Devils Fall vs HC Arlan, Final Group Set

Record; 2 – 1 – 0, 6pts, 2nd Place

It was a game that went the way of the agitators HC Arlan Koketshau, who managed to come from behind and score 5 unanswered goals, costing the Devils a clean sweep of their group and their top place.

All the hard work that went into a 3-1 lead, comfortably, whittled away as costly penalties helped the Kazakhs back into the game, then with a few minutes to go, the Devils lost their steely cool and focus, which saw players ejected and Koketshau skating away triumphantly with a 6-3 final score.

The damage was done after a penalty box procession by both teams for chippy infractions, where their PP worked fantastically against a stoic and composed Devils team, but the chippy nature of the game eventually got the better of them.

The procession went both ways, but it was the Kazakhs who took advantage of their power plays, with Devils only scoring once to Arlan’s three with the man advantage.

A lot could be said for how they were set up on the PK with an EBUG, but this was Maxym Duvé’s first professional game, so there was only so much he could provide between the pipes and for what it was worth, he done a stellar job, especially 5v5.

Prior to the roughings, unsportsmanlike and game ejections, the game was end to end, both defences were able to break up attacks, goalies were dialled in and the game flowed. The fans (Devils fans) roared and created one of the most vibrant atmospheres the building had seen in roughly 60 years. It was truly good hockey.

After two stanzas, the game was tied to 3 each, with penalties left on the clock.

From a well worked play up the boards, the blocked shot set up a breakaway, where Sannikov was fed by previously touted Paramonov across the point, which sent a sublime wrister over the shoulder of Duve.

On the play Gourley could have done better, as he seemed to close a triangle but had he held his ground and tightened the blades, he could have won the puck and sent it the other way. Fine margins.

The resulting face off saw Devils fail to clear their zone, which was greatly accepted then a terrific play by Arlan, forehand to backhand across Duve with the puck slipped in 5 hole.

It was a horrific restart, which saw a face-off win to Donaghey, he tried to play up the boards, recovered it, but got pinched, leaving MacWilliam to cover up the opposite board, creating an overlap with a man unmarked and the game winning goal was secured.

This was the first time Devils went behind on the weekend and suffered a two goal deficit, just 15 seconds apart.

A slightly late hit behind the Arlan net against the boards, drew the ire of the Kazakhs, even though the play was innocuous at worst.

The resulting melee ended up with a Fighting Major and ejection for Gourley, an unsportsmanlike misconduct for Brandt and similar punishment for the Arlan player who got manhandled by Gourley.

This is when the game broke down finally, as the jarring, chippy and agitative play that was evident during the first 40 mins went largely unabated.

Despite the handbags and inevitable shock defeat, the fans never let up, which drew resulting reactions from the Arlan players, this was fair enough, play to the crowd, always. That is sport.

The final goal, again from a 5 on 3 power play would be one Duve would want back as they almost walked in around the net and sent the puck in 5 hole again.

What happened after was more surprising, as Joey Martin got involved in a fracas with a celebrating player. He doesn’t normally do that, but got a 10 minute misconduct penalty for his efforts anyway.

This wasn’t the end of it.

The frustration of the Devils players with the gloating of their opponents got to boiling point quickly, but it was the resulting face-off which saw the lid fly off the pot.

Another win from the draw saw the puck go to Mosey, who fired it right at the Kazakh bench. Immediate ejection for the veteran import Brit, which was the final act from a complete collapse of focus, discipline and professionalism.

The game ended with 79 PIMS for the Devils, with 116 PIMS overall. Not the end to a great weekend everyone hoped for but they qualified for the final and that’s what counts.

The bond between players and fans would surely be strengthened as would their resolve to take on each opponent with a closer brotherhood. That is what these kind of tournaments do.

2025 IIHF Continental Cup Final

As for the Final, a dramatic show down in group F between Katowice and hosts Aalborg who were highly anticipated to join Devils in the final round, meant that thanks to the Katowice win, they qualified instead with former preliminary round robin hosts last season, Grenoble.

For those who remember, Grenoble failed to log a single win in that round, eventually dismissing their coach just days after hosting. In the final itself, hosted in Cardiff, Wales, one of the best games for atmosphere and hockey in the Vindico Arena came between Devils and Katowice.

Devils finished 3rd for the second year running, losing to Kazakhs and champions Astana Nomads and an OTL against Danish giants Herning.

The final itself is now under intense scrutiny as far as destination is concerned.

The main choices would be Cardiff again or Grenoble. Of course, it depends who has the most convincing bid, however, the Grenoble destination is the more likely choice as in recent years Cardiff hosted this round and the final, not to mention their capability of providing a fan zone, ease of access for all fans and player accommodation is slightly more diverse.

Polands Katowice would come with suspicion, due to the reputation of elements from their fan base and culture there, although many would love a trip to Poland, it is the less likely between the aforementioned.

Finally, it is highly doubtful IIHF would grant HC Arlan Koketshau hosting rights due to location and existing tensions that side of Europe.

As mentioned in the last article, my view is strongly with Grenoble hosting the Final, as it is the easiest of the options. It is also inevitable they have heavily invested in this competition already. They stormed to a group win in Aalborg, against all expectations from the previous season. They are ready.

Ultimately, this final will feature teams the club already knows, having played against each. Just the Arlan game will be the road block, because for 55 minutes, Devils were the better team. I don’t think an exact repeat would happen in their next clash, but something will, so hopefully that game is last and the cup is already claimed.

Three Stars vs HC Arlan;