Match Tickets
Cardiff Devils 2 - 3 Hull Stingrays
Faceoff: 19:00 - 05/01/13
The Hull Stingrays continued their great record against the Cardiff Devils with a fight-back victory in the Big Blue Tent.
In a fast and physical start to the game that saw Jesse Gimblett and Ryan Hand fight after just 3 seconds, the Devils had the better of the early stages and took the lead after 49 seconds. Collecting a pass behind the Hull net, Ben Davies was allowed to bring the puck out and flick a back-hand shot into the goal.
Having taken offence to a late hit off the play, Chris Blight was given 2+5+10 for Instigating a Fight with Janis Ozolins to put the Devils on the penalty kill. Despite being a man down it didn’t stop Cardiff from creating chances and when Davies sent Mac Faulkner clear he fired past Bowns to double the lead.
The Devils seemed to be in complete control and when Matt Davies was sent to the bin for Slashing it looked like the home side might increase their advantage further. Instead though, a loose pass on the blue line allowed Jereme Tendler to break away and fire the puck in off the post.
It let Hull back into the game and after surviving the rest of the powerplay the Stingrays started to look dangerous themselves. With the game starting to go end to end, a Hull counter-attack saw Tom Squires centre the puck allowing Sylvain Cloutier to get the touch at the near post and divert it into the net for the equaliser.
Having seemingly been in control just minutes earlier, the Devils were shell shocked and with 90 seconds left of the first period the Stingrays turned the game on its head by taking the lead. Jason Silverthorn with the inch-perfect pass for Tendler to tap in at the far post to make it 3-2 in the visitors’ favour.
Cardiff regrouped after the break but couldn’t find a way past the Hull defence and the in-form Ben Bowns. Even with a minute of 5-on-3 hockey at the start of the 3rd period the Devils couldn’t find an equaliser, and when they pulled the netminder in the final minute it was Hull who came closest to scoring before comfortably securing the away victory.
