Sunday is the first big date of the 2014-15 season since the puck was dropped to start the season way back in September 2014. The first piece of silverware (Braehead's Gardiner Conference title excepted) is to be handed out. It's the Challenge Cup Final, and after spending the last five seasons in Gary Moran's Nottingham office, a new name is to appear on it. Is it going up the M1 to sit with Tony Smith and his Steelers organisation or will Todd Kelman and the revitalised Cardiff Devils take it down to South Wales?
Before we start, a few choice words of advice to anyone still miffed that Steelers are hosting Sunday's Final on home ice. Get a grip, the decision was made in the off season and nobody - not even anyone in Steelerland - could have predicted we'd be in the Final. So stop whining about it....
Let's now look at how both sides got to the Final, starting with Cardiff Devils.
Cardiff finished third in Group B, with 12 points. They recorded at least one win against each of their group rivals, but were drawn against Belfast Giants in the quarter final knockout phase. Belfast had finished second in Group A and many expected the Northern Irish side to win it. However in the first leg in the Odyssey, Cardiff produced a great performance to come away with a 4-3 road win with winger Jake Morissette leading the way with a brace and netminder Ben Bowns turning away 35 out of 38 shots including 21 out of 23 in the final period.
The second leg in South Wales saw Giants go 5-4 ahead on aggregate with a couple of first period goals from Calvin Elfring and Mike Kompon. However Devils rallied in the second and third period, despite being out shot again by Steve Thornton's men. Carl Hudson's late second period power play marker being the crucial one that counted, Morissette scored again and Bowns was again brilliant between the pipes. The semi-final saw Devils up against Coventry Blaze who had surprised Braehead Clan in their quarter final.
However Devils ensured they would not make the same mistake as their former player Ryan Finnerty made and a 4-1 away triumph in the Sky Dome set them up well for the second leg back in the Big Blue Tent. Bowns was in great form, making 38 saves from a possible 39 and it was the Devils offence that really won them this game with player-coach Andrew Lord scoring a quite remarkable short handed effort. Despite conceding a first minute goal to Jakub Sindel in the principality, Devils scored three unanswered strikes by the end of the first to really put the tie to bed: eventually going on to win 9-4 overall (5-3 on the night).
Now on Sheffield, who are looking for their first Challenge Cup title since 2003.
Sheffield had a splendid group campaign, picking up 6 wins out of 8 which included 5 consecutive ones between 28 September and 12 October 2014. This included a 4-2 win at home to Nottingham and entertaining 3-2 road wins at Coventry and Hull respectively. Due to their top seeding from Group B, Steelers were given the fourth placed team in Group A when it came to the quarter final stage. This meant Dundee, with the first leg set for Tayside in early January.
A potential banana skin lay in wait for Gerad Adams' men but they skated away with a 3-0 shutout of their hosts with Mark Thomas getting on the scoresheet for the first time in two seasons and the returning Jeff Legue and fellow defenceman Gord Baldwin lighting the lamp either side of the Stockport born internationalist's strike. The second leg proved to be a massacre it has to be said, with Steelers romping to an 11-1 win on the night (Mike Forney notching four) and also being memorable for the 9 save shutout in 12 and a bit minutes by Andy Jaszczyk.
Steelers' reward for making the semi finals was a clash with Nottingham again, who seemed to always have their number in this competition once it got to the knockout stages. This seemed to be becoming reality again as Corey Neilson's Panthers came into the House of Steel and headed off back down the M1 with a 3-1 advantage thanks to what was an abject home showing where very little went right. But fast forward to the second leg and Adams was in the middle of netminding crisis with Doyle, Woolhouse and Unice all ruled out. EPL backup Sam Gospel, who was in Panthers CHL squad at the start of the season and a Nottingham lad to boot, back stopped them. The rest was just remarkable, proper Boy's Own comic stuff.
So after a stupendous 6-4 win on the night, levelling up proceedings overall, Gospel came into his own in the resultant shoot-out. The 19 year old saved all three Panthers efforts from former NHL draft pick Chris Lawrence, Robert Farmer and most importantly Bruce Graham to deny Panthers a shot at a sixth CC triumph in as many years. Tomas Petruska scoring the only goal in the shoot-out. It was a win against the odds and if you heard Moran's commentary and subsequent post-game interview with Farmer: the guy was devastated as it was the end of the world. Steelers rejoiced, and understandably so.
Therefore on paper we should have a cracker of a Final on Sunday. Both sides have offence coming out of their proverbial ears, and goalies that can always give them chances to win. It might be down to which defence stands tall and which one crumbles first. I would not be surprised if it went to overtime actually. The atmosphere will be akin to a Stanley Cup Final Game Seven. Pushing me for a prediction? I just can't prise them apart so I'll sit on the fence for now. Enjoy.
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