Cardiff Devils capped a successful four-point weekend with a 3-0 win over Coventry Blaze at the Skydome on Sunday evening, with goalkeeper Ben Bowns recording a 27-shot shutout.
“I thought we were a little slow in the first period, maybe a little bus legs or a hangover from yesterday, but we toughed it out and fought hard,” Bowns said. “We boxed well, knocked down rebounds and the boys really stepped up in the second and third. We’re taking it one game at a time. We know what it takes in this league and just have to make sure we compete every night.”
The opening period was evenly matched, with both teams creating chances but unable to break the deadlock. Blaze forward Matt Gleason forced Bowns into a big early save just over two minutes in, while Alessio Luciani’s pass found Elijiah Barriga at the back post midway through the frame and Bowns made another strong stop. Coventry had to kill off a late penalty from Grayson Constable but did so effectively to end the first period 0-0.
The Blaze had an early power play in the second but couldn’t capitalize. Cole Sanford came closest for the Devils midway through the frame when he hit the post. Coventry thought they had taken the lead through Barriga at 32:10, but the goal was disallowed for a face-off infringement. Just minutes later, Cardiff took the lead when Brett Perlini broke into Matt Robson alone and fired high to open the scoring.
In the third period the Devils took full control. Sanford doubled the lead just over two minutes later, and despite Coventry’s attempts to get back into the match, Bowns remained perfect in net. Ryan Barrow added an empty-net goal with 82 seconds left to cap off the victory.
“I thought we played a pretty good game in the first 40 minutes,” Blaze defenseman Ivan Chukarov said. “A few tough rebounds but a team like Cardiff will make you pay for your mistakes. We’ve struggled to score a bit so we need a good week of practice to find what works for us and go from there.”
Photo: Scott Wiggins
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