Cardiff Devils tough guy Patrick Bordeleau heads into the new year aiming to wreak physical havoc on opposing Elite League teams.
Big ‘Bordy’ rocked Coventry Blaze at Ice Arena Wales in midweek with big, clean hits to the body which changed the game.
He smashed two Blaze players into the boards, fired up the atmosphere among around 3,000 home fans and Devils fought back from behind to win by scoring four final period goals.
“Patrick was excellent,” said head coach Andrew Lord, “We saw what he can do. A genuine game changer when he plays physical.”
The 6ft 6ins Bordeleau is being encouraged by Lord to play in that same hard-hitting style, starting against Dundee Stars at the IAW in Cardiff Bay on New Year’s Day (4pm).
The former NHL enforcer is a smart player who has a knack of hitting cleanly with crunching power, while he has been given the go-ahead to fight when the time is right.
Coventry’s Garrett Klutz turned down Bordeleau’s offer to drop the gloves this week, while Sheffield hard man Zak Fitzgerald has avoided several potential confrontations when the Devils man asked him to go.
Their reluctance to take on ‘Bordy’ gives him license to run riot intimidating opposing players.
Devils are top of Elite League after back-to-back wins against Blaze, home and away, while rivals Sheffield Steelers went down 3-2 on consecutive nights against Nottingham Panthers.
Lord said he was ‘proud’ of his players, saying: “We were very good in Coventry, consistent from the start. The workmate was back and our puck management, for the most part, was excellent.
“That was one of our better team performances in a while.
“We have a good, honest group here and talk openly in team meetings.
“At home against Blaze our first period was not good enough. Hats off to Blaze because that’s the best they have played against us, but I loved our third period.”
Lord mixed up the lines a little with David Brine joining Jake Morissette and Joey Haddad, while Guillaume Doucet played alongside Joey Martin and Patrick Asselin.
But he admits: “Midway through the game everything went out of the window and we were calling lines on the fly, shortening our bench. In the third we did the same, albeit with a bit more structure.
“The guys did a great job and we came out on top.”
Devils are at home for their first two fixtures in 2017 with Dundee the visitors on Sunday, New Year’s Day followed by Coventry on Saturday, January 7 (7pm).
Ticket information is available from the club’s official website or via the hotline on 0800 0842 666.