2019 has been a rollercoaster of a year for everyone related to the Cardiff Devils. From players to fans we’ve been through it all. Here’s a look back at everything that happened in 2019.
We Started the year with a 3-2 victory against the Guildford Flames. Goals from Mike Hedden, Charles Linglet and Drew Schiestel was enough to ensure victory.
Two of those players have moved on during 2019 with Mike Hedden returning to the States with the Allen Americans and Drew Schiestel taking the Captain’s role at the Coventry Blaze.
We also saw several other players leave the club such as James Livingston, Justin Faryna and the most successful Devils Captain of all time, Jake Morissette.
January saw some great results for the Devils including a double header win over the Belfast Giants with a 4-2 and 5-2 win respectively.
On the contrary, February would see the Devils lose back to back games against the Belfast Giants losing 4-2 and 2-1 in overtime.
March offered numerous memorable moments for the Cardiff Devils with a 9-1 win over Milton Keynes Lightning and a 6-0 thrashing of the Sheffield Steelers. However, the last game of regular season would be a costly one as the Devils lost 3-1 to the Coventry Blaze which would seal their fate for a second-place finish in the EIHL.
April was possibly the most exciting and nerve-racking time of the year. A poor start in the Play-off Quarter finals was overturned at home with an 11-8 aggregate victory over the Sheffield Steelers would mean that the Devils were heading to Nottingham for the Play Offs.
The Devils breezed past the Nottingham Panthers with a 9-4 victory to set up an amazing matchup between two teams who were battling for the top spot all season long. The Cardiff Devils against the Belfast Giants.
The game went back and forth with goals from Mike Hedden and Gleason Fournier to secure a 2-1 victory and give the Devils their piece of silverware for the season.
May saw a lot of players get a well-earned rest but some of the Devils joined up with Team GB ahead of the World Championship in Slovakia.
Ben Bowns, Thomas Murdy, Mark Richardson, Evan Mosey and Matthew Myers would all help Team GB secure their spot in the top group of Nations by beating France in overtime.
June saw the arrival of Mike McNamee to the Roster for the current season. For his first season in the EIHL, McNamee is flying with 9 goals and 9 assists from 24 games.
July saw further reinforcements with Masi Marjamki, Sean McMonagle joining alongside former Captain of the Belfast Giants Blair Riley.
August was the Start of pre-season and we still needed a few more players to come through the door. Sam Jardine arrived as big name to sure up the Devils defence.
Champions Hockey League was fast approaching, and news had broken out of Joey Martin’s injury. With little to no time the Devils brought in Matias Sointu to cover for the injured captain.
The Devils had an extremely tough group to qualify from. They Managed to pick up three wins against Mountfield HK and Graz 99ers however just fell short as they missed out on points against Mountfield HK and reigning champions Frolunda Indians.
September was a busy month for all competitions as the Devils had to play EIHL, Challenge Cup and CHL games. The pick of the bunch coming as a 5-2 road victory over Graz 99ers.
Matias Sointu’s contract would be extended early into October as the Finn put in some outstanding performances as the Devils fan base cried out for him to stay a little longer.
October was similar in fashion to September with the sheer amount of games including playing the CHL Champions Frolunda Indians. Which will be a long-lasting memory for a lot of Devils fans. However, those games did spell the end for the Devils in the CHL as they finished third behind both Mountfield and Frolunda.
November also saw Matias Sointu’s time in the UK and at the devils come to an end as he headed back to Finland. With this the Devils brought in the experienced Shaone Morrisonn to bolster the teams defence even further. Morrisonn made his debut in an impressive 3-0 victory against the Fife Flyers.
December was almost a perfect run as the Devils won 10 out of their 11 fixtures including 3 wins against the Belfast Giants. Their only loss came in overtime in a 3-2 defeat to the Nottingham Panthers.
The Devils ended the year with a thrilling 4-3 victory over the Coventry Blaze.
2019 was one hell of a year and 2020 looks set to bring on even more challenges as the Devils lost their first game not only of the year but of the decade in a 5-0 loss to the Coventry Blaze.
Down The Bay 
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