Cardiff Devils 5, Belfast Giants 2
Cardiff Devils have taken a stranglehold grip at the top of Elite League.
Captain Jake Morissette and his team followed their 4-2 win against Belfast Giants on Saturday with a crushing 5-2 success against the same opposition on Sunday.
Leaders Devils are now nine points ahead of second-placed Giants, who were left down and out at the Viola Arena in Cardiff Bay.
British defenceman Mark Richardson marked his 800th EIHL appearance in all competitions by firing the first Devils goal, while Joey Martin, Mark Richardson, Matt Pope, Bryce Reddick and Evan Mosey were the other scorers.
The depth of this Cardiff team was underlined by the fact that there were 11 different scorers – goals and assists – and leading points duo Charles Linglet and Gleason Fournier did not feature on the list.
Giants were left breathless when Devils netted three goals in 71 seconds during the first period with Richardson (12-50), Pope (12-59) and Reddick (14-01) on target.
Belfast coach Adam Keefe called a time-out and, as expected, the visitors forced their way back into the match with two second period powerplay goals.
But this, again, was the night Devils made a decisive move in the title chase and they won the third period 2-0 to seal the win.
It was another high energy, intense and hard-hitting match in front of a sell-out attendance.
Richardson was named man of the match on a night when Devils took a major step towards winning the title for a third successive season.
The next fixture for Devils is against Sheffield Steelers away on Wednesday evening (7.30pm).
Match stats
Scorers, Devils: Joey Martin 1+1, Mark Richardson 1+0, Matt Pope 1+0, Bryce Reddick 1+0, Evan Mosey 1+0, Mike Hedden 0+1, Stephen Dixon 0+1, Sean Bentivoglio 0+2, Sam Duggan 0+1, Drew Shiestel 0+1, Layne Ulmer 0+2.
Remarkable sweep by the @cardiffdevils Passion, discipline and skill. Very proud of every player and coach. #3peat
— Steve King (@Tacosteve10) January 20, 2019
Giants: Kyle Baun 1+0, Blair Riley 1+0, Patrick Dwyer 0+2, Jim Vandemeer 0+1, Curtis Leonard 0+1.
Period scores (Devils first): 3-0; 0-2 (3-2); 1-0 (4-2).
Shots on goal: Devils (on Beskorowany) 10+9+12=31; Giants (on Bowns) 7+13+5=25.
Penalties in minutes: Devils 2+6+2=10; Giants 2+2+2=6.
Special teams: Devils PK 3/5, PP 1/3; Giants PK 2/3; PP 2/5.
Men of the match: Devils, Mark Richardson; Giants, Curtis Leonard.
Referees: Tom Pering and Andrew Dalton.
Attendance: 3,100.