Post Game Review; Devils Delight in Steelers Collapse

League Record So Far; 33 – 14 – 5, 71pts, 2nd Place

L10GP; 6 – 4 – 0

CARDIFF, WALES – Steelers arrived in town, presumably looking to play ice hockey and ensure a battle on the ice for the seedings, especially 2nd.

How things went however, surprised many, if not all.

A rout on the road for them.

Another shutout for Stoever.

Extended points streaks for the good guys.

More misconducts and resulting fines.

For a midweek game, that felt like a chore to begin with, turned out to be a fantastic night in South Wales if you were supporting the men in red.

Here is a breakdown of the game that has seemed to confine a season and define another each way;

1. Be up for it – Check

Within the build up to this fixture and reflecting the previous weekends’ slate of games, one rallying call was to simply be up for the game and step up for the task.

I think you could consider a 5 nothing victory against a fierce rival, job done on that front.

But there was more to it than that.

Puck battles, skating hard, direct play in the OZ, no nonsense attitude toward their opponents. In buckets. It wasn’t for the full 60, however, even during a 10 minute phase of pulling themselves inside out, they soon recovered and got on the gas again.

Every point raised was met and then some.

They intimidated, bullied and bossed their opponents about, who looked like they had no business being there at all. In fact, where was Balmas? Juusola? Jasper? Tait?

Even with the return of Greenfield, he kept them in it as long as he could, but the hosts were superior in every category, when it mattered.

Leaving a pertinent question once the dust settled and the team conducting coaches interviews could finally go home, ‘where has this performance been all season?’.

2. Details, details, details

The coach said it himself, there will be plenty of chances to catch them on the counter and breakaway. Some of those goals, especially the first from Kontos and then Sanfords’ goals were exactly that.

Then there is the other details.

Passes, execution, man marking. I would say it got to 90%. The 2nd period dipped, as errant passes, giveaways and unforced turnovers from a few players allowed Steelers to set up, briefly.

The defensive work and PK was superb, as was Stoever.

Improve on this, each game will be in their hands here on out.

3. Redemption arcs fulfilled, for now

Following a woeful first period that consigned the road defeat in Coventry, you would be lying to suggest that Stoever would play in net on the next fixture.

Yet, here he was.

Dialled in, fearless and reactive in the best way to a fault.

It was the perfect way to bounce back and signifies the faith his coaching team and squad around him has. He has well and truly captured the hearts of the Devils faithfful and he pays it forward.

The result as well, served as a slice of redemption, as the season series vs Steelers was already lost before puck drop. This one was for pride and to remind themselves they are capable.

They could face each other again down the road, however, for the penultimate regular season home game and for the final seedings, that was the way to do it and remind those opponents, they wanted it more. So much more.

4. Kontos extends natural point streak

Kristoff Kontos has been a silent worker, head down (literally), quietly going about his business. One of the last ‘big name’ signings of the off-season, which was met with a mixed, tepid response.

If anything, it confirmed an inevitable: this season will not be about trophies, but about purely enjoying the hockey.

He is a difficult player to read. His style seems robotic, then erratic. You can never predict what he will do from the NZ to the OZ and where he decides to skate toward.

You can never predict if he will back check or keep an eye on his opposite number.

You can never predict what he will do with the puck.

He might flip the biscuit randomly into some space you may not expect him to be bothered with. After all, his head is usually down, instead of looking up.

That is purely his style.

My tip for those who also struggled to read him and take to him – watch his play and read his eyes (vision) off the puck. The above immediately falls into place.

Where ever he is on the ice, as soon as he takes the puck, he knows his next steps before anyone else. The sheet is scanned. Players scouted. He has clocked where his line mates are (and where they need to be).

That is his style. Unorthodox, yes, works for him, absolutely.

He is now on a 9 game natural point streak, following a multi-point night (1G, 2A), he has now gone to 51 points in 50GP throughout regular season, leading his team.

He is the business.

His output also signifies key failings elsewhere, but the season is not done just yet.

The last stretch of games has seen him hit 5 multi-point nights, with 18 points across that stretch, opening up a 2.0 point per game pace.

Quite a streak and at a key time.

5. More point streaks extended

It wasn’t just Kontos who added to their point streak, Brett Perlini (34 pts) also chipped in with a goal in his 5th straight game (after going nearly 30 without). During these last 5 games, he has hit 7 points, extending to 9 points from his last 6 games. Putting him to 1.5 points per game lately.

If he could get 4 more goals by the end of regular season, it would be a sweet way to end his stint in South Wales (possibly) by hitting 100 all time EIHL goals.

Whilst Sanford (46pts) doesn’t have a natural point streak, he is regularly contributing, with a goal and a helper last night, putting up to 17 points in the last 11 games, including a monster 5 point night vs Stars. This puts him up to just over 1.5 points per game and his link ups with Kontos have been electric of late.

We should expect more to come. His lowest in regular season was 47 points (first in the EIHL) and the next lowest was last season (48). His destiny.

You would have to go back to mid-January to find a collapse in regular point production from Josh MacDonald (45pts), whoich he has 2G and 1A in the last 3 games naturally. Stretching back to January however, across 18 games, he has put up 18 points. So, to a fault, a point per game.

Of late, Brett Ferguson has shown the level of play that he started with, of which he certainly looks like he is enjoying himself out there as well. He is on a 4 game natural point streak, putting up 6 points, extending to 7 in 6.

He isnt alone with that 4 game run, as Brandon Estes (53 pts) continues his respectable season with 5 points in his last 4. He is 2 games away from being up there with Marcus Crawford, who had 57 points in his first season, 55 in his second. A bench mark for sure, where the previous season had neither type of production from the blue liners.

Not all point streaks are positive however, despite an electric start to autumn and winter for Olischefski, he has now gone 9 straight games without a goal, only putting up 3 points in that skid.

He has been a leader for sure throughout the season, especially when higher end players went unproductive. He fits in the top 6 and controls communication effectively, especially with the officials. A staunch leader on the ice, getting the greasy work done, so others around him can flourish.

One to watch and keep in mind going forward.