Cardiff Devils 4, Belfast Giants 5
Derrick Walser led his Belfast Giants team to a magnificent Challenge Cup win against Cardiff Devils at Ice Arena Wales.
Walser’s Giants were outplayed for most of the team, trailing 2-0 and 4-2, but Devils failed to earn the victory they needed in this semi-final first leg tie.
Former NHL defenceman Walser, one of the best Elite League players in his position, let his team down before the match started when he failed to respect the Welsh national anthem.
That was a mistake, a major error, when he thought it had ended even though the anthem was still being sung and both sets of players were still standing together.
Walser started skating, failed to stop even when it became clear he had got things badly wrong and he was given a 10-minute penalty by referee Dean Smith for misconduct.
It was clearly a mistake by Walser, but he was booed and ridiculed throughout the match. He is, though, a hugely experienced player who played at the top level or Columbus Blue Jackets and led his team to a first leg success.
Giants fought back from 4-2 down to win 5-4 and they take that advantage into the second leg in Belfast next Wednesday.
Walker and his players left Ice Arena Wales quickly, while Cardiff player-coach Lord had to reflect on a devastating defeat.
“It is frustrating,” said Lord. “With the veterans and experience we have in our team it is inexcusable to lose in this way. It’s not good enough.
“That’s a real shame because there were tons of good stuff out there.”
Lord and his Devils led 2-0 and 4-2 in this semi-final first leg tie, but eventually paid the price for sloppy work on defence.
Now they must win in Belfast next midweek to qualify for the final to be held in Cardiff Bay during March.
Before they travel to play Giants in the return, though, Cardiff travel to take on Nottingham Panthers this Saturday (7pm) before entertaining Manchester form at the IAW rink the next evening (6pm).
Devils were the better team for long periods and Giants were forced to hang on, but Lord’s men made too many errors at crucial times.
The winners of this clash will play Nottingham Panthers or Sheffield Steelers in the final.
Cardiff were without Jake Morissette, who must have surgery on an ankle injury, with Guillaume Doucet returning to the line-up to ensure Devils had a full complement of import players.
Belfast are in winning form, having earned back-to-back away wins against Sheffield last weekend, and they earned their first leg win against Cardiff thanks to a dramatic last minute winner from Jim Vandermeer.
The visitors went into the final period trailing 4-2 before firing three unanswered goals to earn the first leg victory.
Layne Ulmer opened the scoring for Cardiff midway through the first period with Gleason Fournier doubling the home sides advantage after 16 minutes.
A powerplay effort netted by Belfast man of the match Colin Shields put Belfast back in the game, but Devils’ two-goal lead was restored after 12 minutes of the second period when Doucet scored.
Chris Higgins pulled one back unassisted, but then Joey Martin’s goal in the dying seconds of the second period appeared to put the Devils in control heading into the final frame.
A shocking final period left Devils beaten. Shields, with his second of the game, and Brandon Benedict hauled Giants back to 4-4 before Vandermeer struck on the powerplay with less than a minute left to earn Belfast victory.
The second leg of the semi-final is in Belfast next Wednesday, February 8.
Match stats:
Scorers, Devils: Guillaume Doucet 1+0, Layne Ulmer 1+0, Gleason Fournier 1+0, Joey Martin 1+1, Patrick Asselin 0+1, Andrew Hotham 0+1, Joey Haddad 0+1, Scott Hotham 0+1.
Giants: Colin Shields 2+0, Jim Vandermeer 1+0, Brandon Benedict 1+0, Chris Higgins 1+0, Derrick Walser 0+2, Matt Towe 0+1, Steve Saviano 0+1, Michael Forney 0+1.
Period scores (Devils first): 2-1; 2-1 (4-2); 0-3 (4-5).
Penalties in minutes: Devils 6+4+18=28; Giants 14+4+6=26.
Shots on goal: Devils (on Whistle) 9+9+7=25; Giants (on Bowns) 6+7+9=22.
Powerplays: Devils 1/4; Giants 2/6.
Referee: Dean Smith.
Attendance: 2,524.