28 Dec 2024, 19:00 | Regular season | Ice Arena Wales |
Cardiff Devils | 3-2 | Coventry Blaze |
Periods: Shots: | 2-0 (23-11) | 1-1 (6-19) | 0-1 (10-13) | Total: 39-43 |
|
Referees: #11 Matt Rose, #52 Stephen Matthews  |  Spectators: 3110 |
  |
Goals and assists
Cardiff Devils stayed four points clear at the top of the Elite
League with a 3-2 win over Coventry Blaze at a sold-out Vindico Arena,
in what became an increasingly more feisty game as the night went on.
An
explosive start for the Devils, who were on the front foot from the
off, saw them go two up inside nine minutes. Josh MacDonald tipped
Gleason Fournier's shot past Mat Robson through a screen to open the
scoring with 6:16 played. Some 90 seconds later, another Fournier shot
from the point went through a crowd and although Robson saved this time
the loose puck was swept home by Joey Martin.
68 seconds into
period two, Jackson Cressey took Terrance Amorosa's feed to the front of
the net and, left all alone, slotted past Mac Carruth to make it a
one-goal game.
A boarding call on Kohen Olischefski gave the
visitors the ideal opportunity to level, but instead they were beaten
shorthanded by Evan Mosey who slid the puck past Robson at 23:30 to put
the Devils back two ahead.
The final period saw temperatures
rising, but also excellent chances at both ends. Jack Hopkins made two
stellar blocks on the same shift to keep the Blaze just two behind,
while the Blaze couldn't make use of another Olischefski minor inside
the final ten minutes.
Robson left the net with 69 seconds to
play, and with just two to go Grayson Constable finally got the puck
over the line. The Blaze shot the puck from the resulting faceoff but
only to give Carruth a routine save, however Nick Seitz chasing down the
puck led to a line brawl in the corner of the Devils zone at the final
buzzer.
After that was all sorted out, it ws the Devils who celebrated two points.