Devils split tight series with Stampede
The Red Devils had a mixed weekend on home ice with a 7-4 loss and 4-3 win in overtime in a double header against Southern Stampede.
Canterbury would have been disappointed to let the win slip from their grasp on Saturday at the Alpine Ice Arena after leading until the final period.
They seemed to lose concentration, allowing the Stampede time in front of the goal.
Once they had put two past the Devils keeper to get a 6-4 buffer, the fight from the home team seemed to fade and a seventh goal quickly followed.
No such concentration lapse on Sunday. The Devils got off the mark within 30 seconds with Slovakian import Peter Kopecky slotting one. They kept the pressure on and a second goal soon followed, but once again allowed the Southern back when they scored a goal late in the period.
It was the Stampede from Queenstown who took first blood in the 2nd period, converting sustained pressure to level the score. They could have had another, but a superb effort by the Devils goalie saw Southern’s player end up in the net, instead of the puck.
It was the wake up Canterbury needed, and not much later they too managed to work the puck into the goal and get back in front.
It wasn’t for long though, as captain Hayden Argyle watched from the sideline as the Stampede made the most of their power play to get back to 3-3.
Not even Devils import Antti Ojanen’s raw speed could get them a goal as the Stampede’s accurate passing constantly proved a threat.
With the scores tied at 3-3 in normal time and a bust up reducing it to three players for each team in overtime it was Dean Tonks who broke the deadlock and gave Canterbury a vital win on coach Anatoly Khorozov’s birthday.