Devils take shootout win in pre-season opener

Photo: Philip Magowan, Press Eye

In a game that was anything but a 'friendly, Cardiff Devils edged out rivals Belfast Giants in the opening game of the 2023/24 pre-season in front of more than 6,000 fans at the SSE Arena.

Chad Pietroniro's low-shot beat Tyler Beskorowany 5:12 into the game to give the Devils the lead, and after Mark Cooper and Riley Brandt dropped the gloves the Giants levelled through Daniel Tedesco on an odd-man rush at 11:23 as Cooper's instigator minor ticked off the clock.

Young Welsh forward Bayley Harewood restored the Devils' lead at 13:07.

Cole Sanford converted a rebound to put the visitors 3-1 ahead 5:16 into period two only for Davey Phillips to pull one back for Belfast 34:27 to leave things as a one-goal game heading into the third.

A pair of late minors on Cody Donaghey gave the Giants the ideal chance to equalise, and they did so through Ara Nazarian on a rebound off a Greg Printz shot with 57 seconds remaining in regulation.

The Devils killed off the remainder of that four-minute shorthanded time but no side was able to break the deadlock in 3-on-3. The game was decided on penalty shots, where Marcus Crawford scored the only goal in round seven to earn Cardiff the victory.

Documents

• PS01 Belfast Giants 3-4 PS Cardiff Devils (*.pdf, 3.6 MB)