Cardiff Devils suffered more European heartache when they lost 3-2 in sudden death overtime against Swiss club SC Bern at Ice Arena Wales.
Head coach Andrew Lord and his team felt hard done by in the 5-2 defeat against Red Bull Salzburg and, once again, they had chances to beat Bern in front of 3,000 spectators.
In the other group match played on Saturday Vaxjo Lakers won 5-2 against Salzburg which means three of the four teams have now lost.
Devils kept their hopes of making progress alive when they earned an invaluable Champions Hockey League point by forcing the game into overtime – and it could so easily have been three points.
They have a 5v3 powerplay and failed to score, while another PP late in the third provided another chance for the winner, but Bern held on.
‘I’m proud of our players,” said Lord. “We took on one of the most famous franchises in Europe and played well. Our compete was there and we played our systems to a tee.
“The point we earned is huge and this group is far from over. We came back and battled after getting the short end of the stock against Salzburg.
“I’d love the 5on3 back or the PP late in the third when we could have put the game away. When you go into overtime against a team like Bern it’s a real crap shoot.
“Credit to Bern. They are an extremely good team, unbelievably composed and managed the puck better than any team I have ever seen.
“It was a really good match and we were right in there. The difference was that little bit extra around the net, half a second or a quarter of a second less time. But we are getting better at it and by our next game we’ll be 100 per cent.”
Devils now have back-to-back Champions League away games, facing Red Bull Salzburg in Austria on Thursday and then SC Bern two days later.
“It doesn’t get any easier and they are two tough places to go,” said Lord. “I was convinced we would get it done against Bern, but there is no margin for error against these teams. We like that, though, and the challenge is making us a better team.
“This is far from over. There is a lot of hockey to be played in this group.”
Devils and Bern fought out a thriller in Cardiff Bay. After a goalless first period both sides led once before they headed into the final session locked on 2-2.
Richardson scored a powerplay goal for Devils after 20-31, while Thomas Rufenacht levelled the scores, also on a powerplay (21.11).
Fantastic interaction with their fans from the @scbern players after our @championshockey game. What a performance by @cardiffdevils. Very proud. pic.twitter.com/3dMRrcemUm
— Door monkey (@SullyDevil) September 1, 2018
Bern swept into the lead when Calle Andersson flicked in their second (24-54) and Cardiff scored their second after 27-55.
Michael Hedden was the scorer, sending the teams in for the break level on 2-2.
Around 3,000 spectators were at Ice Arena Wales for the Champions League clash and home fans fired up the atmosphere with their passionate and loud support.
Around 200 Bern fans waved flags and made their presence felt on a memorable European night of hockey in Cardiff Bay.
The heartbreak moment for Devils cane 50 seconds into overtime when Andrew Ebbett slipped a low shot past goalie Ben Bowns and earned the Swiss visitors victory.
Bern lead the group on five points, Salzburg and Vaxjo have three each and Devils are on one.
But one win could put Cardiff in the top two and on course for a top two finish and qualification to the knockout stages.
Match stats:
Scorers, Devils: Mark Richardson 1+0, Michael Hedden 1+0, Sean Bentivoglio 0+2, Joey Haddad 0+1, Gleason Fournier 0+1..
SC Bern: Thomas Rufenacht 1+1, Calle Andersson 1+1, Andrew Ebbett 1+0, Adam Almquist 0+1, Ramon Undtersander 0+1, Jan Mursak 0+1, Daniele Grassi 0+1.
Period scores (Devils first): 0-0; 2-2; 0-0; 0-1 (2-3).
Penalties in minutes: Devils 2+4+4=10; SC Bern 6+8+2=16.
Shots on goal: Devils (on Genoni) 45, Bern (on Bowns) 57.
Man of the match: Sean Bentivoglio.
Lines:
Devils:
Goalies: Ben Bowns, Thomas Murdy.
First: Josh Batch, Mark Richardson, Sean Bentivoglio, Joey Martin, Joey Haddad.
Second: Ben Blood, Bryce Reddick, Michael Hedden, Layne Ulmer, Matthew Pope.
Third: Gleason Fournier, Mark Louis, Charles Linglet, Stephen Dixon, Justin Faryna.
Fourth: Toms Rutkis, Jake Morissette, Craig Moore (plus rotating D-man pairing).
SC Bern:
Goalies: Leonardo Genoni, Pascal Caminada
First: Calle Andersson, Beat Gerber, Tristan Scherwey, Gaëtan Haas, Gregory Sciaroni.
Second: Eric Blum, Justin Krueger, Marc Kämpf, Andrew Ebbett, Thomas Rüfenacht.
Third: Adam Almquist, Ramon Untersander, Simon Moser, Jan Mursak, DanieleGrassi.
Fourth: Yanik Burren, Jérémie Kamerzin, Esbjörn Fogstad Vold, Andre Heim, Alain Berger.
Referees: Sirko Hunnius, Stefan Hogarth.