Match Preview - Devils Vs Stars
The Devils make the long trip up to Dundee to face the Stars for the second time this season. The Devils came away the better on the meeting this season in a fractious game which left some of the Stars players feeling a little put out at the treatment handed them by the Devils. The return game promises to be a big one.
It was a long weekend for the Stars last weekend playing three games over 3 days in 3 countries. As a start to their hectic schedule whish sees then play six games in nine days.
The run started in Belfast on Friday in a “double threat” game counting in both the league and Challenge cup. The Giants got off to the best possible start as Benoit Doucet netted twice inside the first five minutes of the game. The visitors pulled one back when Stars man of many clubs Jeff Hutchins was on hand to score at not long after. However, at in the dying minutes of the period Jon Pelle restored the Giants two goal lead.
The second period ended goalless, with the third looking the to be heading the same way until a second goal of the game from Jon Pelle on the power play increased the Giants lead to 4-1. The Stars ran into penalty trouble and conceded two power play goals in the space of 12 seconds. With less than five minutes remaining Darryl Lloyd completed the scoring as he put the hosts into seventh heaven as he netted at 55.15.
Add to this an Injury to Brent Hughes and a loss to Adam Keefe for Jeff Hutchins it was a night the stars would sooner forget. Final score 7 – 1
Saturday saw the Stars make their way to Cardiff in a road trip that if the rumors I heard in the pub are true included a ferry from near Dublin?? too Liverpool ?? With a leisurely ride from Liverpool to Cardiff seeing the Stars arrive late for face off at seven.
It took the Devils until the last minute of the first period to open the scoring with Max Birbraer being on target at 19.19. The Devils went on and doubled this lead at 35.07 as Jeff Pierce netted his first goal, of what would become a hat trick. Dundee player/coach Dan Ceman struck back at late in the Second with a power play goal.
The third saw Pierce with his second goal at early in the period on the power play followed with a Max Birbraer converted and then another for Pierce. Dundee got one back at 49.15 as A J McLean netted but this was quickly cancelled out as Tim Burrows scored at 51.13. Devils got their seventh as young Brit Luke Piggott netted his first ever goal for the Devils at 55.11. The Stars got a late consolation with yet another 5 on 3 power play goal at 58.14 scored by Alan Mazur.
I can’t help but think that this score line flattered the Devils more than a bit and with the tables turned on Sunday I wonder if we will see a similar result. Final score 7 -3 Devils.
Sunday after a nice trip back to Dundee the Stars faced the Hull Stingrays who took the opportunity to mug the travel weary Stars and finally broke their seven game losing run. For the Stars this was no doubt the Icing on a miserable cake made of equal parts of defeat, travel, Injury and opposition goals and stirred on a bus no doubt.
Despite that it was the home side who got off to a quick start when Dan McGoff fired them ahead after only 3.20 on the power play but just as it seemed that Stars would hold that advantage until the opening break, Stingrays player/coach Sylvain Cloutier tied it up at, with the aftermath seeing Lee Mitchell of Stars ejected on a 5+game for slashing.
An even second period saw both sides create and miss opportunities before Stingrays hit the front with a goal from Jason Silverthorn on a shorthanded play.
The Stars piled on the pressure in the 3rd period, outshooting their visitors by 13 to 3 but goaltender Christian Boucher was unbeatable as Stingrays held on for the points and what surely must be a huge boost to their confidence following a miserable run of late. Final Score Stars 1 – 2 Stingrays.
Wednesday night saw the Stars in action again against the Panthers away in Nottingham. The opening period was fairly even and never really got going but Panthers scored the only goal at the mid-point when Matt Francis scored on a shorthanded opportunity.
Early in the second it was 2-0 with Brandon Benedict netting but despite a shot count of 14 to 5 against them the Stars managed to hold on till the end of the second.
Stars stuck in it under mounting pressure as the 3rd period wore on but when Scott Champagne added Panthers’ 3rd at 48.07 the pressure clearly became too much and further Goals from David-Alexandre Beauregard, Francis and Marc Levers closed the game out and sealed a fourth loss in a row for the Stars.
Final Score Panthers 6 – 0 Dundee Stars
We took an in depth look at the Stars squad last weekend which you can read here http://www.the-inferno.co.uk/news/match-preview-devils-vs-dundee-stars/
If you don’t fancy sifting through that the key message from it I guess is this -
The Devils got the better of the Stars last season winning 4 and losing just 2 of the six games between the two teams. The worrying part for us this weekend is simply this the two losses last season came on the road at the start and then the end of the Devils record breaking winning streak.
The Stars are a very different team and have really stepped up the quality of their signings, I think that we will have the better of them at home again this season but they will quite possibly beat us away, Dundee too Cardiff is a long bus journey whichever way you’re travelling it and both teams will be keen to take points off their bus weary visitors. If I had to guess at this season’s outcome I’d say 4 – 2 devils again this season but the Stars won't give the Devils an easy run.
Worryingly for the Stars looking at their last four games they have conceded 22 Goals and scored just 5 in return. The Stars seem to do well in the first two periods but then collapse in the third, they seem to fail to sustain any real offensive pressure which puts real pressure on their defence and then their defence gets worn down and they Collapse.
The Stars face Sheffield away on Saturday night and while the Devils face the Blaze at Home. Providing there are no Injures in either of these games both teams take to the Ice with some injuries. For the Stars Hughes absent since last Friday may still be missing next weekend. The Devils will be without Mark Smith and quite possibly Stuart MacRae.
We will be trying to run the “Childish and amazingly Biased” Match Night Live service for this game, at the usual location of www.theinferno.co.uk/mnl if you’re heading up and are able to help out please let us know as we needs people who can text for this one. If we can run the, check the Game thread for details, service and you'd like to help out or chip in with some comments on the night please contact us at matchnightlive@gmail.com. You can also follow on Twitter for updates on @InfernoMNL
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