Cardiff Devils 6 – 3 Invicta Dynamos

Cardiff Devils 6 – 3 Invicta Dynamos

Saturday saw the return of ‘The Big One’ taking place in the Cardiff Bay Arena, where the ENL Devils resumed their fierce rivalry with the current reigning league champions Invicta Dynamos. Plenty of hype was printed in the build up to this game and once again it did not disappoint with an enthralling, action-packed spectacle that saw the Devils finish victorious keeping hot on the tails of the league leaders, promising to push this seasons title right to the wire.

Both sides named strong line-ups, even with a couple of omissions worth noting; the visitors were saddened by the news last week when solid defenseman Ryan Giles was involved in a car crash that badly broke both his tibia and fibula. I hear that his surgery went well and we wish him all the best on his recovery. Added to that the Dynamos are now down one import as forward Nolan Boike will be returning home to nurse a troublesome calf/knee injury. The Devils were still missing the injured duo Dan Madge and R Piggott, A Wood (suspended), L Cowmeadow and A Madge were all unavailable, as was Brent Pope who is finishing up commentating duty in Vancouver.

The Devils got the dream start this time only 2.29 into the match as Fisher was put through thanks to a nice pass by Manson, the prolific goal scorer making no mistake in beating Joe White in the Mos net by smartly slotting home through the five hole. The first period then continued as a closely fought battle between the two sides, referee Hames let the game flow and Cardiff enjoyed themselves by upping the physical tempo of the match. Chances were created, but a few decent low pad saves by White and an assured performance by Brabon meant the score remained 1-0 heading into the first break.

The second period saw import forward Vaisanen for the Dynamos try and lead the way with some physical play. Unfortunately for him he got over aggressive and was sent for a 2 + 10 following a check from behind on Phil Manny in the Devils defensive corner. The resulting power-play saw the Devils double their lead as a shot from Dixon on the blue line found its way home possibly via a deflection/screen by Dan Bowers with Fisher picking up the assist.  Invicta quickly responded though with a quick-fire double salvo to tie things up at 2-2; first Andrews backhanded up high at the back post following a pass from A Smith on the power-play, the second from Vaisanen. Cardiff rallied after the wake up call and restored their lead on 28.18 when Luke Piggott rifled home in the top corner after being fed by Fisher in the slot on the power-play. Burrows then restored Cardiff’s 2 goal lead on 35.52 when he beat Joe White thanks to nice build-up play by Manson and Deacon to bring the end of an all-action 2nd period.

Period 3 kicks off and predictably Invicta came out flying as the next goal is crucial. It is indeed Invicta that get the next one 7 minutes in as Andy Smith gets somewhat fortuitous when his centring pass gets intercepted by Dixon only to deflect in off his stick via Brabon’s leg. A tense finale is set up and emotions are running high…A Lennon ends up in a fight with Fisher following a light slash on the Mos goalie and Lennon is quick to shirt the Devils forward, only for Fisher to quickly slip out of his shirt completely and deliver a flurry of blows to the surprised Lennon. Both get 2+2 for roughing and an additional 2 minutes for slashing to Fisher means we wont see the Devils top goal scorer until the last few minutes of the game. As the end draws near, Invicta call a timeout and predictably pull netminder White in favour of an extra skater as they chase the equaliser. Fisher returns to the play however and sends the puck the full length of the ice into the empty net. The crowd are in raptures as with less than a minute to go the Devils have done it. In a questionable move by Dynamos coach Kevin Parrish he pulls the netminder again and just like ground hog day, Fisher repeats the feat firing the length of the ice to score in the empty net this time using his backhand. That goal now puts Cardiff +1 over the Dynamos in terms of goal difference between the two sides and should they finish level on points could just be the one needed to tip the title. 11 seconds remain, Invicta have lost the game and now they lose their heads. Baxter and Williams try to goon it up and jump Dixon who had obviously done a good job of antagonising the pair all game and for a moment the game threatens to break into a bench clearance. Cardiff don’t want to know though as they feel the job is done and keep the cool heads. Baxter and Williams eventually are removed from the ice by the officials will now serve multiple match suspensions. Questionable decision making by the two who now leave their teammates even further short-benched going into the crucial end of season games. In the build up to this match I wrote that the rivalry between these two sides is a fiery one on the ice, but a mutual respect remains off the ice and this all remains true following this affair. Hands were shaken and beers were shared in the bar afterwards – the final chapter between these two on the 14th March should ultimately decide where this season ENL title ends up and will not be one to be missed!

Photos from the game can be found here