Weekend Review vs Storm

Gritty Series marred by ejections made hard for Devils, who pick up 4 point weekend

Challenge Cup So Far; 5 – 0 – 1, 10pts, 1st Place

CARDIFF, WALES – In the first game of the home/away double header vs Manchester Storm, Devils had to keep their cool as much as possible against an opponent with a simple game plan; disrupt and slow them down, by any means necessary.

For the follow up, it started as it left off in Cardiff, with a further ejection, with some hockey finally being played as the night wore on.

It didn’t pay off but sparked some talking points, of which, here are my key takeaways from the weekends rumble against Storm;

1. Disruptive tactics slowed down Devils, but not enough

The wings and zone entry were weak points for the Devils on their own, so didn’t really need further assistance from their opponents, who took advantage of all stoppages in play and brought the rough stuff to really grind away any essence of momentum for the home team.

Each time a whistle was blown, any time the puck was frozen by the immense goalies, the Storm players had a clear assignment. Get into the faces of their opponents and keep them looking over their shoulder.

From Rais Francis, to Loren Ulett, Bradley Jenion to Brandon Cutler, there was no shortage of Storm skaters looking to do just that.

From the handbags by the goal crease, cynical slashes off the puck and behind the play, to full blown breakdowns at the boards after terribly executed ‘hits’, Storm ended up making their own night harder for themselves, as Ulett and Francis both got ejections.

The lack of discipline ultimately hamstrung their own team, as they struggled to maintain structure and keep with a more elite opponent, icing the puck dozens of times as the game wore on.

Despite impressive goaltending either end and the method of the Mancunian madness, Devils skated off with a 3 goal shutout, going back to the top of the group.

In the rematch at Storm, it didn’t take long for the game to break down, which saw multiple calls made, for both good and bad reasons and some ugly plays not being accounted for at all.

It would make a very strong case for DOPS to get involved, however, as there wasn’t much in terms of innocuous penalties being picked up, this would be unlikely.

2. Bowns Strong again, collecting an early and well earned shutout, Stoever impressive

Bowns faced down 29 shots for his win and first shutout of the season in style, going long periods without seeing much action, but when it was on, it was full throttle.

It took him nearly the entire season last time to claim a shutout, despite going agonisingly close in earlier games and seeing both Carruth and Burman claim their own before him.

This is the pay off for that continuous dominance between the pipes.

45% of their mid slot efforts failed to hit the target, with 38% in total not even getting through. Over 60% were saved, of which just 11 were in the low slot. It was a good defensive effort by the Devils, but of course, shooting efficiency is relatable to fatigue and the Storm were gassed before the end of the 2nd.

Bowns also faced 25% less traffic in the first period alone, which gave an indication of the talent split between the benches.

There was a goal washed off during the game, despite no whistles on the play, Bowns was not in a position to recover and continue playing, this would have been a goal at 6 on 5. Which would have added to another storyline.

Stoever picked up where his co-worker left off, however didn’t manage a shut out. Thanks to a power play goal, Storm did finally get on the board, but the same amount of shots again faced him, 29 in total, from much less attempts.

This is the product of how well recruited and built the defensive side of the team has been, with some early pay offs.

3. High PIMS, low goals, none at even strength in game one

The methods of which a goal was scored was a very interesting variable for the first match up within itself. The first two goals Devils could score were taken on the power play, positions that the opposition put themselves in to begin with.

Play silly games, you reap those type of prizes.

Then, before the third got sent in by MacDonald, one more was washed out for the Storm, who pulled their goalie to go 6 on 5, so should that have counted, the trend would have remained the same.

Eventually, Devils completed their victory over a very poor, but very scrappy and even scruffy opponent with an ENG.

Trend complete.

Had Storm played hockey instead of trying to emulate the likes of LNAH level styles, they might have been able to force more pressure on the Devils’ net as Weninger was brick wall for them, picking up a 96.3 SV%. That is game winning levels.

Despite the low returns in the net, Devils made 80 shot attempts and trying to get the biscuit through their opponents was a tough ordeal.

Much has been said for having an out and out goal scorer, but that was a game for the type of players the club recruited.

Of the 80 shots attempted, 68.75% were on net, but same as their last game, very low on quality chances, much to the credit of their opposing net minder.

When a team spends most of its time having to play up against a disruptive opponent, it would inevitably cost them in the finer details and it showed, with just 5.45% shot efficiency as the outcome in game one.

It also paved the way for two game ejections and a handful of scraps, along with over 100 PIMS on the night, due to the game misconducts.

That was the tale of the tape effectively for the game in Cardiff, with the tone well and firmly set for the follow up the night after.

It certainly did, with 53 PIMS to Devils alone and 28 to Storm, making it 182 PIMS across the series.

4. Estes extends points streak, as Devils prove to be a tougher opponent

The plaudits continue for one of the unsung, extremely low key additions to the roster as the off-season wilted onward.

Brandon Estes last week hit a 5 point high during their demolition of the Flames on home ice, but failed to mark the game sheet on the following game vs Blaze on the road.

With his secondary assist on the second power play marker, and one for the game opening shorty, Estes has now gone 10 points from 6GP in the cup and one to keep looking out for.

Adding to his offensive production is his smart puck movement under pressure and ability to both shut down attacks and then recycle and go. He knows when to pinch the play and isolate players effectively.

His only downside that continues to persist is recycling plays on the man advantage, with the first few power plays painfully slow, allowing Storm to defend their blue line against attempted zone entries and sending the puck back behind enemy lines.

More breakout speed with slingshot plays or just simple outlet passes up to the wings for the speedy forwards to carry in would eliminate this, as at times the main PP units looked disjointed and stunted in their enterprise.

Having 2 PPGs for the good however, did help them maintain a decent return overall, with the PP now at 26% for 3rd overall after night one.

Their line defence has been a key factor for their momentum early on in the season, with a shutout making them the best overall for GA still (9), they are now top of Group A for GF (22) and two behind overall cup leaders, Dundee Stars after game day 6.

It isn’t just Estes on a veritable points streak after game one, Sanford has now gone 8 for 6GP, making a determined and fast start to continue building his own chapter for the clubs’ history.

Jimmy Oligny had the only multi-point weekend, with a brace of apples in each match up, which lifted him to a point per game pace and he averages at nearly 24 mins per game for TOI.

Following game two, he ended up on 7 points from 6GP.

Estes, leads the skaters with 27:37 averaged TOI so far, being the expected go-too guy for Coach Thompson, he almost hit 30 minutes on the night vs Storm at home.

Monster minutes, that can put up points and skate, holding the blue line either way. It would be no surprise than fans of former Devil Matt Register would be loving his game so far.

5. Olischefski returns, caged and looking to get amongst it, Caponi on the board

Kohen Olischefski had an embattled preseason which saw his competitive play delayed until Friday night, where he lead top line as centre, again.

During the pre-season, it was a smart looking choice to leave him off the top line centre role, as his playing style and impact relates better to the middle six, but the coach makes those choices.

Of his return, he never shy away from anything and kept himself firmly in the mix for any looks on net or players to find, with 44.4% of shots on target. He went just over 50% on the dots, the team ultimately losing the face off battle by 3.

With the healthy scratch being young Brit Bayley Harewood, there was a full contingent of both forwards and defence, with Davies moved to the wing.

The bottom 6 failed to generate any pace on or off the puck, which added to the slow moving power plays, uncharacteristic of the group to date.

Perhaps that would make a case for changing the lines up on the road vs Storm, as Yaremko would fit nicely on the top line, who is a point per game and in the plus for face off wins.

For Olischefski, keeping his game clean and avoiding any injury would be the main focus, I would expect him to keep growing, especially for the rematch the night after.

This paid off from a well worked goal just after a power play, for the weekend’s first game at EVS. It proved to be the GWG also, in a low scoring but high drama affair.

That goal also marked him as the 10th player to score so far in competitive play and in the cup for the Devils this season, so hardly the deep offensive scoring many believed after last Friday.

Adding to the score sheet and getting the second dance well and truly under way was a short handed marker by Caponi, for his first professional goal.

It was a great effort, with breakaway speed that caught Storm flat footed and quick hands saw him tap home in a game, which also saw him involved in every type of hockey situation you could think of.

Across the series, just one goal scored was on even strength, with 3 power play goals, one empty netter and one short handed. Not a great spectacle, but you have to play what is in front of you, so, maximum points and one single loss, sees the team romp ahead with the highest win % so far.

How Things Stand

Image taken via EIHL website

There are just 4 games left for Devils in group A, with a mini and rare home stand for the season, as they face off against Blaze and Panthers, who are both having quite a start to their own season’s, respectively.

One more regulation win should put them into prime position to progress, so with the home ice advantage, this is now in their control. So no pressure.

This is because the knockout stages will be seeded via Win%, instead of top seed selecting their opponent.

For more, it can be read here; https://www.eliteleague.co.uk/article/4648-tweak-to-challenge-cup-knockout-stages