Ice Hockey: Home fixtures crucial tests for Devils

Feb 26 2008 South Wales Echo

TWO big home ice hockey matches during March hold the key to Cardiff Devils’ opponents in the Elite League play-off quarter-finals.

The Devils take on Sheffield Steelers, who are currently in second place, on Sunday, March 9, and Manchester Phoenix on Saturday, March 15.

Those games, both at the Cardiff Bay rink, are crucial to Devils’ hopes.

Cardiff currently lie in sixth place, ahead of Manchester on goals scored.

That puts the Devils in line to play Belfast Giants or Sheffield Steelers over two legs in the last night.

Belfast are third, just behind Sheffield, who badly need a win at Cardiff to maintain their chase near the top.

The format for the play-off quarter-finals sees the champions, likely to be Coventry Blaze, face the team who finish eighth.

Second will play seventh, sixth take on third, leaving the teams finishing fourth and fifth to face each other.

Devils have a real chance to make progress this weekend when they play Hull Stingrays home and away.

The Humberside club, coached by ex-Devils defenceman Rick Strachan, lie bottom of the league and crashed out of the British Cup, losing 7-4 against Basingstoke Bison.

Strachan admitted he was at his ‘lowest point’ since taking charge at Hull and rounded on his players, saying: “Why play? Get a new job, do something else.”

Stingrays drew 2-2 in the away leg, but slumped 5-2 on their own ice and Strachan said: “After the game I asked the guys in the dressing room ‘how many of you have won a pro championship?’ and ‘how many have even played for one?’

“There were only four guys and I said ‘if you keep playing like that you will never play for one.’

“It’s the angriest and the lowest I have been since coming to Hull. I just can’t believe guys didn’t want to pay the price to win. Some guys showed me they have no ambition of playing for a championship and that’s what any guy wants to do at the start of the year.

“The mentality is mind-boggling. If you can’t get up to win one game in your own building against a depleted team which was hurting, why play? Get a new job, do something else.”

- DEVILS play English National League Cardiff Dragons at the Cardiff Bay rink tomorrow when some of the best young players in Wales will be in action.

Face-off is at 7pm and tickets, available on the door, are £5 each.

Any players from the junior development programme who have their ID cards with them will be admitted for £3.