Cardiff Devils are through to the Playoff Finals after a 3-1 win over Glasgow Clan
Neither side could open the scoring in a back-and-forth first period, despite chances at both ends of the ice.
Christian Stoever was sharp, denying numerous high-quality Clan scoring opportunities, while Sami Aittokallio robbed Nolan Yaremko of Cardiff’s best chance of the period.
Connor Caponi broke the deadlock at 24:59, redirecting a pass from Ben Davies under the pads of Aittokallio.
“The support in the building has been amazing, and it was great to get the first goal tonight and get the boys going,” said Caponi. “We caused a turnover in our zone, and I looked up and saw we had a two-on-one. Davies made a great pass that I just tapped in, so it was great.”
Glasgow responded through Jason Fram, who blasted a one-timer past Stoever less than a minute later at 25:20.
“It was a tight game, and that’s what you expect in the playoffs,” concluded Fram. “I thought we let ourselves down in the neutral zone -as a team we didn’t get pucks through, and I think that cost us. They had a lot of chances off our turnovers, and that ended up being the game.”
Brandon Estes restored the Devils’ lead just 38 seconds later, converting on a two-on-one rush with a shot that beat Aittokallio top corner.
Cardiff and Glasgow exchanged chances throughout the third period, with the Clan pushing for an equaliser.
Despite heavy pressure, including Aittokallio being pulled late for the extra attacker, the Devils held on, with Joey Martin firing into the empty net to send his side to the EIHL Playoff Final.
“I think whoever we play, it’ll be a great game, and our fans will show up – so I’m really excited,” added Caponi.