Cardiff Devils players have hailed the club’s supporters as ‘absolutely the best.’
More than 300 Devils fans travelled to Northern Ireland for their Elite League double-header against Belfast Giants away and Joey Haddad led the way with team thanks, tweeting: “A huge thanks to Devil fans who made the trip to Belfast & those who watched the live stream from home.
“Unbelievable support & loyalty. You guys are the best!”
Cardiff won 4-3 in the first game, storming back from 3-0 down, and 3-2 the next evening to earn two massive Elite League results.
Now Devils head to Nottingham for their next test, taking on Panthers at the National Ice Centre.
Player-coach Andrew Lord and his team are seven points clear at the top after those back-to-back wins in Belfast with Giants second and Sheffield Steelers a further point adrift.
Devils have 10 League fixtures left in their quest to be crowned champions for the first time in 20 years.
The club was formed for 1986-87, last won the League title in 1996-97 and are now on course for new glory in their 30th anniversary season.
Both Belfast and Sheffield believe they can still overhaul the leads, and will point out they each still have to play Cardiff twice.
Indeed the current top two clash in successive League games over the last weekend of the regular season. Giants visit Ice Arena Wales in Cardiff Bay on Saturday, March 25 (7pm) and Sunday, March 26 (6pm).
But Belfast hopes were badly damaged by their home defeats against Devils last weekend when the Welsh club showed the class of potential champions.
Lord and his players, though, are not even thinking about what happens beyond Tuesday’s match at Nottingham (7.30pm).
Devils are aiming for a trophy treble, having already qualified for the Challenge Cup final against Sheffield with the play-offs to come, but Lord insists: “One game at a time. Nothing more. Nottingham away is the only match that counts for us right now.”
That is a third match in five days for Devils and forward Sean Bentivoglio will be checked over by doctors after being forced to sit out most of the second game against Giants with a cut.
Chris Culligan is fit to return, though, and Devils will hope to be at full strength.
There has, though, been no word from the League’s department of player safety after 400 minutes of penalties were issued by referee Stefan Hogarth during the Saturday match in Belfast.
Most of those came after the game had ended and it took Hogarth a long time to decide on additions to the list of penalties.
A lot of players from both teams became embroiled in scuffled and fights on the ice, some leaving the bench. Andrew Hotham, Ben Bowns, Patrick Bordeleau, Matthew Myers, Chris Jones and Gleason Fournier were all given game penalties, while bench coaches Jamie Elson and Belfast’s Rob Stewart were technically thrown out.
Scott Hotham, Guillaume Doucet and Josh Batch received 10 minute penalties.
None of those will effect Devils’ match at Nottingham on Tuesday unless any are upgraded by DOPS.
The next home match for Cardiff Devils is against Coventry Blaze at the IAW, Cardiff Bay on Saturday (7pm).Ticket information from 0800 0844 666.
Elite League – top five only
All teams play 52 fixtures
Pl Pts
1 Cardiff Devils 42 67
2 Belfast Giants 43 60
3 Sheffield Steelers 42 59
4 Braehead Clan 43 47
5 Nottingham Panthers 40 46