Motorpoint Arena, Nottingham – The Cardiff Devils will face the Belfast Giants in a third consecutive Elite League Playoff Final after stunning the Sheffield Steelers with a two-goal comeback in the second final four contest.
Goals from Scott Allen and Robert Dowd propelled the Steelers to an early lead, but their advantage was erased with seven minutes remaining when Ben Davies equalised for the Devis to send the game to overtime.
Jake Coughler netted the game-winning goal in the extra frame, beating Matthew Greenfield at his near post as a four-on-three powerplay was about to expire for Cardiff.
“Sheffield came out really hard, I didn’t really like our start [as] I felt we were sitting back a little bit and dug a little bit of a hole there,” said head coach Brodie Dupont.
“We stuck with it, you have to give the guys credit. We made a couple of adjustments and just started trying to get the pucks deep a little bit more often. We had a couple of really big saves, including on the breakaway.
“[Ben] Bownsy came up big and we scored a couple of timely goals, which is exactly what you need in this kind of short-form tournament.”
Trevor Cox scored for the Devils in period one, assisted by Trevor Cox and Cole Sandford.
The Steelers’ season ends in disappointment, with the team falling in the Challenge Cup and playoff semi-finals.
“I felt like we got off to a great start and controlled the tempo,” said Steelers head coach Aaron Fox. “We gave them a big turnover at our blueline and that brough them back into the hockey game. They took the momentum and the ice slanted in the wrong direction for us.”
Analysis: Sheffield Steelers capitulate in crushing semi-final defeat to Cardiff Devils
The Steelers – so says their reputation – are swayed easily by momentum. They are virtually unbeatable when the ice tilts in their favour but are known to fall by the wayside when forced onto their back foot.
And that was exactly the case in their semi-final defeat to the Devils, with their blueline fading in the face of sustained pressure from Cardiff.
Greenfield produced a series of important stops to keep the Steelers ahead until the final stages of period three when Ben Davies tied the contest with a rebound from the low slot.
The Devils left no stones unturned in their game-long comeback attempt, with Cole Sandford ringing the iron on a breakaway effort in the middle frame as his head coach exploded at refereeing decisions.
Josh Waller, Cardiff Devils versus Sheffield Steelers (Image: James Assinder)
Dupont raged when the officials elected not to award a penalty in response to his number two centreman taking an orange stick to the jaw.
The Canadian’s outburst sparked a response from his players – in addition to a second period talking to from the officials – and it eventually paid dividends.
Ben Bowns slammed the door shut on Sheffield to keep the Devils in play and ultimately outduel Greenfield to secure the win.
Ben Bowns, Cardiff Devils versus Sheffield Steelers (Image: Dean Woolley)
“We always believed that we could come back from two behind,” explained the Team Great Britain netminder. “It’s in our DNA – we came back from three behind in Belfast earlier this season. Now, we need to recover and focus on how we’re going to beat another great team.
“We know the Giants are dangerous, but we’re dangerous too. Let’s see what happens tomorrow, hopefully it’ll be the right result for us.”
Bowns, who endured a patchy regular-season, will face Belfast netmindner Tyler Beskorowany in the final, a contest his head coach expects him to enjoy.
“He relishes the opportunity to win in the bigger moments,” explained Dupont. “He enjoys playing in these big-moment games and has been there many times before. I’ve had the pleasure of working with him this year and I know that he loves the big games.”
Tomorrow, the Devils play another big game.
