Weekend Review; CC Season Opener

Challenge Cup; 2 – 0 – 0; 4pts, 1st Place Group A

CARDIFF, WALES – It was a tough schedule and a tall order following an average pre-season with continued questions that absorbed the fan base throughout the offseason.

It even started in a typical fashion – a broken down coach on the way to Nottingham.

Added to that, was a loss of 50% of the new leadership group, including the captain, Joey Martin for his second stint of leading the Devils team.

Injuries, check.

Transport issues, check.

Devils lose in Nottingham, hold the beer.

Here are some key takeaways from the opening weekend of EIHL action in the Challenge Cup

1. Road win in Nottingham

It is as part of Devils folklore as the likes of Steve Moria, Andrew Lord and the Calgarian Ownership group. It is almost part of the Devils’ DNA itself.

Water is wet, Devils lose in Nottingham.

This was the expectation as a default point, especially as Panthers looked to grow throughout their pre-season and Devils struggled to average more than 2.5 goals per game.

It was pre-season after all.

Then, the added drama of a delayed face off, as per the almost customary advent of the travel schedule, which brought into question the reliability of their transport company of choice.

Despite a go ahead goal by Ryan Barrow, who continued his fine early season form for points that matter, with a short handed marker, they soon found themselves 3-1 down.

You could almost sense the reaction, here we go again, back to normality.

Then, thanks to the well worked power play, Devils pulled a goal back and we were in a one goal game with momentum on their side.

That certainly paid off, as Panthers struggled to cope with the structure and persistence of of the visitors, going on a 4 goal, ten minute domination of their hosts, eventually taking a win with 5 unanswered goals.

What a start for the men in red.

2. Positives for character and performance

Sticking to the plan and looking to keep the momentum moving forward is far easier said than done. The road win and OTW vs Steelers (after pre-season losses to similar score-lines and outcome) spoke volumes about the buy in for the team.

This isn’t a first and isn’t a poor reflection on the last coach. Two seasons ago, there were similar outcomes, including a road win in Nottingham and a near-untouched start to the last campaign that stretched into December.

The details were missing in the home tie, but the perseverance remained. It is early days for the season, but if this is the real deal snippet of what to expect, then tempering some harsher expectations might be key going forward.

3. Multi point nights and early form showing

The Panthers game alone produced 6 different goal scorers, with 9 players collecting points. Kontos and Sanford had 3 points each, with Barrow, Oligny, Estes and Davies each claiming a brace.

There was almost a full house of goals scored, missing just an ENG, so with the Panthers capitulation, it made for a raucous night on the road.

Sanfords’ calm breakaway opener vs Steelers added his 2nd goal for the weekend, he also had a brace on Sunday, going to 5 points in 2GP.

As stated in the off-season, he is more skilled playmaker and it shows, but he can score some deft goals when he wants too.

The top 9 for the weekend shone, with the top defensive line helping out, especially the Estes GWG in OT, despite some early fumbles and delayed reads during the game.

4. First pro win for Stoever

He had to thank his posts a few times, as the Steelers scratched and clawed to find a way back into the game, that was dominated early by the good guys, but Stoever was equal to the challenge and looked far more comfortable than his counter part the other end.

Smart rebounds, absorbing the puck, then the vision and nuance to create a smart outlet pass that helped to set up Ben Davies‘ goal, capped off a memorable night for him.

An unknown and even underwhelming choice considering the other tandems in the league, it seemed a budget decision was made, however the fruition of this particular piece of business is likely their smartest choice yet.

Coachable, reliable and unflappable, Stoever has really commanded a presence between the pipes, earning praise across the board.

He faced 33 SOG making 31 saves for a 93.94 SV%.

He might be the pick up of the season.

5. Curse broken, expectations tempered, sticks ?

The weekend capped off a great start under the Paul Thompson era of the Devils, with the results and positive goal differential being the justification for some before the season fully started.

Some have determined the team as ‘mid table’ and even lower, with most expecting a mediocre outcome across the course of the campaign. Of course, it is way too early to tell, however one thing is for certain, there may just be a recall and reorder of twigs across the board.

It wasn’t just for the Devils, but most games have seen a fair few of the teams experiencing some faulty gear with their sticks, so maybe there might be some deals on game used and soon to be written off stock.

As bemusing it was to see, having the right feel for their tool of choice is written into the code of DNA for every hockey player, so as unexpected this start was, you know, a casual 4 point weekend against two very talented teams, the equipment was definitely a curve ball that you would hope to see remedied by the following game weekend.

Three Stars of the Weekend