Devils Vs MKL - 25 Nov 18 - League

terry hunt

Well-Known Member
#82
I feel I can say , now, he has not been well for a couple of weeks so his performances have been exceptional considering. Dodgy chicken. Always cook chicken properly. I am not saying the Devils were rubbish due to 'Bad Chicken'. I keep saying too much !
No one is going to accuse Josh of being a chicken
 

terry hunt

Well-Known Member
#83
I was dissapointed after the game but the players also did not look happy.
I took another look at our situation.We are 2nd in the League table 4 points behind Belfast with a game in hand.Panthers are 3rd a point behind us but played 3 more games.Fife who were above us in the table are now 4th 2pts behind us and played 2 games more.
Fife have hit a worse spell than us i believe having lost 5 in a row.
I suspect some of our problem is due to us having lost 4 home games so perhaps we are the problem.
We are also in the Q/F of the cup as second seeds so it doesnt seem that bad.
I think our next 2 games are critical the cup Q/F is a must win even a narrow one to get the crowd for the return leg.
The game Saturday is massive with Fife desperate to get their season back on track.
So best of luck to all our players with a tough couple of weeks ahead.
 

Gazza272

Well-Known Member
#84
I was dissapointed after the game but the players also did not look happy.
I took another look at our situation.We are 2nd in the League table 4 points behind Belfast with a game in hand.Panthers are 3rd a point behind us but played 3 more games.Fife who were above us in the table are now 4th 2pts behind us and played 2 games more.
Fife have hit a worse spell than us i believe having lost 5 in a row.
I suspect some of our problem is due to us having lost 4 home games so perhaps we are the problem.
We are also in the Q/F of the cup as second seeds so it doesnt seem that bad.
I think our next 2 games are critical the cup Q/F is a must win even a narrow one to get the crowd for the return leg.
The game Saturday is massive with Fife desperate to get their season back on track.
So best of luck to all our players with a tough couple of weeks ahead.

I think it is key to realise that it's not like we are in a situation where we have thrown a title chase away. We are completely in the thick of it.

I think a major bone of contention amongst the fan base, stems from the fact that while we have won a stretch of games recently, we don't look as in control of game situations as we did post Christmas last year.

There were times last year, where as soon as we went ahead, it was clear we were going to win a game because we had a calmness and solidness about us. I think that will come with this team.

Massive week ahead, let's get behind the boys and get a foothold in the Cup and hopefully 4 big league points.
 

terry hunt

Well-Known Member
#85
Havent we had these "slumps" in form before under our new setup?
End of season one year,around this time of year also.
I dont know the cause of this and Lordo appears to be puzzled when it happens.The good thing about the players/coach and management we now have is that they have always fought back.I clearly recall the reaction by previous owners in this situation and there is no way i want us to go there again.I am trying hard not to react.
 

jimmy snels

Well-Known Member
#86
just think after seeing us come out fighting (litrally in justin's case!!) against a good, big bodied panthers team and getting really stuck in, its hard to fathom why we cant produce this style of play and effort against a weaker less physical team which arguably would work even better.
 

bb1

Well-Known Member
#87
Some are say they don't believe players are coasting.......i'm sorry but i feel a couple are here just for the ride and you can't convince me otherwise.

Hypothetically imagine an Andrew Lord back on our line up!!!.....The intensity and grit Lordo played with much in the same way Dixon, Faryna and Benti do would be a welcome addition to this years team. He always brought the best out of guys in the team and set a precedence. Faryna is the nearest we have in terms of an all rounder like Lord but we could welcome another.

With all due respect a couple of our coasters wouldn't be fit to lace up Lords skates. That guy gave his all each and every second of a shift.....Its amazing how much we miss Lord and the type of player he was.
 

jimmy snels

Well-Known Member
#88
Too be honest im amazed that in recruitment Lord didnt replace himself at all as he was a fan favourite and a real devil! perhaps he didnt rate himself as much as we all did!
 

jimmy snels

Well-Known Member
#90
yeah dont go to them im broke paying for my season ticket let alone the extras :p

farayna for me is a high line player whos spikey and prickly. Lordo was a blood and guts 3rd liner. but each to their own on this i guess. i certainly take both in the same team this season!!
 

ASHIPP

Well-Known Member
#91
Congratulations to the Lightening - they wanted it, they relentlessly fought for it, and earned that win. Great leadership from their player-coaches (Wallace and Lannon) and an outstanding performance by Killeen.

Two causes to blame for Devils poor performance 1) No where near clinical or accurate enough 2) failure to work out a plan to get past Killeen - completely bizarre as we have played MKL several times already and know how this goalie performs.
Yes Devils outshot the Lightening - what a pointless statistic. Only highlights how poor the Devils' accuracy was, and how good Killeen performed. SOG only become relevant....if you are scoring.

Ben Bowns did his job - he kept the score against as low as possible for as long as possible. It was down to the forwards (and a good game plan) to execute chances against MKL goalie. With the plethora of skill and experience amongst our forwards, it seems all the more strange the Devils could not capitalise.

To achieve success requires consistency....Devils simply don't have it at the moment. The Giants are virtually in cruise control, destroying their opposition and also finding ways to win, even in the tightest of games. They are the real deal this year and a pleasure to watch.

We keep banging on about missing Hotham - nothing could be truer. A maverick player who dominated overtime situations last season, and could be relied upon 100% to pull off something special in very tight games, usually single-handedly. Giants have Baum. We have no-one like that on our team this season. Linglet and Martin are very highly skilled - but they cannot be expected to do it alone.


Some observations:

1. Want an energy line? Then re-unite Faryna-Myers-Haddad and stick with it. A proven physical, menacing unit last season.

2. Schiestel, Mosey and Duggan are all fantastic additions to the roster....but they need to be 'utilised' in the best way possible with strong line mates and in the right situations. The worry is that they won't want to come back here next season if the team gets into a losing frame of mind.

3. For all the criticism of Morrisette's playing performance, it's fair to say there are others on the team who are also not at their best for whatever reason. But you don't have to be the best player out there to be a good leader......and there is not much evidence of strong leadership on the ice recently. Whatever influence or inspiration the captain is giving is not evident during the games. Time for a new captain? Yes, it would be great but we all know that won't happen for various reasons.

4. Don't think it's a confidence issue or even coasting issue that is affecting the team's performance.....it's a concentration issue. No co-incidence that we cannot close out tight games and are ending up in overtime. The last five minutes of regulation in recent games have ended in conceded goals/unneccesary penalties. In some games it happens even earlier than that. And last night we were lucky the Clan did not equalise in those closing minutes to push yet another game into overtime.

Our Guys have proved early on this season how well they can really play. What on earth has happened?
 
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