Better The Devil You Don't....

With a 12-day break ahead of them the Belfast Giants were looking to solidify their hold on the top of the Elite Ice Hockey League. Tonight the Welsh were in town hoping that their men could gain their first victory over the current league leaders this season and strengthen their position in the top half of the table.

Glen Mulvennaâ??s Devils side had just come off a weekend of highs and lows. A home win over the recently faltering Sheffield Steelers followed by a 3-2 defeat at the hands of Rick Brebantâ??s Manchester Phoenix meant that the Cardiff coach was still looking to lay down some consistency with his team.

The Giants, however, were looking to hit back from the major â??reality checkâ?? dealt to them by the Basingstoke Bison last weekend. A game which saw them slump to their worst defeat of the season.

The game began (20 minutes late due to the slow entrance of the very large crowd) with some spirit and the Giants went all out to stamp their authority in their own arena. They held the puck in the Cardiff zone for a large portion of the opening minutes, passing around the outside and frustrating the Cardiff defence. Showing a solid fore-check, it was easy to see that Giants coach Rob Stewart had sent his team out with a job to do.

Cardiff got a first taste of the Giants powerplay unit when, on 8 minutes, Ivan Matulik was given a 2 minute penalty for tripping. Giants pressed hard, but Cardiff Devils netminder Eoin McInerney was solid between the pipes batting off shots from Jason Ruff and Colin Ward. However, 3 minutes later, the recently returned Jeff Burgonye was given a 2 minute rest in the penalty box by Referee Matt Thompson and it only took the Giants 6 seconds to pounce. A nice pass by Todd Kelman left Sean Berens able to place the puck to the right of McInerney.

In the opening literature of the nights match programme, Giants GM John Elliot asked fans to watch what they say for fear of offending others. Someone should have bought a programme for ex-London Knight Vesio Sacratini. The Cardiff favourite was handed a 10 minute unsportsmanlike conduct penalty thanks to a few well placed words to the referee. Sacratini duly sat in the box and felt shame as the Giants ended the period 1-0 up.

The second period was quite uneventful. Both teams proceeded to try and wind each other up. Cardiff captain Mike â??Terminatorâ?? Ware looked as thought he was after something, but no one cared enough to find out what that was. The Giants crowd wondering if he was to, once again, clash with their own Paxton Schulte. Schulte, looking tonight for his 150th point in a Giants shirt, came very close to doubling the home sideâ??s advantage midway through the period, his shot from the slot beat McInerney only to rebound off the crossbar and straight down into the crease. A few minutes later Ivan Matulik and Giants local boy Graeme Walton came face to face by the benches and both were handed 2 minute roughing penalties accordingly. It was as Matulik was leaving the penalty box having sat his 2 minutes that he was to be on the receiving end of a very unfortunate accidental high stick from Giants captain Jason Ruff. Stepping out of the box behind Ruff and skating round the wrong side of the Belfast forward as he lifted the blade of his stick. Play stopped for a short while as Matulikâ??s cut face was tended to and the blood was removed from the ice. And so the period ended with the Giants holding that slender 1-0 lead.

The Royal Navy were in town and, as special guests of the Harp Lager Belfast Giants, seemed to be thoroughly enjoying the spectacle before them. They watched as both teams came out for the final period. Cardiff looking to overturn that 1-goal Giants advantage. But it was the home side that came out the stronger putting a lot of pressure on the Cardiff zone.

That paid off when on 44.52, Paul Sample found Brad Kenny on the red line to the right of the Cardiff net and Kenny let go a tremendous shot that squeezed between McInerney and the post and into the far side of the goal. The Devils netminder did not make a secret of his distain for letting this get by him, throwing his water bottle in the air. Schulte was also awarded an assist and the forward celebrated his 150th point for the Belfast side.

Cardiff were frustrated a few minutes later when they saw the puck finally beat an on form Colin Ryder, only for the goal to be disallowed due to a man in the crease. Giants hit back straight away. Again Brad Kenny was on the end of some great link up play from Schulte and Sample to fire the puck home and put the game further out of Cardiffâ??s reach with only 9 minutes left on the clock.

The Devils, however, didnâ??t give up and were rewarded when Jeff Burgoyne was left open in the right circle to fire home a blistering shot past Giants netminder Colin Ryder, denying him the home shut-out the crowd so desperately want to see. Devils called a time out with only a few minutes to go, and pulled their netminder in order to somehow get back in the game.

With 35 seconds left on the clock Johnathan Phillips latched on to a Dennis Maxwell pass to slip the puck into the back of the Giants net and reduce the home teamâ??s advantage to a single goal. However there was not enough time left on the clock for them to force overtime and the Giants took the 2 points they so desperately wanted.

Man of the Match awards were handed to both netminders, Colin Ryderâ??s award being voted for by the assembled fans in a live text vote.

The Giants move on to Manchester hoping to make it 4 points out of 4 for the weekend. The Devils head home where they entertain the Bison.

Patrick Smyth

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