Devils stun Swiss powerhouse on Saturday night.
Devils stun Swiss powerhouse on Saturday night.
After a tough 5-0 loss to open the Champions Hockey League on Thursday, it was a much-improved performance by the Devils on Saturday as they hosted Lausanne HC of Switzerland.
The Devils were still without key personnel in Head Coach Jarrod Skalde, Assistant Coach Neil Francis as well as British players Ben Davies and Josh Batch due to the Covid-19 protocol but had managed to secure one reinforcement as Zach Sullivan joined the side for three CHL games from the Manchester Storm.
The Devils opened the scoring on the powerplay when a brilliant no look pass by Brodie Reid found Cole Sanford who buried his first goal in a Cardiff jersey.
After the opening goal, both teams really ramped up the physicality and the tempo of the game increased, but neither could find the back of the net again for the rest of the period as the Devils held a 1-0 lead after 20 minutes.
It was a dream start to the second, as Lausanne goalie Luca Boltshauser and defenceman Aurélein Marti were tangled up in the crease, Brodie Reid threw the puck on net and extended the Devils lead to 2-0. The two-goal advantage was short lived however as Lausanne quickly pulled one back, when Ken Jäger found himself unmarked in the slot, firing it past Mac Carruth to make it 2-1.
Whoever started quickest in the third would be crucial in deciding the outcome, and the Devils wasted no time at all. A quick rush up ice by Trevor Cox and he found Cole Sanford again, who directed the puck goal wards, to give Cardiff a 3-1 lead less than a minute into the third.
Things only got better from there, Mark Richardson pulled off a lovely move to get past his man, and while his shot was initially stopped, Sam Duggan was right there to tap in the rebound, giving the Devils 4-1 lead that they would hold onto to take a well-earned victory.
