League Record So Far; 24 – 14 – 2, 50pts, 4th Place
L10GP; 6 – 4 – 0
Devils finished the night and started their week victorious against a Steelers team with no bite, no jump and no answer in the end, as both teams battled through a proverbial chess game until the wheels came flying off.
Devils went from 11 straight against to a rout vs Steelers
It was a pretty timid start by the home team, who had an aura of being scolded for naughty behaviour and didn’t want to put a foot wrong.
Hits were missed timed. Shots were whiffed. Poke checks were beaten. Pace was absent and there was an uneasy reluctance to really get into their opponents.
After a blatant trip mid ice on MacDonald, with all eight eyes on the play seeing, then checking they all saw from he men in stripes, no call was given, but a stick lift lead to a high stick call on Gourley, of course it did.
After that was killed, with some good blocks, the game went back to type. A lot of recovery effort by the D, pass fed to a winger, he sort of ‘skates’ up to the OZ blue line and is duly met by two or three men in orange.
Turned over, no supportive action by his line mates and then they break, easily through our blue line and look for high danger chances.
When there was a speculative chip/dump and chase, each time along the half boards, the forechecker was alone, consumed, turned over and repeat.
This lead to the first goal and 11 scored since the opener vs Giants last Friday.
When the puck was passed back to Gourley on the blue line, he looked to hammer it back on net, unsure why this was his go-too play, as the forwards he needed on net just worked to re-control the play and there was no one else to screen.
4 Steelers were between him and the shot, but he whiffed it, got pinched, then an odd man rush ensued. Batch left his man to attempt at a blocked shot from the puck carrier, and Carruth got picked apart.
Minutes later, they finally answered, again through traffic but this time there were Devils around the net to tap home a rebound.
With that, Almquist in his home debut, claims his first point as a Devil. Fournier’s assist also moved him to within 4 from 200 in the EIHL.
Devils were outshot on goal 11:6 in that frame, killed 2 penalties and Steelers dominated on the dots 12:6. Shots overall were 21:9 to the Steelers.
Second stanza saw some life but the fog lingered
It was pretty much you score, I score again in the second, but this time Devils took the lead for the first time in what seemed like an age since the weekend, with Carruth standing tall on some breakaways and high danger chances.
The Devils go ahead goal was pretty eye furrowing, as it came seemingly from nowhere. In fact, these are the types of goals that usually go against, particularly if Bowns is on a shutout.
Olischefski won his draw (47% on the night), collected by Sanford, who fed it back to Gourley, he found O’Brien on the wing, who snapped it at net, then Olischefski somehow got a tip and it trickled through Greenfields glove, past his leg pad and slowly into the net.
In truth, it looked like a low knuckle puck and Olischefski reached after it just went past him, however, it was a goal and that was all that mattered, much to the disbelief and relief of the home supporters.
However, as stated, they found one back, just moments from the restart and a pinch by Barrow, hard drive to the net and somehow, somehow, unbelievably, he couldn’t find the net as Greenfield escaped the high chance close range snap.
Being behind that net at the time, it looked like it was definitely goal bound, but Greenfield just had enough on it to force it wide.
Then, as Richardson was beaten on the inside by Vallerand, Batch left his position to shut him down, allowing a Steeler to drift into his place. Two other Devils were also back, but failed to even get a stick in the lane or front up on an open, waiting, Simpson who tapped it back door.
Infuriating.
The main highlight was a sequence where Harewood and not the only time, was there defensively then broke out and hit the centre line hard, driving to the net. This particular time, all but scoring. In the follow up to battle back for the puck, Duggan fronted up to a defending Dowd, who reversed hit him on to the deck.
Brilliant hockey, man vs boy. Some elements of the crowd didn’t like, but that’s the game. It is a contact sport and it goes both ways.
To end that frame, Devils put up 21 SOG against Steelers 23. Out shooting in the middle stanza 15:12 on net. But, they still massively lost out on the draws, going 21:14 in favour of the visitors. Battling work, but what people didn’t expect, was what came in the final dance.
Devils hockey (finally) returns
In his post gamer, PR stressed the importance of Devils hockey and that the weekend performance was it. The forums, asunder with bizarre rhetoric and bemusing assertions understood that it wasn’t.
But neither was the yearning sense of rolling back the clock the years up to Lordo’s era for that matter.
For some reason, the final dance became a waltz for the home team, as the visitors wilted away.
The typically vibrant home crowd eventually found its rhythm and got some noise underway, in some ways, it reflected a sombre mood before and at the start of the game.
The Devils third and second go ahead goal came again from a hard forecheck by Barrow, that drew players with him and left Greenfield open to close range chances. He was a rebound machine all night and after a flurry of attempts at the loose puck, it eventually went in.
By the time it did, Greenfield had an entire line around the net, the looks on their faces said it all. There was no answer to the forecheck and there was no spirit left in a team that started 5 points behind the league leaders and played like the season was done.
The home team had other ideas. It was time to rebalance and recapture that spirit they had all season long.
There was even a breakaway from the blue liners in Fournier and Richardson, it was a sight to behold. How could they skate up the ice together and nearly force a 2 on 1 tap in?
Then, in the last five minutes, things really clicked.
The work off the puck was coming together, pucks being turned over, loose pucks successfully regathered, positioning was tighter, puck carriers given no room or space.
That lead to the fourth goal where Sanford sniped home a pass from O’Brien, much needed for him and his team.
Then the empty netter came, Martins 2nd of the night and 3rd point of the night, then when no one knew what the time was due to a clock malfunction, the immediate restart saw a 5th past Greenfield and a blue line snipe from Donaghey finished things off.
The game ended with Devils leading on shot attempts, 55:51 and looking back to how they were going into last weekend.
With 38:32 SOG they definitely ended the game in prime position over their opponents, who for more than half of it, were the better team.
Devils did manage to even things on the dots at 28 FOW each, so with a road game coming up then an important home game the night after, this was the perfect tonic to refresh a beleaguered team that has been through a grinder this season.
That win was a clean sweep for Devils vs Steelers at home this season. It was their 5th straight at home against them in the league, the last loss vs Steelers in the Vindico was that 5:1 game last January, which saw the arena empty.
Since that loss at home they have a total of 7 straight wins vs Steelers in both EIHL competitions.
Their next clashes are on the road, again, in all EIHL competitions, home advantage fortunes the host.
With 14 games left in the league and a CC final in Belfast in just under 2 weeks, Devils have 6 home games on the regular season before a playoffs push to make the finals.
Game 7 mentality starts now.
Three Stars vs Steelers
Third Star; Zach O’Brien – Multi-point night with 3 primary apples and 100% shot efficiency
Second Star; Mac Carruth – He provided the foundation to build on with some superb saves and a 93.75 SV%
First Star; Joey Martin – Two goals and an assist helped to drive the offence for his team, a key presence all night
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