Devils stand by Hope

Ice hockey

Cardiff Devils will back their captain, Shannon Hope, when he contests a grievous bodily harm charge resulting from an incident on the ice.

The Great Britain captain and defenceman will appear in Sheffield Magistrates Court on 2 April over a challenge which left the Sheffield Steelers' Canadian forward, Jamie Leach, in hospital with a double fracture of the cheekbone.

The incident occurred during the Superleague match between the country's top two teams in Sheffield on Boxing Day.

Leach was the club's leading scorer at the time and as a result of his injury, he missed a crucial part of Sheffield's unsuccessful attempt to beat the Welsh side to the Superleague title. The Canadian is pursuing a civil action for damages.