end of the ice, the Cardiff forwards were working hard to solidify the win.  With shot after shot going towards the net, the Devils were determined.  Blaze tender, Peter Hirsch, remained solid for most of the third, even after getting a skate to the helmet when one of his defensemen came hurtling towards him.  Despite his brilliant performance for most of the night, the Dane couldn't stop Brit Sam Smith from adding his name to the score sheet and the game finished 2-0 Devils.

  Both teams played exceptionally well and it was a great game to watch, whether you were in the Skydome or watching the webcast.  Next game is on Saturday, up in Scotland, where the Devils take on the Braehead Clan, who have had a fantastic start to the season.  If you can't make it up there, be sure to follow along on http://www.the-inferno.co.uk/mnl/.  Let's go Devils!

Cardiff Devils @ Coventry Blaze 30/01/11

Devils 4, Blaze 5 - Final

  What happened to the team that played last night!  To go from a 13-2 victory to a 5-4 loss is scary; how can one team display such different games, within 24 hours?  Oh well, at least it wasn't that bad of a loss.

  It didn't really look good from the beginning; at 3.15 in the first period, Coventry opened the scoring.  It took a while but before the period was through, Cardiff managed to pull one back.  No. 12, Craig Weller - who later went on to get the second star of the night - manged to shoot the puck past Brett Jaeger (who saved 47/51 shots and earned himself the first star), with help of Stuart MacRae and Scott Matzka.

  So by the end of the first period, it was 1-1.  But neither side was happy with that, Cardiff especially.  To settle things out, Devils managed to go ahead for the first time, at 00.51 into the second period.  Stuart MacRae shot one home, on the powerplay, with the only assist going to Jon Pelle.  Cardiff were finally in the lead, but with it being so narrow, could they hold onto it?

  Apparently not.  Three minutes after Pelle put us ahead, the Blaze rallied with a goal of their own.  Carlson succeeded in getting a second past Stevie Lyle, who didn't play in the 13-2 win last night but managed to save 27 out of 32 shots tonight, at 7.13, leveling the score.  But they didn't stop there.  Two minutes later, Owen, who scored the first of the Blaze goals, put another past Lyle, making it 4-3 Blaze.

  With the second period ending at 4-3, the Devils' fans were getting worried.  Not that long ago, we had been in this same situation; and, if I remember correctly, I did say that as exciting as it was, I never wanted to watch a game like it again.  Apparently nobody listens to me...  But anyway, back to the game.  The Blaze obviously decided it would be fun to torment the Cardiff fans a little, by scoring a fifth goal - one which turned out to be the game winner - half way through the third, at 10.42, scored by Nell.

  Proving why he deserved the second star, Craig Weller managed to pull it out of the bag one last time, at 18.44 with the help of Jon Pelle and Scott Matzka (for the second time of the game), but it just wasn't enough to push overtime. 

  The game ended 5-4 to the Blaze, but no worries, Cardiff at still at the top of the League, with three points separating us from Sheffield and Belfast.  But even though they have a game in hand over us, Sheffield won't be able to catch us; we're the Devils and we're going to bring it back!  Good luck against the Panthers on Wednesday, Devils!  Let's Go Devils!

Cardiff Devils vs Coventry Blaze 15/01/11

Devils 5, Blaze 4 - Final Overtime

  Have you ever watched something so enticing, so enthralling, so entertaining, that it felt like your heart would cease to beat at any moment?  That's what awaited me at the Cardiff Bay Arena last night, where the Cardiff Devils were all set to continue their winning streak against the Coventry Blaze.

  With an ever fierce rivalry - and a twenty-one game win streak - the atmosphere was almost certain to be hair-raising... and it didn't disappoint.  Not only were the Red Army out in full force, but the Blaze had also wrestled up some extremely vocal fans.  Everything up until this point was sure to make for a fantastic game... or should I say, five-tastic game!

  Devils managed to pull off five amazing goals; four of them in regular time (scored by Max Birbraer (35.30), Phil Hill (37.57), followed by his second (47.58) and also with his second, Max Birbraer (49.27).  With this showstopping performance, Birbraer managed to pick up the Man Of The Match award for Cardiff.)  But even with these four fantastic goals, the Blaze managed to find four of their own (Dan Carlson (28.53), Ross Venus - scoring only 28 seconds after Max Birbraer equalized- (35.58), Brad Cruikshank (45.43) and Aaron Nell (55.50)), and forced the game into sudden-death overtime.

  But fear not, as the Devils only allowed fifty-seven seconds - and what a heart-stopping fifty-seven seconds they were - of play to commence.  That short-but eventful-space of time saw a Blaze breakout, executed by Dan Carlson (who originally opened the scoring), one that allowed Stevie Lyle to showoff his brilliance between the pipes, getting his whole body behind the puck and stopping it before it fully crossed the line.  This was just one in the long line of brilliant saves made by both goaltenders; Brent Jaeger even managed to pick up the Man Of The Match award for the Blaze, stopping an incredible fifty-four shots out of fifty-nine, whereas Stevie Lyle managed to stop twenty-one out of twenty-five.

  After almost losing their record breaking win streak, the Devils stepped up the pace.  Control came in the form of Craig Weller, who claimed the puck from face-ff and made sure it went down the ice.  Once his job was done, Weller dropped the puck to Ryan Finnerty and the rest was history; the Devils getting their twenty-second win in a row.

  All in all, an amazing game to witness... but then, Devils/Blaze match-ups always are!  Keep an eye for the next blog... and Good Luck Devils on Wednesday, against the Nottingham Panthers, in the Challenge Cup!  If you haven't got your tickets, get them now!  Puck-drop is at 7.30pm....