Challenge Cup - Devils V Blaze - Double Header

[wildthing74]

Take nothing away from us we have been immense all weekend and deserved our first 4 point weekend in well can't recall when but Blaze were woeful and the worst team I've seen them have ever.

I used to feel it was such a big deal to beat them a few years ago but there was no grit or fight from most of their guys but kudos to Selby to try and spark his team even though they were already beaten.

I know we've had our issues this season but I think Matty has to make big changes there.

So pleased for the whole team to get the shut out especially LaCosta after what he went through early season.

 

[Wagstaff]

Pope replacing Francis was my point, I know you guys loved the G & Franny relationship but the bench seems to be vibrant again! Plus LaCosta hitting form after a difficult start

 

[Chris]

Take nothing away from us we have been immense all weekend and deserved our first 4 point weekend in well can't recall when but Blaze were woeful and the worst team I've seen them have ever.

Looking at the MNL stats, I think that's our first 4 point weekend since December of last year! In any competition...

Sat 22.12.12 - Braehead Clan 2-6 Cardiff Devils - 7:00pm - League
Sun 23.12.12 - Cardiff Devils 2-1 (OT) Hull Stingrays - 6:00pm - League

Even more awesome

 

[Russky]

How this blaze team shut out the Giants and thrashed them 6-0 on their own ice earlier in the season i will never know!!!

This has to be the worst Blaze team i have seen ever.

Now thats out of the way, in defence of our boys, you can only play the team in front of you and they did a great job. La Costa was awesome, D looked solid and we looked threatening almost every time we went on the attack.

Cant figure out why our first goal was disallowed as i thought it was a legit delayed penalty goal. Then thanks to the Smith Myers Davies combination play we did go ahead and Dean Smith had no reason to disallow it.

Blighty's goal was inevitable as we were all over their goal like a rash. To be fair to Zacharias he seemed to be the only Blaze player to turn up tonight and kept the score down to single figures deserving his MOM. Personally I would have given the Devils MOM to Ben Davies for his 3 point return from this game. I guess its hockey tradition to give netminder MOM if he's just shut out the opposition!

 

[benh84]

First goal was disallowed as the ref had blown his whistle. First game I've seen in a long time where the officials had a top game.

Positive weekend all round. PP/PK/Back checking all looked good. Yes It was against a poor Coventry team but perhaps this is just the kick start that was need.

You could see how much it meant to the players, Lord especially.

Hopefully a new D man this week and all looks good.

 

[Russky]

First goal was disallowed as the ref had blown his whistle.

But why though? what was the infringement that couldnt wait and had to be called?

 

[helloimclaire]

How this blaze team shut out the Giants and thrashed them 6-0 on their own ice earlier in the season i will never know!!!

This has to be the worst Blaze team i have seen ever.

Now thats out of the way, in defence of our boys, you can only play the team in front of you and they did a great job. La Costa was awesome, D looked solid and we looked threatening almost every time we went on the attack.

Cant figure out why our first goal was disallowed as i thought it was a legit delayed penalty goal. Then thanks to the Smith Myers Davies combination play we did go ahead and Dean Smith had no reason to disallow it.

Blighty's goal was inevitable as we were all over their goal like a rash. To be fair to Zacharias he seemed to be the only Blaze player to turn up tonight and kept the score down to single figures deserving his MOM. Personally I would have given the Devils MOM to Ben Davies for his 3 point return from this game. I guess its hockey tradition to give netminder MOM if he's just shut out the opposition!

I was saying it should have been a delayed penalty goal too, the only reason why I can think of why it was disallowed was because a Blaze player had touched the puck in all of that scramble? That could have been the only explanation right? Or am I missing something?

For the rest of the game, wow. Who are on this team and what have the done to the others? The past three games have been a difference, even if one of them was a lost. I guess the changes the club have gone through this last week were the right thing to do. Even if people don't agree to all of it, including myself. Surely this week has given the team such a boost that things will keep going up and up.

Massive hurray to get through to the next round of the CC too, nice money coming in and still on track to get our paws on the silverware.

Bring on next weekend!

 

[Chris]

Smith said that the Blaze had touched and been in control of the puck after the incident so he had to whistle and the goal came after that.

It looked like that from the webcast as well.

 

[devils2001uk]

First goal was disallowed as the ref had blown his whistle.

But why though? what was the infringement that couldnt wait and had to be called?

it was on a delayed pen call, they had toched the puck as it came across the crease thus no goal

 

[Russky]

ok fair enuf if the puck was already declared as 'iced'. You learn something new about this 'good old hockey' game!

 

[Ger-Devils]

The team played great tonight and from the first puck drop to the final buzzer, they just kept going. Sucked the life out of the Blaze early on and no way back for them.

Ginand was the only one to come out of the game with any praise from myself- Zacharias was wandering around the Blaze zone so much, I thought are you a D man or a NM? No support for him tonight and Harvey summed them up when he got thrown out for his 2nd misconduct- Wasn't he outside getting a pizza from that van parked by the bus turning area?

Hopefully we push on from this 4 point weekend and continue to play the good hockey we are.

 

[Koop11]

Very impressive performance. The back to back wins rounded off with a shutout will be a much needed confidence boost to the team. We finally looked sharp at home and the guys look like they enjoyed themselves.

I was pleased for Lacasta who has got better every game following his injury. Marsh is a different player to last season and for the better. The forward lines certainly appeared to click. There were a list of MoM waiting behind Lacasta including Max, Morrestte, Lord and Faulkner.

We have to keep it in perspective though. This was a short benched Coventry side who played very badly. Ill discipline, nothing in attack and all over the shop defensively. Their only shining light was their goalie who kept the score line relatively respectable.

It’s pleasing to see an apparent tide turn with this underperforming team. Is it because G on now on the bench? Is it because of Pope’s intervention as an assistant? If it the eye in the sky of Franny? I don’t really care. Whatever works at the end of the day.

Dare I say, with 3 home games coming up against some of the ‘smaller’ teams, we could have some more wins which will lift the guys even further.

 

[kettdevil1]

Surreal weekend in many ways. I don't think I have ever been to two matches against the Blaze where the result was not in doubt from the first whistle. As with Saturday, I am not sure if the Devils were brilliant or the Blaze awful...... Again a bit of both I suspect.

Mac/Blight/Maxi were again the standouts for me but really you could have given MOM to anyone on the ice. Great to see Quiney step up as well.

The next few weeks will tell us if we have turned the corner, apart from Belfast away, we have a run of games that are all pretty winnable.

 

[phil PLT]

Much better performance from the Devils last night than of recent weeks, that said Coventry were woeful, but you can only play what's put in front of you. I think that's the worst Blaze team I've seen in a long time. What a disgrace Harvey is, he let his fellow teammates down big time with his petulant behaviour. There should be a strong smell of gas coming from the Blaze dressing room this morning.
I'm sure Soderstrom spent a good hour on the phone to Thommo after the game and his first word was help

 

[DevilDom]

Good weekend with two good results.

The team played well and I like the look of the latest lines. Myers has stepped up massively since being put on the 3rd line. Max, Mac and Blight look a lot more comfortable playing together and there is real chemistry there. I was pleased for Blight that he got a couple of goals over the weekend as well. Morrisette is getting better and better each game and togethr with Lord and Ben offer some real scoring potential on the 2nd.

On D Tyson continues to be a standout whilst Richie, Plumton and Mark Smith went about their business with quiet calm over the 2 games. Batch is settling back into his D role well too. Really pleased for LaCosta who deserved his shut out

As others have said we shouldn't get too carried away with these results as Blaze were woeful particulalry at the Tent. We put them away nicely but it says something when the guys were able to pretty much coast through the 2nd half of both games.

I don't really care which of the changes is working. I hope its down to G being able to concentrate on coaching but honestly if its Brent being on the bench, Franny being in the stand or the fact that the kit man is using different washing powder I couldn't give a monkies. Main thing is we are starting to look like a team again and we won 2 games. Onwards and upwards!

 

[Sheincar]

TBH I'd not been prepared for that result as I thought it would be a game too much with our short bench but fair play that was a cracking game. The only Blaze players worth their wages were Zacharias, without whose performance Blaze would have shipped loads more, and Ginand who's a huge threat & didn't stop working even though it was a lost cause.

 

[fenderbassman]

very good result,,,,,but a few bad points,not our team,but the new music.intro much to long,sound mix not right sounds like only one channel being played,,,not always ready with the action .delays with music starting, and not having the correct tracks loaded and ready to go,,,and who thought that drummer was a good thing,out of time ,out of tune, out of place,,,,,,and by the look of the faces of the majority of people around him,not wanted,,,,the fans will make there own chants,,, ah well only the wife to calm down at the games now,

 

[lankyian]

The intro would've been fine if they cut out the first four and a half minutes, turned the lights out sooner and stopped talking through it!

 

[BostonBart22]

cracking weekend boys, good to see the smiles on the players faces again and did notice talkin a lot to each other on the bench. onwards and upwards , roll on that 4 point weekend in belfast, take note {cheapshot} keefe , have a look at ruperts fight no wonder you couldnt get off the ice quick enough. :Banana

 

[osh]

cracking weekend boys, good to see the smiles on the players faces again and did notice talkin a lot to each other on the bench. onwards and upwards , roll on that 4 point weekend in belfast, take note {cheapshot} keefe , have a look at ruperts fight no wonder you couldnt get off the ice quick enough. :Banana

Yep, would love to see Keefe get what he deserves, a good hammering! However, never underestimate his fight credentials, he can certainly look after himself and wouldn't, be afraid to go with anyone should it be necessary. Whilst Quiney did well in last night' scrap, he wasn't fighting someone of Keefe's ilk either. I would rather see Quiney scrap with Keefe ( win or lose it doesn't matter ) and as a result they both get majors for fighting, meaning they lose a front line player and we don't. What I actually hope will happen is that Conboy will scrap with him near the end of the game, get it over and done with and we can all move on ( until Keefe cheap shots someone else and gets the long ban his play this season deserves )