EIHL Game Report: Cardiff 2 Belfast 7

In the opening weekend of the Elite Ice Hockey League, the Cardiff Devils welcomed conference rivals Belfast Giants to the Cardiff Bay arena. After a relatively close two periods, it was the third and final session that saw the demise of the Devils, as the visitors skated away with the points.

With Devils starting Netminder Dan LaCosta injured in the previous night’s game and backup goaltender Joe Myers between the pipes, it was always going to be a tall order  for the Welsh club to defeat the Giants. This proved to be the case as just 1 minute and 32 seconds into the game, the Giants got onto the score board, as Evan Cheverie fired one into the back of the net.

It was predicted this game could get a little feisty, and fight fans were not disappointed as Belfast’s Captain Adam Keefe and Devils’ dman Brad Plumton came to blows and dropped the gloves at 14:47, both receiving 5 minute fighting majors.

Into the second and again, it was the Giants who were lighting the lamp, as Calvin Elfring scored at 26:30 to put the Northern Irish team 2-0 ahead. However, the Devils pressed on and just 30 seconds later, it was the home team who were to finally get onto the board, after Andrew Conboy found the net. With momentum in their favour, the Devils levelled the score with a goal from Mac Faulkner at 29:40.

The Red Army were in fine voice, and Joe Myers had made some good saves against a sharp Giants team. However, just 11 seconds after Faulkner’s goal, an incident ensued involving a number of players, that saw Conboy being ejected out of the match with a 5+game for excessive roughing, and Belfast’s Dave Phillips getting a 10 minute misconduct penalty for third man in.

As a result, the Giants took back their lead with a Power Play goal from Jeff Szwez at 31:58.

In the final period and with the Devils starting to tire, the Giants capitalised with a strike from Chris Higgins at 45:35. Adam Keefe, who had a particularly good game for the Giants, scored his first of the night at 50:41. Five minutes later it was Robby Sandrock’s slapshot from the blueline that cemented the Giants victory and in the dying minutes, it was Keefe again who put the final nail in the coffin, with a shorthanded strike.