CARDIFF — Christian Stoever delivered a 31-save shutout, his second of the season, as Cardiff Devils edged Group A leaders Sheffield Steelers 1-0 at home to take another step towards the Challenge Cup knockout stages.
Kristoff Kontos scored the game's only goal after just 43 seconds of the first period, while Stoever produced a string of outstanding saves to protect the lead. The visitors struck the pipework twice, while Riley Brandt and Nick Welsh went close for Cardiff at the other end.
Devils head coach Paul Thompson described the result as a "classic win". "An absolute battle for 60 minutes, and Sheffield are a very, very good team," he said. "They probably had more offensive zone time against us than any team has had this year, but when they did get inside I thought [Stoever] was outstanding. Sometimes you've just got to roll your sleeves up and battle, and that's what we did."
With two games remaining, Cardiff lie third on eight points, two behind Sheffield and Nottingham Panthers, who both have only one more group game to play. Guildford Flames, in fourth, also have 10 points with a final game at Coventry Blaze this weekend, while their hosts — and Manchester Storm — are not completely out of the running for third having played fewer games.
The top two sides in Group A automatically qualify for the semi-finals, with the third-placed team facing an elimination tie against the runners-up in the smaller Group B. Cardiff travel to Nottingham on Sunday, 25 October (16:00 GMT) before their final group fixture at Manchester Storm on Sunday, 1 November.