Devils head to Nottingham for the playoff finals

CARDIFF , UK – The quarter-finals are over and unusually for the playoffs there have been no upsets.   The four teams who finished top of the league have also qualified for the Elite League Playoff Final Weekend.
On Saturday 3^rd April, over 7,000 hockey fans from all over the UK will travel to Nottingham Ice Centre for a weekend of hockey.   More than half of them won’t be able to support their own team, but that doesn’t seem to concern many fans who flood the city centre’s drinking establishments for three days of fun at the end of the season.   On Saturday Coventry Blaze face Cardiff Devils in the first tie, followed by Belfast Giants semi-final against Nottingham Panthers,   the winner of each of these games facing each other in the final on Sunday afternoon.   For the first time in Elite League history, the final will be broadcast live on Sky Sports, allowing fans unable to travel to Nottingham to see their team in action and hopefully encouraging some new fans at the same time.
Cardiff Devils secured their place in the final four by beating Sheffield Steelers 9-5 over two legs, preventing the Steelers from defending last year’s Playoff title.   Despite press releases from the Steelers virtually assuring their fans a final spot in the playoffs, their disappointing season continued and they now face the difficult off-season task of rebuilding a team and uniting a disgruntled fan base.

Meanwhile, the Devils are happy to continue their playoff campaign, spending the week fine-tuning their plays, keeping their legs moving and preparing themselves mentally for the weekend.   Club Captain Brad Voth is no stranger to the playoffs, being one of the few players to make it to the final weekend for five years in a row.   He was pleased with his team’s performance against Sheffield,  
“We’re on a great roll right now, we set the scene well in the first leg with a two goal lead.   In Sheffield we came in a little nervous in the first period but the guys bucked down and got on with the game.   The scorers did a great job to make the most of the opportunities that they had and we came out with the win.” said Voth
Bench coach Neil Francis believes the success of the team is due to confidence in their ability:
“We’ve proved a lot to ourselves in this season and already played in a cup final.   It gives us a psychological edge on other years knowing that we can win on the big ice and in the NIC.   The whole team has very much been a confidence team this season, playing well when the confidence as high and not so well when they had no belief in their ability.   We’re in a great place right now and we know we can beat any of the other teams on our night.”
On facing the League winners Coventry Blaze in the first semi-final of the weekend Francis is confident:
“I think when you get to the final four it really doesn’t matter who you face.   You have to beat the best at some point to win and we had no preference on who we faced in the semi finals.”      Brad Voth agrees: “ Coventry are a good team, but playing them brings out our best and we’re confident we can play them well on the big ice.   We need to play in their end for a lot of the game.   They have a great defence and a good goaltender, so we need to make the most of the opportunities we have on the ice and take the win that we know we are capable of.”
With the Devils nine goals of the quarter finals coming from seven different players and all three lines they will certainly be a dominant force for the Blaze defence.   In the second semi-final Belfast are on a winning streak and several players are finding form, ably backed up by British netminder   Murphy who has set a league record in shut-outs this season.   They face Challenge Cup winners Nottingham Panthers, who are struggling through injury but have the home advantage and a big game mentality.   Who will progress to the final is by no means decided and the scene is certainly set for a highly entertaining final weekend.
Contact the Writer:   victoria.silverwood@prohockeynews.com
Photos by Jessica Roberts:   http://www.Jessicarobertsphotography.com