Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Stars battle for Cardiff to raise
KITMART Dundee Stars claimed what could prove to be a vital win as they kept t he i r c h a nces of reaching the play-offs high by defeating the current play-off champions Cardiff Devils 5-2.
Stars toppled the Welsh side last night to move back within just two points of a play-off spot after suffering a defeat in Coventry to the Blaze on Saturday.
Speaking after their win over Cardiff, Stars head coach Omar Pacha said: “I thought for 60 minutes we played some solid hockey.
“We were consistent, we were smart with the puck and we used our speed well and I thought we created a lot of chances.
“In the first 10 minutes we played the way we want to play – with speed, moving the puck quickly, attacking the net hard and I thought we could have maybe even been a bit luckier and got a few more.
“The guys knew the importance of starting the game strong because at Coventry, unfortunately we didn’t.
“So we wanted a better start and we had that and we were simple but very effective.”
Last night, the Tayside team made a much better start on home ice as they went 2-0 up against the Devils after just six minutes.
Winger Egils Kalns beat Cardiff goalie Ben Bowns with a low shot through his five-hole before Kevin Dufour slipped his shot under the keeper to double the lead.
The first period ended with the Tayside team still 2-0 ahead and, in the second stanza, Dundee added a third goal while on a five-on-three powerplay as Matt Carter scored in the 27th minute.
The Welsh side finally answered back on 28 minutes as Gleason Fournier beat Alex Leclerc with a shot through traffic.
In the third period, the Stars defences were tested as Matt Marquardt picked up a four-minute penalty for high-sticking in the 47th minute and the Devils capitalised on the powerplay.
Fournier was on the mark again, this time with an off-target shot that bounced off the boards and hit the skate of Leclerc before ending up in the Stars goal.
Just as Marquardt was released from the box, the home side restored their two-goal cushion through Beauregard when he tapped the puck in at the back post on 50 minutes.
During the final two minutes, the Cardiff coach swapped his