DEVILS’ DELIGHT
CARDIFF Devils will play Manchester Storm in the Elite League play-off quarter-finals.
The first leg is at Ice Arena Wales in Cardiff Bay this Saturday (7pm) with the return in Altrincham the next evening (5.30pm).
Devils had the three trophies they have already won - League championship, Challenge Cup and Erhardt Conference - on show at the IAW for their match against Belfast.
Supporters took the chance to have their photographs taken with the silverware, but the performance was well below the standards they have set this season.
“We lacked urgency, work ethic, desire and pace in the first two periods,” said coach Andrew Lord. “In the third were did come out a lot sharper. Even then we weren’t at our best, but a step in the right direction. “Overall, it was not our best night.” This was Cardiff’s final League match of the regular season and Lord rested a number of players, including himself, while Chris Culligan was ruled out by a minor injury.
Goalie Ben Bowns, Andrew Hotham and Joey Martin all sat out the match and Lord explained it was because they have played a lot of hockey this season, saying: “We’ve played 72 fixtures in total this season and those guys have played in virtually all of them and deserved a rest.”
Devils had beaten Giants 4-3 on Saturday to clinch the Erhardt Conference title, but Belfast bounced back to take the points on Sunday and secure runners-up spot behind Cardiff in the League.
After a goalless first period Devils made a major error behind their own net and Colin Shields fired home with Blair Riley making it 2-0 four minutes later.
Layne Ulmer pulled one back for the Devils, but Chris Higgins added a third for Giants late in the period.
Defenceman Ryan Martinelli increased Belfast’s lead to 4-1 four minutes in to the final period, but Matt Myers goal midway through the period kept Cardiff within touching distance.
Ulmer struck his second of the game after Devils had pulled goalie Thomas Murdy to set up a nervous final minute for Giants.
At 4-3 down Devils pressed hard and went close to a goal, but the shot flew wide and a James Desmarais fired into an empty net to clinch Belfast’s win with 10 seconds left.
Coventry and Edinburgh have missed out on qualifying for the playoffs, while the quarter-final draw is: Devils v Storm, Braehead Clan v Dundee Stars, Belfast Giants v Fife Flyers, Sheffield Steelers v Nottingham Panthers. All ties to be played over two legs. SEAN Bentivoglio fired a hat-trick in a Cardiff Devils win which clinched triple crown glory.
Coach Andrew Lord and his Devils team have now won the Elite League title, Challenge Cup and Erhardt Conference.
Their 4-3 win against Giants, the only team who could have caught them in the tough Erhardt section, ensure Devils have now won five trophies in three seasons since Lord took charge.
They are League champions for the first time in 20 years, while Lord’s men have won the Challenge Cup and Erhardt title twice each.
Devils play Belfast Giants at home again on Sunday (6pm) and the match already a 3,088 sell-out.
They will also find out on Sunday who they play in the play-off quarterfinals next weekend. Dundee Stars won against Fife Flyers 7-5 to make sure of seventh place and that means Devils will face Manchester Storm or Coventry Blaze.
Storm play Nottingham Panthers in their final League game on Sunday, while Blaze take on Sheffield Steelers.
Devils are top seeds for the play-offs and have already decided their home leg against Storm or Blaze will be held at Ice Arena Wales on Saturday, April 1 (7pm) with the return leg the next evening.
Cardiff have one more import than they are able to play in any one match and they rested Chris Culligan from the match against Belfast.
Bentivoglio opened the scoring against Giants after just 53 seconds, but Belfast drew level through Chris Higgins in the 13th minute to leave the teams tied at 1-1 after the first period.
Devils lead was restored midway through the second period, Bentivoglio again the scorer, but the advantage lasted for less than two minutes as former NHL defenceman Jim Vandermeer fifed an unassisted goal.
Bentivoglio completed his hat-trick four minutes in to the final frame, taking his goals tally for the season to 19, while Matthew Myers increasing the Devils advantage to 4-2 in the 56th minute.
Belfast grabbed a late goal through David Rutherford to set up a tense finale, but Cardiff held firm to secure the points.
They have now won three trophies with one more, the play-offs, to play for over the next couple of weeks.