Ryan Barrow scored twice – once in the final minute and again in extra time – to help Cardiff Devils earn both points during their visit to Nottingham Panthers on Sunday evening.
“It was a big weekend for us when we got behind the last one,” began Barrow, a two-goal hero. “Tonight, no matter how it would have turned out in the end, I think we could have kept our heads high with the effort. The hockey gods were in our favor in the end.”
On a night when the Panthers raised their Playoff flag, it took more than half an hour for the opening goal. Ben Bowns came out to put the puck behind his net but put it straight onto Tim Doherty’s stick and he gave Brendan Harris a lead to open the scoring. With 2:40 left in the period, the Panthers were awarded a penalty shot for a hook from Evan Mosey, and Mitchell Fossier skillfully dispatched it, waiting for Bowns to finish five holes.
“It’s frustrating, to be honest,” said Panthers captain Matt Alfaro, who returned to the lineup on Sunday. “I think we played quite well for two periods to boost ourselves and then we took our foot off the gas. Cardiff are a good team and they kept taking advantage of our mistakes.”
For the Devils, it was as dramatic a comeback as you’ll see. They pulled one back with just over six and a half minutes to play. Nolan Yaremko’s pass set up Brett Perlini, whose shot was saved by Kevin Carr, but Riley Brandt was on hand to bury the rebound.
While Bowns was pulled for the extra skater, Barrow tapped Kristoff Kontos’ feed past Carr to tie the game with exactly one minute remaining.
“We stuck to our game plan. When it was time to be aggressive, we were. Coming back from two down was tough, but we came out with full force and went from there,” Barrow added.
Barrow then played hero again in overtime, completing a neat backdoor pass from Kohen Olischefski at 62:09 to complete the Devils’ late turnaround and secure the 4–3 win.
“Normally I don’t get into extra time that often, but it was a great move from Olischefski that put me on the map,” Barrow said of the winning goal. “It’s huge. The points are big in this league, and you don’t want to be wondering ‘what if’ at the end of the season because of a game you lost early on. Anytime we can win in Nottingham is a big win for us.”
On his return to full fitness, Alfaro added: “It was a long time away, not very fun, but as professional athletes we just want to compete again. When you go skating and so many fans are cheering you on, it’s something special.”
Photo: Panthers Images
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