Heading into the weekend, the Cardiff Devils are hunting on two fronts.

The Devils are coming off an impressive weekend, where the side secured back-to-back wins. On Saturday, Glasgow Clan will travel to Cardiff Bay for an Elite League matchup; afterwards, Cardiff will face the Sheffield Steelers in the Challenge Cup on Sunday.

A packed weekend awaits Cardiff, who will look to turn hard work into statement wins.

Last time out

Cardiff’s heart was on display last Sunday in Nottingham as they overcame a two-goal deficit to beat the Panthers. In the first period, goaltenders Kevin Carr and Ben Bowns were strong.

An interception from Tim Doherty led to Brendan Harris putting his side in front. Then Mitchell Fossier furthered Nottingham’s advantage by scoring from a penalty. It was not until the third period that the Devils truly arrived.

After some adjustments from Paul Thompson, Cardiff started pushing hard. Riley Brant narrowed the gap by scoring off a rebound. As the clock went into its final ticks, Ryan Barrow got the puck past the Panthers’ defence to equalise.

Nottingham had their chances in overtime, but Cardiff’s defence held firm. Kohen Olischefsk was instrumental in setting up Barrow for the game-winning score. The Welsh side’s attention will turn to welcoming Glasgow to Cardiff.

The weekend’s opponents

The Devils’ weekend opponents faced off against each other on Wednesday. It was a tight affair as Sheffield travelled to the Braehead Arena, resulting in an overtime showdown. Sheffield broke the ice with a Sam Tremblay goal, with the home side answering back with a Miihkali Teppo score.

Neither side could find the net until the third period, with missed chances. Glasgow took the lead after scoring against his former team. Derek Gentile sent the game to overtime after capitalising on a rebound. As overtime progressed, Jason Farm got the vital score to give the Scottish team a significant victory.

Cardiff’s positions in both competitions

After claiming two victories in their opening games of the Elite League, Devils sit fourth in the competition with games in hand on the teams above. Thompson’s side has scored six goals and conceded two.

They will look to build on last weekend’s steadfast foundation. Devils have a chance to take second place in Group A of the Challenge Cup with a win over the Steelers.

Confidence should flow through Cardiff’s ranks, and with momentum on their side, they’ll look to make every moment count.

By guest writer, Peter Ryan.

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