Devils Vs Giants - League - 8th Oct 23 - 18:00 FO

[Hedd Wyn John]

Well the same could be said in the situation. We are less than 10 competitive games into the season and people are already comparing us to last season. If by the end of the month we are still not firing I’ll happily call it out, but it just seems way to early for that. We have a brilliant coach who still needs time to implement his style. Trust the process

I'll call what I see. There are people who think we played well tonight and if that attitude prevails then it'll be a long season.

 

[Ocko]

I've followed hockey and team sports for years. Don't tell me what i do or dont know
Besko can and will eat those shots every day of the week. We created very few grade A scoring chances. Besko doesn't let many in & we didn't do nowhere near enough to work him tonight. To many hit & hope kinda shots but to give credit where due the Belfast D did exactly what they needed to make most of those shots speculative.

If you think Batch should’ve stood there and done nothing then you need to keep watching for a few more years.

 

[jimmy snels]

I thought that friend for Belfast was a beast tonight, likely my mom for them if they didn't have the complete difference maker besko in net. By god he's better than ours!


I enjoyed the game, not so much getting pretty bashed up in our own barn at times mind! I agree with previous comments on the cox Sanford Martin line, it's too small and will murder weaker teams but big boys like Belfast will just eat them up.

 

[b.goldberg]

I don't think I am exaggerating. I agree our Guys played better as the game went on in p2 and gradually increased their possession...but there is no denying that the Giants came out in p1 to shellshock early. Our Guys looked tired...we certainly weren't always first to the puck.
Seems like one or two others on here have a similar view.

To be fair Belfast looked knackered themselves they weren't at their best but they are definitely nothing like last year team.

 

[Wannabe2]

We played very well tonight against probably the team to beat for everyone, and a game that most people were on the edge of their seats.

 

[The_Stick_]

I'll call what I see. There are people who think we played well tonight and if that attitude prevails then it'll be a long season.

But factually, and statistically we did. Are there improvements to be made such as the PP? Absolutely, but this team is night and day compared to last year.

 

[Hedd Wyn John]

You obviously have never played a team sport, when a team mate gets decked with a filthy hit, you don’t have any time to think oh i wonder what he will get for that while your team mate is pissing out blood, if your a real team mate your in it within a split second. But that’s obviously alien to you but there you go.

I played rugby for many years thank you very much so I know a thing about team sports.

Players can & do have time to think. That's why players often choose not to retaliate.

Keefe and the Giants players probably breathed a sigh of relief when they saw they'd only be on the PK for 3 mins and not 5.

 

[Hedd Wyn John]

But factually, and statistically we did. Are there improvements to be made such as the PP? Absolutely, but this team is night and day compared to last year.

We got 0 points this weekend.

 

[The_Stick_]

We got 0 points this weekend.

At the start of the season, against arguably the best team in the league and the other being in a rink the Devils have notoriously never performed in.

 

[Hedd Wyn John]

At the start of the season, against arguably the best team in the league and the other being in a rink the Devils have notoriously never performed in.

We don't earn points for making excuses.

 

[ASHIPP]

Giants having the better of the play in the initial part of the first period doesn’t mean our players were shell shocked. It was a good back and forth game.

They must’ve been so shell shocked that those 19 shots in P1 came from trying to ice the puck. So shell shocked we had all the o-zone time and almost 3 times the shots.

Some of our Team game statistics do look good......but doesn't translate always into results though.Giants had less shots on goal in p1 but they scored. Surely it's the quality of shots that's important.

 

[Wannabe2]

We don't earn points for making excuses.

We don’t earn points by not sticking up for each other also.

 

[Hedd Wyn John]

We don’t earn points by not sticking up for each other also.

Well we came away with 0 points tonight.

 

[Wannabe2]

Against the Man City of our Elite League.

 

[Mooney#16]

I’ll be honest I want Pete Russell to show the ruthlessness of a winner. By that I mean Cox is coming off the PP unit and is benched for next game. Alderson can have his spot. His form but more importantly compete level is nowhere near acceptable and he needs a reality check. If there’s accountability I want to see it. He simply couldn’t play at the game pace of tonight’s game and was a disruptive passenger.

Belfast were good and are a very well coached team. They are positionally very good and pressurise the puck defensively really well. Their powerplay is slick as well moving the puck around really nicely. However they aren’t the fittest and fall away in games by the looks of it so are there for the taking.

Devils are an oddity to me at present. Threaten to be great but just seem unable to fulfil potential at present. The promised defensive puck pursuit style hasn’t materialised and Giants were gifted the keys to the O zone too many times with too much time before being engaged. They have to get more pro active. Offensively too many shots weren’t taken in favour of a pass. And by that I mean low % passes being forced where as they should back their shot (maybe a Besko factor).

Lastly I have a new found hate for Greg Printz. Not for the hit as that was terrible but could say mistimed but you talk about the code and that coward when Batch came calling completely bailed and failed to back it up by getting his gloves off. Rarely do I say it but I really hope Pietroniro has his number at some point this year. I thought the refs missed a trick to not give him a discretionary roughing pen to even up with Batchy and so the full 5 min powerplay was awarded. It was wholly wrong that play restarted at 4 v 4.

 

[Diablo3]

for my tuppence. Thoroughly enjoyed that game. Previous years the Giants would have bossed us in terms of shots / FOW / O-zone time etc and we would be trying to catch them on the break. Tonight Keefe will be saying to himself "I got away with one there, thanks Besko" Loved the commitment from our guys after last night. I know Batch took a 2 minute pen, but I'm glad he did, that was a terrible hit which I expect DOPS to deal with. On another night the puck might have been a little kinder. Shout out to Brandt, sheer effort got him that goal.

I'm not at all worried for the rest of the season, we don't need to fear anyone. and I for one am looking forward to it.

 

[Wannabe2]

for my tuppence. Thoroughly enjoyed that game. Previous years the Giants would have bossed us in terms of shots / FOW / O-zone time etc and we would be trying to catch them on the break. Tonight Keefe will be saying to himself "I got away with one there, thanks Besko" Loved the commitment from our guys after last night. I know Batch took a 2 minute pen, but I'm glad he did, that was a terrible hit which I expect DOPS to deal with. On another night the puck might have been a little kinder. Shout out to Brandt, sheer effort got him that goal.

I'm not at all worried for the rest of the season, we don't need to fear anyone. and I for one am looking forward to it.

Great post and spot on so good to hear someone with a bit of sense about tonight’s game, a breath of fresh air compared to some posts. Great game tonight.

 

[Rempel16]

I’ll be honest I want Pete Russell to show the ruthlessness of a winner. By that I mean Cox is coming off the PP unit and is benched for next game. Alderson can have his spot. His form but more importantly compete level is nowhere near acceptable and he needs a reality check. If there’s accountability I want to see it. He simply couldn’t play at the game pace of tonight’s game and was a disruptive passenger.

Belfast were good and are a very well coached team. They are positionally very good and pressurise the puck defensively really well. Their powerplay is slick as well moving the puck around really nicely. However they aren’t the fittest and fall away in games by the looks of it so are there for the taking.

Devils are an oddity to me at present. Threaten to be great but just seem unable to fulfil potential at present. The promised defensive puck pursuit style hasn’t materialised and Giants were gifted the keys to the O zone too many times with too much time before being engaged. They have to get more pro active. Offensively too many shots weren’t taken in favour of a pass. And by that I mean low % passes being forced where as they should back their shot (maybe a Besko factor).

Lastly I have a new found hate for Greg Printz. Not for the hit as that was terrible but could say mistimed but you talk about the code and that coward when Batch came calling completely bailed and failed to back it up by getting his gloves off. Rarely do I say it but I really hope Pietroniro has his number at some point this year. I thought the refs missed a trick to not give him a discretionary roughing pen to even up with Batchy and so the full 5 min powerplay was awarded. It was wholly wrong that play restarted at 4 v 4.

Nail. Head. Hit.

 

[Wannabe2]

Not for me, bench Cox at your own peril, no one plays this game with more passion than Cox, and before anyone says passion don’t win games Cox is capable of turning a game and I am seeing a different game than some.

 

[Kevin roog]

I thought tonight was very entertaining personally , a lot better than that borefest last night, I’d agree though that the Martin line doesn’t have many goals in it at the moment, or the arniel line come to think of it