Josh MacDonald scored twice as Cardiff Devils recovered from a Challenge Cup Final defeat with a 7-3 win over Dundee Stars at a sold-out Vindico Arena.
“Wednesday night was disappointing, to say the least,” began the Devils forward after a three-point night. “We had an expectation to go into Belfast and win which didn’t go in our favour. You have to look at the mistakes we made and move on a quick as possible. We have eight games left in the regular season and you never know what can happen, so it was about shifting our focus and making sure we’re focussed on every game from hereon in.”
The game started with Dundee Netminder Jarrett Fiske taking on a heavy challenge against an aggressive Cardiff Devils team which had a multitude of chances in the opening period. After Fiske was able to deny multiple 2-on-1 situations, Brad Schoonbaert finally beat him when he was able to pull off a quick shot following a rebound off of Fiske’s pads, giving Cardiff a 1-0 lead 12:52 into the period for the only goal of period one.
The second started with the Devils finding their second goal after Josh MacDonald pulled off a slick shot into the goal thanks to an assisting pass from Joey Martin only 58 seconds into the period. Later in the period, Ben O’Connor found himself a holding minor, and while the hosts were unable to convert the delayed penalty into a goal, Brett Perlini was able to score instantly on the powerplay after an excellent passing play with Zach O’Brien 5:21 in. Dundee found their first of the night during a powerplay as a result of a Devils Too Many Men on Ice call that allowed Philippe Sanche to put the away team on the scoreboard.
“I felt pretty good out there tonight. I thought we were really connected, and everyone played a hell of a game,” aded MacDonald. “When we’re moving the puck well like that, it’s fun. It’s nice to contribute but we have a pretty deep team and this is how we normally play.”
Period three brought a flurry of goals. Zach Tsekos failed to clear the puck, allowing Tyler Busch to tip a Cody Donaghey shot from the point at 42:1. MacDonald scored on a breakaway less than two minutes to put the Devils 5-1 ahead and seemingly out of sight.
Keanu Yamamoto and Drydn Dow brought the Stars back to within two with a pair of goals 1:59 apart, but Ben Almquist put the Devils 6-3 up at 54:14. Donaghey made it seven 2:27 from the final buzzer to secure a convincing win for the home side, their fifth in a row in league play.
“We have eight games to play. You never know what can happen, and that’s going to be our mindset. Winning the last five out of five is great and we have to keep that going” concluded MacDonald.
Photo: James Assinder
