Devils Vs Giants - 18 Dec 19 - CC 1/4 final

Finny

Well-Known Member
#61
Belfast are a good team (albeit with a couple of issues at the minute) but we simply didn't let them play their game tonight. That was as solid a perfomance as I've seen in the past couple of years, had it not been for Shane Owen we'd have been approaching double-figures.

You could argue that Bowns won't ever get an easier shutout than that against Belfast, but his performance in the first leg arguably won us that game. We didn't have to chase the tie, we got the early goal to settle us and to be honest other than when they were on the PP Belfast never really troubled us. Midway through the second period I looked at the shot map and Belfast had had only 1 shot on net in that period, and it had been a speculative one from the boards.

I could go though the whole team with compliments but as others mentioned, Morrisonn looks to be settling in very, very well. Players who come from a higher league don't realise how much extra time you can have on the puck here, but I think tonight he showed he did. A couple of times he regained control of the puck and instead of getting rid of it straight away he kept hold and waited for the pass, or even carried the puck out of danger and into the neutral zone.
His calming, experienced influence also seems to be working wonders with Jardine who is also playing with a lot of confidence alongside him and is starting to look the player we hoped he would be.
 

Rempel16

Well-Known Member
#62
There is no way change happened 'because of' comments on this forum. And I think people should have more faith instead of over reacting when form is lower than our usual very high standards. People show disrespect and lack of faith in our management team, that is the bit I can never understand...
Why is it that you continuously miss the point about why people were complaining?

It's not just the result!!!!!!!! It's been the style of play, which until recent weeks has been absolutely dire. It becomes far more noticeable when we aren't winning games, as winning helps to tolerate it a little.
 

tim78

Well-Known Member
#63
Considering the stack of talent on the Belfast team, it's extra special watching skill plays by players like Lake getting shutdown and watching Fournier and others Devs making sublime moves which didn't.

Awesome for Batch for a perfect pass and goal , Duggan for rushing to net, Bowns for a solid performance in what must have been a bit cold and boring at times! and Myers for simply standing tall and putting Pelich on his ar'e.

Defo a game to watch for this time of year, though next game could be an elastic band snapping back, but we can now gloat the champions are out of the cup.
 
#64
There is no way change happened 'because of' comments on this forum. And I think people should have more faith instead of over reacting when form is lower than our usual very high standards. People show disrespect and lack of faith in our management team, that is the bit I can never understand...
Jeez, at NO POINT, did august04 say that change happened “because of” comments on this forum. They’re YOUR words not his or anyone else’s as far as I’m aware.
Even Lordo in his post game interview last night said that the Devils are a different proposition now to what they were 2 months ago.
Things weren’t right and the management took steps to put them right. Fans like August04 pointing out problems in a measured constructive fashion isn’t disrespectful as you claim, it’s what you need to help keep a balanced view of how the club is performing.
What is disrespectful is your continuing insinuations that anyone who has the audacity to voice a criticism is over -reacting!
Does anyone think Lord himself is overreacting when he describes performances as unacceptable after poor results?
Of course not, it’s his right and his duty to say it as he see’s it!
 
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Mooney#16

Well-Known Member
#65
Let’s be perfectly honest with ourselves. If you’d listened to some of the opinions on here about a month ago about half the team that just played so well wouldn’t be playing here. The people who made those comments can dress it up but for the time being they have been proved pretty wrong by those players. Given the time and support of their coach they have been able to reclaim some form. Yes they were out of form and playing poorly but the point is do you support or condemn. Some are way to quick to condemn individuals especially in a team game.
I think the point being those that called for players heads should at least front up and congratulate those players on fighting through adversity to get back to better form. An apology by definition.
 

Wannabe2

Well-Known Member
#68
Did'nt dropping your gloves and the other player not reacting used to be a 10 minute misconduct?????
Yes indeed but I think the officials thought Giants needed a helping hand, as they were being run ragged by a far superior team on the night. Why the giants even tried to play us with 6 skaters as they were that desperate.
 
#71
Let’s be perfectly honest with ourselves. If you’d listened to some of the opinions on here about a month ago about half the team that just played so well wouldn’t be playing here. The people who made those comments can dress it up but for the time being they have been proved pretty wrong by those players. Given the time and support of their coach they have been able to reclaim some form. Yes they were out of form and playing poorly but the point is do you support or condemn. Some are way to quick to condemn individuals especially in a team game.
I think the point being those that called for players heads should at least front up and congratulate those players on fighting through adversity to get back to better form. An apology by definition.
You’re absolutely correct that some of the opinions on here were VERY negative and vitriolic but I tend to take some posters views with a pinch of salt. There are also a number of posters who won’t hear any criticism whatsoever it seems, however measured or constructive it may be.
These two factions tend to cancel each other out and hopefully what you are left with is a group of posters whose more balanced and insightful views attract a wider audience, (yourself included), even Wannabee who is one of the most positive half full type of posters isn’t afraid to ‘tell it as it is’ after a particularly bad performance.
I also agree that if you call out a player for performing badly then you should also be prepared to single them out for praise for performing well.
Please don’t read this post as an attack on your views expressed above as nothing could be further from my intentions as I usually find myself in agreement with your observations along with few others ( osh ocko to name but 2), however I do take exception to some of the extremists on both sides of the spectrum tarring everyone with the same brush.

Last night was probably the most complete Devils performance this season and if we can keep up the intensity and desire all bodes well for the remainder of the season!
 

Gospel

Active Member
#73
Best team performance for a long long time. The difference between last night & previous weeks is the accuracy & speed of passing & generally the overall pace the team played at. Still one or two turnovers in our own D and on another day we would have been punished.

What also helped was that the Giants were chasing the game. Defensively they didnt stick to their structures as they have done previously.

Saturday will be a very interesting game as it could get very very fesity!
 

CaldicotDevil

Well-Known Member
#74
I would love Pelech as Devils Players. I wouldn't take him over Morrisonn but ones of the best D Men I've seen in the league. He was an utter dick last night; sly shots everywhere, trying draw a penalty out of Louis and eventually dropping the gloves. Other than the 5min fighting he didn't give away one penalty despite playing with hell of an edge.
 

JT666

Active Member
#75
I would love Pelech as Devils Players. I wouldn't take him over Morrisonn but ones of the best D Men I've seen in the league. He was an utter dick last night; sly shots everywhere, trying draw a penalty out of Louis and eventually dropping the gloves. Other than the 5min fighting he didn't give away one penalty despite playing with hell of an edge.
I suspect Belfast fans would be apoplectic if we poached a second Giants captain in two years! Let's do it... :D
 

Diafol

Well-Known Member
#76
If anyone fancies watching last night's game again (and let's be honest, who wouldn't ?)
FreeSports are repeating it in full at 9.30 tonight.
 

august04

Well-Known Member
#79
There is no way change happened 'because of' comments on this forum. And I think people should have more faith instead of over reacting when form is lower than our usual very high standards. People show disrespect and lack of faith in our management team, that is the bit I can never understand...
I never said that at all! I honestly can’t be bothered to reply anymore to this drivel. Where’s that Ignore button?
 

Gisland

Active Member
#80
Saturday will be a very interesting game as it could get very very fesity![/QUOTE]

It probably will. Giants will huff and puff and it could all turn into the Christmas panto. If the 2 points don't stay in Belfast then not only are they out of the cup but in the space of 72 hrs their league aspirations could be nothing more than a dream.This season they really are just a compilation of players being paid to play hockey. You can almost taste the absence of any team spirit. Been a while since any team has had so little goals to their SOG ratio. Devils had a rough patch but are now out of their slump and playing some slick hockey.
 
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