Cardiff Devils head into the biggest game of their season tonight riding on a wave of confidence after their late comeback against Newcastle Vipers on the weekend.

The Devils play Nottingham Panthers in the second leg of the Challenge Cup final and they must battle back from two goals down, after a 4-2 first leg defeat.

But they are full of confidence after beating the Vipers 7-4 on Sunday, despite being 3-0 behind eith 21 minutes to play.

Jamie Hayes enjoyed some extra game-time during last week’s clash with the Sheffield Steelers and the Devils youngster has set his sights on progressing further in the Welsh Capital.

“It’s been really good getting some time on the ice and I’m really enjoying it,” said Hayes.

The 19-year-old has come through the ranks at the Devils and is relishing the opportunity he has been given in his first full season as a professional.

After a second straight defeat, the Cardiff Devils will be looking for a return to the form they showed before the Challenge Cup final going into a double-header this weekend.
Cardiff-born youngster Ben Davies was man of the match for the Devils’ 5-4 defeat to Sheffield Steelers in the Elite League on Wednesday, a game in which player-coach Gerad Adams labelled his side’s defence “atrocious”.
The 19-year-old forward was handed more ice time as Adams appeared to ring the changes, and he was pleased with his own performance.
He said: “I think I …

Cardiff Devils coach Gerad Adams branded his team’s defence as “atrocious” after last night’s 5-4 Elite League defeat to Sheffield Steelers.

Devils were ahead four times at the Cardiff Bay Arena through Max Birbraer, Mark Smith, Ryan Finnerty and Tylor Michel. But they threw away their lead late in the third period as Sheffield scored two power play goals through Jeff Legue and Joey Talbot to seal the win.

The defeat leaves the Devils in desperate need of building some momentum in the weekend’s games with Coventry Blaze and Newcastle Vipers, ahead of their Challenge Cup final second leg against Nottingham Panthers on Tuesday.

Cardiff Devils forward Tylor Michel hit both goals in Sunday’s 4-2 Challenge Cup final first leg defeat to Nottingham Panthers – but he can’t get the mistake he made out of his head.
With the Devils trailing 3-2 late in the third period, Tylor’s misplaced pass on the powerplay led to a shorthanded goal for Panthers skipper Danny Meyers.
And the Canadian is struggling to shake-off the frustration.

The Cardiff Devils saw their grip on the Challenge Cup loosened by an in-form Nottingham offense at the Bay Arena last night.
In a hot-tempered affair, the Devils struggled to impose themselves beyond the blueline despite a brace from Tylor Michel.
The Panthers scored three in the third period, including an unassisted short-handed goal from Danny Meyers, to dent the Devils hopes of a second Challenge Cup.
Simple mistakes
But player-coach Gerad Adams was positive about his side’s performance but said simple errors had gifted Nottingham victory.
He said: “It’s one of those things. We …

Cardiff Devils did their talking on-the-ice tonight, producing a masterful display to beat Belfast Giants 4-0 in their Elite League showdown at the Cardiff Bay Arena.

Goals from Ryan Finnerty, Brad Voth, Phil Hill and Mark Smith did the job for the Devils against a lacklustre Giants side.

The win makes it three-in-a-row for the Devils after the double over Hull Stingrays at the weekend, and keeps them in with a sniff of second place, while the Giants chances of making a charge for the title seem to have disappeared.

CARDIFF Devils’ player-coach Gerad Adams has pledged to make life “uncomfortable” for his players this week after their disappointing showing in the 1-0 defeat by Edinburgh Capitals in the Elite League on Sunday.
Canadian forward Owen Fussey scored the only goal of the game as the Capitals shutout Cardiff thanks to an inspired performance by net-minder Cody Rudkowsky.
Defeat leaves Cardiff looking over their shoulders at the chasing pack and all but ends their chances of a late-season title charge.
A frustrated Adams said: “We are working hard but not playing smart enough, …

Cardiff Devils 1 – 0 Edinburgh Capitals

A frustrated Cardiff Devils side slipped to a 1 – 0 defeat to Edinburgh Capitals last night, effectively ending their chances of mounting a title challenge.

Cardiff Devils travel to the Whitley Bay Arena for Saturday’s Elite League game against Newcastle Vipers in good spirits following their dramatic late win over the same opponents last weekend.
The Devils needed a third-period hat-trick from Matt Miller to steal a 5-4 victory in the dying seconds of Sunday’s match at the Cardiff Bay Arena, a result that just about keeps them in touch with the leading pack.
Devils skipper Brad Voth said: “We will have a bit of confidence going into Saturday’s game. We outplayed them last week and they …