Midweek Review & Look Ahead to the Weekend

Challenge Cup So Far; 5 – 3 – 0, 10pts, 2nd Place, 0.63 Win%

CARDIFF, WALES – Devils downed then routed at home, putting their campaign into a nervy conclusion, with a lot of thought left over for the team.

It was a weekend that could have seen the first team realistically progress with games to spare, in a weekend of home games to treat their fans and put a stamp on their ambitions for the season.

However, it wasn’t to be as they were defiantly defeated by Blaze after wasting a 3 goal lead, then couldn’t find an answer in a 5 goal shutout, leaving more questions than answers for the fans and a daunting prospect of facing a team they are yet to beat in the league opener this weekend.

Here are some takeaways from the weekends hockey then a preview for the weekend ahead;

1. Opportunities squandered as Devils missing impact player

It is no secret of the impact that Joey Martin can bring to the Devils, with his experience, hockey IQ, presence and finishing under pressure.

In a lot of situations, they would have benefited from him being on the ice, such as key breakaways and in the gritty situations where he usually steps up or even takes the game by the scruff of the neck when it is bogged down with turnovers and tightly checked in the NZ.

Even still, there should have been enough on the ice to have impact from other players. They battled back to get leads in the game vs Blaze, but ultimately their frustrations got the better of them.

This was the story of the weekend, which saw 4 PPG go in for the visitors on night one, then two more, one even after an ENG.

If a team wants to play its game, it needs to play to its strengths, something that was missing on the course of both nights, aside from their spectacular ability to take penalties.

In total there were 119 shot attempts across both games, with only 5 scored, just 4.2% chance accuracy, out of 64% shots being on target.

There were massive contrasts to the games, with the first seeing less impact across all forwards lines, despite more goals being scored, as compared to the second game, where nearly all were generating chances, yet there was 0% shot efficiency, as they were shutout.

Frustrating indeed.

2. Still waiting on the goal scorers

The biggest talking point of the off-season still lingers, even this early into the season, with a lot of players missing key chances or not even generating enough grade A looks.

There are two players leading so far in the cup in terms of goals, Brandon Estes and Ryan Barrow, both with 4 each.

After 8GP, there have been 27 goals scored, 5 less compared to last season, with 12 individual goal scorers, compared one more last season.

Even at this stage in a short comparison, Sanford had 6 goals, with Duke and Barrow on 4. Sanford is down 50% directly in terms of production.

Of course, if you look elsewhere in the competition, teams like Flyers and Clan, even Blaze have some more success from their players, as Panthers have one game left after Wednesday, it would provide some form of bench mark to the overall pace.

3. Discipline setting the tone and costing valuable points

The cup might not matter to most, but it does to each club and their players as it is an opportunity to win a trophy.

Putting in the right performance naturally matters to the coaches and the way the discipline has impacted the results on the weekend would be cause for concern, but not impossible to correct, to a degree.

This is an area of ‘retain habits, you keep them’ scenarios. This isn’t new and doesn’t look like changing, no matter who is behind the bench per season.

Across the weekend there were 6 goals scored on the power play against the team and for the game vs Blaze, this was how they got back into it, time and again, eventually being the key difference between the teams.

Devils only score on one of 7 of their own power play opportunities, which begs the question, should the special teams get a reshuffle and see how that works going forward?

It has been clear that there was not enough pace to enter the zone and this wasn’t an isolated situation, as this has been a recurring theme throughout the season so far.

After nearly 10 competitive games, as well as the leagues’ longest pre-season, this should have been ironed out by now.

Recurring habits mat play into this, however the QB is clearly Brandon Estes and the delays to decision making is the crucial point of where the power plays can breakdown before they reach the opposing blue line.

He is a very good skater, as is most of the Devils blue line core, so getting the jets going is and often can be, the simplest way to remedy that facet of their game.

4. Off night defensively, hopefully not a pattern

Up until the weekend, Devils had the best of everything in terms of position, momentum, form, GA and goalie stats.

They were the team to beat.

The yo-yo effect on Saturday was disappointing, but more so the costly penalties, however, the first goal for Blaze was in sporting terms, a ‘sitter’, for Luciani and the man marker should have done a lot better.

Even if the expectation was for the line mate to turn the puck over and snap a break out pass to their wing, just leaving them go in such a high danger position is criminal. If that didn’t happen, different weekend entirely.

Mistakes happen.

Once is a concern, twice is a pattern, more is a call for something to change.

This is when the game vs Panthers had a different feel to it.

The compete was there and it was a very tightly checked game. There was no need to worry about physicality, especially in close quarters type of games.

The execution and focus just didn’t match their opponents. On top of that, the goalies were left out to dry, as errant passes, inability to control the puck, even under no pressure and far too many giveaways, especially defensively, left players alarmingly out of position and the goalies to try and bail them out.

This lead to 11 goals being conceded in two games, a familiar feeling to the road nightmares agains the Giants last season.

Sometimes, overplaying instead of keeping it simple is the cause, but that is easier said than done. Mistakes were self made on the good guys, they know that.

They didn’t give up, which is the biggest outcome of the night or even weekend. The response, that will be the crucial point and key focus on Saturday when the league starts for real at home.

5. Engagement off the ice

It has often been said that in any barn, the fans can be the 6th man in a game that can swing the favour of their team and help them across the line for the win.

It is important to any spectator sport.

More so in a closed environment as it has a more personal feel to it, as you are almost right on the ice and in the action at times.

The synergy when it works has no feeling like it, unless you are the one playing and you get to celebrate the goals and wins with your brothers in arms.

It is important to players. More so than most care to realise or even in some cases, accept.

It is a two way street however.

Yes, a loud barn can intimidate the opposing team and the energy is there to feed off for the home bench. This can inspire players to dial in more, focus on actions that keep the crowd engaged. Big hits, smooth finishes, some chirps or out right dastardly behaviour.

This in turn, refuels said barn and the cycle continues.

Most nights, there are no issues. Others, there might be a collective, but unconnected feeling that the energy for the game, isn’t quite there. People are human after all.

So are the players.

The caveat is that professional athletes shouldn’t need outside factors or forces to get amped up for their competitive play. Otherwise, how are they there in the first place?

Also, it is not the sole responsibility to any particular section of any barn or stadium, it is collective, as soon as a ticket is bought and you step foot into the arena.

If there is a dedicated section for more enthusiastic participation, then the crux is, they have stepped up to make a difference, so the question then always remains, will the others around them do the same, regardless of where they are? If not, remember, they made the effort, whilst others often won’t.

Of course, it is a choice, the ultimate factor is that for those who have made the decision to act on a change, they cannot and should not be blamed if the atmosphere falls flat.

Again, that is a collective responsibility of the entire arena.

For the players, they also feed into this. Play great, automatic buy in. Play atrocious, it saps the energy of the entire crowd, including ones that have spent their time to design and create flags to help build a better atmosphere for ALL at games.

Again, two way street.

It is profoundly stupid however and utterly ignorant to say or do nothing and expect others to contribute for you, then, to have an opinion if it doesn’t work so well.

That isn’t being mean or pot calling the kettle black when it is the behaviour itself being called out. So, if the shoe fits, I advise to lace them up and get moving to becoming better.

It also cannot be equated to a paid role within the arena or elsewhere, when said spectators are not volunteers or getting paid. Remarks like that are not just unhelpful and serve utterly no purpose, but they are entirely redundant.

Engagement from fans is huge for teams and their clubs, but if behaviour and attitudes towards a particular group are becoming silly and even threatening, then when it does and rightfully gets called out, to the surprise of no one, it should be reflected on, instead of having offence taken from it and repeating a toxic cycle.

Sometimes, that section or group has the right to call it out. Even if mistakes had been made within it over the years.

No one should be personally attacked or have death threats sent to them and most of all, if you are at a game and the atmosphere isn’t ‘quite right’, you have a voice. Use it. That might be more useful and productive for the team, it could even create a moment that can turn the game.

The feeling when that happens if indescribable at times, as it feels so unique when it all clicks and comes together.

Having a productive attitude always comes before being counter-productive. But, like a statement on a podcast, that is opinion and the choice is on the individual.

From 5 out of 6 periods for the most part, the mentioned section tried their best to generate something, ultimately it fell flat and for a rare point, the standing block was mostly seated.

They are human after all. They are actually in some parts, allowed to give up.

The players on the ice, at any point, aren’t allowed to give up, as that is their job. Not the fans. Even ones who stand and chant or wave a flag.

How that is taken, again, is a choice, but at no point have individuals been called out, just a reflection on attitudes towards an atmosphere being created or when it fails to transpire, in an unfiltered, no holds barred response.

A look ahead to the Weekend

Devils host Blaze for their third meet of the season, suffering two defeats in the process during cup action, both games by a single goal.

This is a must win game for the group, who have a lot to turn around after their misfortunes last weekend.

This one means something. More than anything. With Blaze once again showing how dangerous they can be and how relentless they are to stay in the mix, this is a game where no one can afford a night off, especially on the ice.

The best part is that captain Joey Martin is expected to return, which should boost the group and create a little headache for the coach in terms of roster selection.

So far, the same lines have been pretty much utilised, unfortunately seeing Caponi on the 4th and an offensive tandem on the 2nd blue line.

The top 6 have stalled in their production of late, with Barrow making up for the short fall. Seeing him promoted back to the top 6 would be a beneficial pay off indeed.

In recent games and especially against the Blaze, it appears the match ups have worked in their favour, so hopefully some much need rotation will be the refresh and reset they need.

Across the games, the Devils have been dominant, it was either execution on net or discipline that allowed the games to slip away, even going to OT to salvage at least a point should have been a small reward for effort.

I expect a determined response from puck drop, so this should be a corker.

Following this, they have to travel to Nottingham to face off against the Panthers, who avenged an earlier defeat in the cup with a convincing shutout last weekend.

Since Panthers stuttering start, they have gone on to build some momentum with their big guns out scoring their competition, including a road win last night vs Steelers in the cup, to at least keep a glimmer of hope for their team, with a single game left in the group.

Blaze, conversely lead the group whilst Devils sit 2nd overall, but their win%, which is key for the seedings, has taken a huge hit from both of their next opponents.

Devils have found fortune in Nottingham this season, so hopefully that is a catalyst for more and of course, no further mishaps on the trip north.

Both sets of fans that visited last weekend were tremendous and for good reason, something for all to reflect on, both on and off the ice, home or away.

Panthers should have the best tandem on paper, however, it is returning icon, Kevin Carr that has contributed most to their successes so far this season, so perhaps on Sunday he might be called upon again to repeat the same performance he put in against the Devils last weekend.

It isn’t surprising to see the Devils for the first time in 4 weeks take a sharp drop in power rankings following back to back defeats, with a shutout against and 11 goals scored on them, but here is how the form looks from last weeks EIHL action;