Year End Double vs Flames

League Record So Far; 15 – 1 – 6, 31pts, 2nd Place

Devils round off 2023 with a road and home battle against rivals Guildford Flames, days after a Festive double win vs Blaze.

Devils travel down to the unpleasant eyesore of Guildford, near the M25 with a 3 – 2 – 0 record in last 5GP, two from the recent clashes with struggling Blaze as Flames have not been beaten in regulation in their last 5GP, showing some of the form they got used too throughout the previous season.

On the road, Devils are 8 – 3 – 1 in the their 12 games away so far this season, the last 5 reflecting their L5GP proper also.

At home, Flames have won 4 in their last 5, with the last 10 games at 7 – 2 – 1, which suggests it will be a tough test for the good guys at the chlorine pit in Surrey.

Outside of the Challenge Cup, this is the first clash between the two in regular season, so with both teams hitting some form, it will be the perfect way to end the calendar year to set up a hot race for the summit in the new year.

They will face each other four times over the next month, so this series will surely be feisty, chippy and produce some high octane hockey.

Devils have built some good foundations to take into these games, leading the league PK with 86.44% and a very good PP, in the top 5 with 23.19%, a record that has been craved by all for some time.

This will be a crucial factor, as both teams have put up a number of goals recently, so with the home teams PK sitting below 75%, the Devils will need to keep the same momentum and execution for this weekends battle ahead.

Devils also lead the league in GS with 81, boasting one of the leagues top goalie records with Bowns at 93.5 SV% and a 2.08 GAA. Flames’ MacAdam also sits in the top 5 for goalies, so this should be a mammoth duel between the pipes.

Lewis Hook is currently 2nd in points overall with 27 so far this season, Marcus Crawford not far being on 24, putting up 14 points in the last 12GP overall in all EIHL competitions.

Goal Sanford leads the league in goals scored with 15 lamps lit, exploding through the gates once he got his first in the weekend before the Continental Cup trip to Grenoble. His form has continued, with 13 points from the last 12GP, in all EIHL ties.

Peter Crinella (14) is just one goal off Sanford, so these goal scoring phenoms will be ones to watch and contain out there on the ice.

Expected Line Up vs Flames;

Trevor Cox – Jamie Arniel – Ryan Barrow

Cole Ully – Tyler Busch – Cole Sanford

Joshua Waller – Justin Crandall – Brandon Alderson

Chad Pietroniro – Ben Davies – Riley Brandt

Evan Mosey – Marcus Crawford

Josh Batch – Bode Wilde

River Rymsha – Mark Richardson

Ben Bowns

Tyler Wall

Healthy Scratch; Sam Duggan

Injured Reserve; Joey Martin, Cody Donaghey

Joey Martin expected to return vs Steelers, 03/01/2024