Hockey World, Hockey Girl - Week 11

18th Nov 2014 | Posted by Hollee Acott

Hello, hello!

Our boys went North and back this weekend, as they faced Nottingham in the NIC on Saturday night before travelling home to square up against the Stars on Sunday.  It has definitely been a tense weekend to be a Devils’ fan but the guys pulled it out of the bag and have rewarded us with four points!

Saturday night saw the return of Chris Culligan, who missed last weekend’s home game against the Belfast Giants, and Joey Martin, who missed the entire weekend due to illness.  The only Devil still missing from the line-up in Carl Hudson, out with a hand injury – which we all hope is healing nicely!

The numbers show a relatively calm game in the NIC, both sides scoring two goals a piece and only accumulating 14 PIMs between them throughout the entire 65 minutes of play! 

Bruce Graham opened the scoring for the home side with a powerplay goal at 14:50, with Joey Haddad in the box for holding.  But the visitors fought back with a goal of their own, from MOM Brent Walton at 18:37.

Walton has been on fire recently, picking up the man of the match award for both games this weekend.  With 10 goals and 11 assists (21 points), Walton leads the Devils in scoring in all competitions.  Soft hands and sharp shooting make this guy one to watch – even if he’s slightly shorter than the opposition!

And, on a side note, did you see Brent and his little boy on the ice last Sunday? Can you say adorable?!  Swoon!  But I digress….

The Devils’ no. 18 also helped himself to his second goal of the evening just three minutes into the third period.  The goal, assisted by no. 80 Jesse Mychan, brought the Devils level on the scoreboard, after Panthers’ captain David Clarke put his side ahead just after the halfway point in the second.

With the score tied at two a piece, the NIC was definitely a very tense place to be for the final 10 minutes of the game…. You could cut the tension with a skate blade!  But alas, both Ben Bowns and Mattias Modig (standing in for Craig Kowalski while he’s out with an injury) were standing on their heads to keep the score level and regulation finished with no further goals.

Off into overtime we went, and despite effort after effort for both sides, the score remained level; the shootout would decide who got that all important extra point.

Up first for the Devils was shootout wiz Jake Morrisette.  It has been said by many this year (even Coventry commentators!) that Jake is the go-to guy for shootouts and he demonstrate why perfectly on Saturday night, slotting the puck past Modig and giving his side a 1-0 as Bruce Graham came up to bat.

Unfortunately for Panthers’ fans, Graham was no match for Bowns and things only got worse for the home side as Joey Martin showed their team how it was done.

With the Devils up 2-0, Chris Lawrence had to score to keep his side in the game – which is exactly what he did.  Brent Walton missed his shot and it was all on the shoulders of Evan Mosey to force another round of shots.

But Benny Boy stood tall and carried us home with that extra point!

The Dundee Stars were in town on Sunday night, lead by captain and former-devil Chris Blight.  Also coming home to the BBT was Brad Plumton, a fan favourite from his time in the Bay, and Bari McKenzie. 

Despite currently sitting bottom of the league, with only two wins in twelve (before last night’s game), the Stars came out flying.  Their forecheck was strong, constantly chasing down any opportunity in the Devils’ zone – resulting in an early goal!  John Mitchell, an American with extensive AHL experience, added the Stars’ first goal after just a minute and eleven seconds – demonstrating that the visiting team were not going to roll over.

But coming into the BBT is tough – small ice pad, big guys, it’s always going to be a little rough.  Not twenty seconds after they got on the scoreboard, the Stars wee in the box, Igor Gongalsky being called for tripping.  With a man short, they did well to keep the lead, especially with guys like Trevor Hendrikx hitting anything that moved!

In fact, the fan favourite with the seventies’ tache (check out his movember effort if you haven’t had the pleasure yet, it’s brilliant!) found himself in the box a couple of times (in the first period alone) for roughing up the opposition!

On the plus, the main man of the period was definitely, although not surprisingly, Brent Walton!  Added his third goal of the weekend, the no. 18 brought the score level with just over five minutes left before the break.

He then went on to be called for clipping with only 25 seconds remaining… I have to be honest; I had to look this one up.  This is what Wikipedia had to say: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clipping_(ice_hockey). 

But into the second period we go, with the Devils’ on the penalty kill for a minute and thirty-five.  The special teams have been doing extremely well this year and our penalty kill successfully fought off the Scottish advantage.

While this an amazing feat, it is definitely the powerplay that deserves special mention, especially the Marsh-Lord-Walton-Morrisette-Martin unit!  For the first two Devils’ goals, both on the powerplay (2nd at 28:13, scored by Joey Martin), this unit pushed the Stars to the limit, creating chance after chance.

Unfortunately, just two minutes later, Dundee managed not one, but two quick goals of their own from Shane Lust and Jeff Hutchins to push the visitors ahead going into the third period.

This game, however, was not just about scoring.  From the very beginning, the game had a tension surrounding it that you would expect when playing the Arena teams – it was the kind of atmosphere we welcomed (and I use the term loosely) Belfast with last weekend!

Now I can’t think of anything that might have sparked this animosity, whether it be the Stars frustration after a disappointing loss the night before or what, but everyone came out swinging and carried on for the entirety of the game!

Last weekend we were treated to Josh Batch showing Adam Keefe how we tango; this week, it was Hendrikx’ turn!  Early in the first, Trevor went toe to toe with James Isaacs as he came off the bench – fists getting acquainted as they tangled in a line change.  Ref Matt Thompson, in his second appearance at the BBT this season, seemed to be watching a different altercation though, as he assessed the culprits roughing penalties.

Later on, in the second period, we were treated to a ‘handbag convention’ – quote courtesy of the MNL – before Hendrikx heavily persuaded Brad Plumton to take a spin.  While this round seemed more tame than Trevor’s opening dance, possibly because Plumton didn’t see too involved until he had Hendrikx’ fist in his face, Thompson assessed the guys for five minute majors and play continued.

From gloves off to in the glove, both goaltenders had a good night on Sunday.  While Marc Cheverie had to go fishing five times throughout the course of the game, he also had a fantastic second period – which could be reason for a tired third.  Throughout the second twenty-minute period, Marc Cheverie faced 22 (!) Devils’ shots and only let one passed him!  I’d say he either deserves a hand, or we need to practise our accuracy…. Probably both.

But fluster he did, and the Devils’ were able to sneak three goals passed the Canadian tender, the first while on the powerplay with Plumton in the box for interference.

While the Stars were able to add a fourth to their tally early on in the third, the Devils’ managed to hold them off and treated the crowd to a 5-4 regulation win.

Four points in the bag this weekend, we now look ahead to next week.  Saturday sees a(nother) trip up to the SkyDome, to take on the Coventry Blaze.  Red Army Travel is running a bus up, but seats are limited so make sure you secure your place quickly.

Sunday sees not only the Edinburgh Capitals coming to town, but also the retirement of Jason Stone’s jersey to the (temporary) rafters.  You can get your tickets online or by calling the box office, so get yourself down to the Tent to honour a Devils’ legend!

See you soon, Devils’ fans!  Let’s Go Devils!

Final Scores

Devils 3 – 2 Panthers (Shoot Out)

Devils 5 - 4 Stars