Euro champs prove too hot for Devils to handle
CARDIFF Devils bowed out of the Champions Hockey League with a 7-2 home defeat to reigning title holders Frolunda Indians at the Viola Arena.
But the Swedish side were forced to battle for the victory, with Devils within a goal until the visitors pulled away in the final period.
Coach Andrew Lord said: “It’s gut-wrenching, real painful. We were real close. The scoreline looks really bad, but those first two periods we were right in there.
“There were a couple of missed assignments and I have never faced a team with that sort of firepower and killer instinct. Give them a couple of inches and they put it away.
“Overall, we were difficult to play against. I liked a lot of our game and we’ll take more lessons from this again.
“But Frolunda are an unbelievable hockey team any way you cut it.”
The first period was nip and tuck until Simon Hjalmarsson found the back of the net with a shot from the back post to put Frolunda up 1-0 ahead with the only goal of the first 20 minutes of play.
Devils wasted no time grabbing an equaliser in the second period through Blair Riley, but Anders Gronlund and Samuel Fagemo put the visitors 3-1 up.
Cardiff found a response though, as they often do in the CHL at home, their longest-serving player Mark Richardson floated one through traffic past Johan Matsson to make it 3-2 as the team skated four on four late in the second.
Frolunda made a quick start in the third period as a goal from Max Friberg and two more from Fagemo put the reigning champions up 6-2 ahead.
Hjalmarsson completed his hattrick with two more and Fagemo added his fourth to put the reigning champions into the next round, with Mountfield HC qualifying in saecond.
Nevertheless, Lord was proud of his team’s efforts throughout the whole campaign.
He said: “The three wins (in the tournament) were huge. I would have liked the first 10 minutes of the Mountfield match back, but overall we played some great hockey.
“We have such team togetherness and then some. The players enjoy coming to the rink, getting better, going to battle for each other.
“The sky’s the limit for this team. It’s so enjoyable to work this group right now.”
Devils now revert to Elite League action, with Nottingham Panthers the visitors to the Viola Arena on Saturday (7pm).