Thomas Murdy (left), Dan Brabon (centre) and Ben Bowns pictured together after Cardiff Devils won the Elite League title last season. Pic: Helen Brabon.

Dan’s The Man For ‘Bownsy’ And ‘Mad Dog’

Posted on

Welshman Dan Brabon will again play a key role for Cardiff Devils over the 2018-19 ice hockey season.

Caerphilly-born Brabon, 36, has been working with Bowns since the reigning EIHL Netminder of the Year joined the Devils for the 2014-15 season. 

Goalie coach Brabon is helping Bowns and Thomas ‘Mad Dog’ Murdy as they aim to help Devils in their bid for more trophies.

Cardiff have lifted the Elite League title for two successive seasons, qualifying for the Champions League again, and are preparing for a tilt at becoming the first club to win three in a row.

Bowns and Murdy are both likely to be given ice time when Devils play back-to-back home matches against top Slovakian club Poprad HK at Ice Arena Wales this weekend. 

“Dan has played a big role in my development,” says Bowns, “Having somebody with an eye for the game and experience as a netminder to be able to offer their advice on what they are seeing during a game has been invaluable.”

Brabon works on the ice with Bowns and Murdy every week, focusing on goaltending specific drills and movements to improve their game.

On game nights he is the eye in the sky for Bowns or Murdy and is down with them in the locker room between periods to offer guidance and advice on what he is seeing.  

Brabon also plays a big role with the Junior Devils Club as one of their coaches and is also a trustee for the club. He also runs goaltending clinics out of Ice Arena Wales with Bowns in the off-season. 

Thomas Murdy between the pipes for Cardiff Devils.

Head coach Roman Stantien brings his Poprad HK team to Cardiff Bay this weekend. The first match is on Saturday (7pm) with the return on Sunday (6pm). 

The 53-year-old Stantien, who played for HC Slovan Bratislava and represented Slovakia at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, retired from playing almost a decade ago.

American-born winger David Bondra is in the Poprad team along with Canadian defenceman Max Ross.

Vladimir Kosac, an athletic netminder with terrific reflexes, and Thomas Vosvrda are Poprad’s goalies, while their roster also includes Finnish D-man Joona Ervins and Simon Karlsson from Sweden.

Latvian defenceman Arturs Sallja also played for Poprad.

Devils coach Andrew Lord will be looking for an improvement from his team, having had a full week of training since their 6-3 home defeat in a friendly against Nottingham Panthers.

Lord will want his team to be sharper on powerplays and penalty kills as they aim to be ready for the start of their competitive season at the end of this month.

To book tickets for any pre-season or CHL game CLICK HERE or phone 0800 0842 666.

Pre-season tickets, including those for the Poprad matches, are £2 cheaper than the normal ticket prices for 2018-19.

Cardiff Devils early fixtures and results list, including pre-season matches and Champions League group fixtures.

August

Saturday 11: Nottingham Panthers 5, Cardiff Devils 5

Sunday 12: Cardiff Devils 3, Nottingham Panthers 6 (Panthers won 11-8 on aggregate)

Saturday 18: Cardiff Devils v HK Poprad (7pm, pre-season)

Sunday 19: Cardiff Devils v HK Poprad (6pm, pre-season)

Saturday 25: Cardiff Devils v Coventry Blaze (7pm, pre-season)

Sunday 26: Coventry Blaze v Cardiff Devils (5.15pm, pre-season)

Thursday 30: Cardiff Devils v Red Bull Salzburg (7.30pm, Champions League)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *