Cardiff Devils Advance to Continental Cup Final Despite Group Stage Loss

The Cardiff Devils have secured their qualification for the Continental Cup final group for the third consecutive year. However, the team was defeated 6-3 by Arlan Kokshetau in their concluding Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) Continental Cup third-round match, which took place in Slovakia on Sunday. The Welsh team had already secured their spot in the final round, scheduled for January, following their second victory in Group E. This qualification was achieved with a 4-1 win against the host team, Vici Zilina, on Saturday. Josh MacDonald initially scored for the Devils, but Fyodor Khoroshev equalized. Subsequently, the Elite League team regained the lead with goals from Zach O’Brien and Evan Mosey. Nevertheless, the Kazakh team, Kokshetau, rallied to tie the score with goals from Vladimir Borovkov and Vladislav Nikulin. They then asserted dominance in the final period, with Stepan Sannikov scoring to give them their first lead of the match. Dmitry Arkhipov further increased Kokshetau’s lead, later scoring once more during a powerplay, which allowed Kokshetau to secure the top position in the group, one spot ahead of the Devils. Cardiff’s second-place standing guaranteed their progression to the final round, scheduled for 16-19 January, 2025. Earlier on Saturday, Kohen Olischefski and Zach O’Brien initially put the Devils ahead against Zilina. Although Simon Betak scored to equalize, the Welsh team subsequently took command of the game. Ben Davies then extended the Devils’ advantage, and Josh MacDonald completed their scoring efforts. In their initial Group E fixture, the Devils defeated Rittner Buam, the champions of the Alps Hockey League and Italy, with a score of 5-1. Gleason Fournier, Josh MacDonald, Reid Duke, Cody Donaghey, and Joey Martin scored for the Devils in that opening match, while Ethan Szypula scored for the opposing team.