Nomad Astana ruins Devils debut

The last match between Cardiff Devils and Nomad Astana, in the semi-finals in Grenoble last November, ended 5-4 for the Kazakhs in a match characterized by Nomad's fast counterattacks which had put the Devils in difficulty. In the second match of the Superfinals, the hosts started as badly as could be: in two minutes they were already losing 2-0, thanks to goals from Alexandrov and Mangisbayev. A shocking start that did not allow the Devils to take control of the game, at least until Jamie Arniel's goal at 07:04.

In the central period, Nomad again immediately opened the scoring with Nicolai Shulga after 55 seconds. it's the same script: the Devils maintain possession of the puck and occupy the Nomad field, with the Kazakhs ready to strike on the counterattack. Goalkeeper Nikita Boyarkin, already a protagonist in the semi-finals, once again becomes Nomad's best player, opposing several attempts by the home team, encouraged by the crowd. At 34:40 the efforts are finally rewarded: Bode Wilde finds a long-range goal, with Boyarkin covered by traffic in front of the cage.

In the final period, Abay Mangisbayev's goal in the 45th minute practically seals the end of the match, with the Devils removing the goalkeeper for the final assault two minutes from the end, but suffering Mikhail Rakhmanov's empty net goal for the final 5-2.