Ice Hockey: Devils prove their mettle

THE chances of Cardiff Devils bouncing straight back from their 6-2 Benson and Hedges Cup defeat against Murrayfield Racers looked slim, writes Steve Pinder. On Sunday, they had a Premier Division appointment with Sheffield Steelers, a side they had lost to 6-4 only the previous week.

However, Devils showed they are made of stern stuff by reversing that score, despite having gone 2-0 behind after only four minutes. They recovered to 5-3 with a Hilton Ruggles power-play goal in the third period after Sheffield were caught with too many men on the ice.

The man of the match was Devils' Rick Brebant, who was involved in all but one of his side's goals (three goals, two assists).

Racers just had to go through the motions against Teesside Bombers. Richard Laplante scored five, Tony Hand three and Chris Palmer two in the 15-7 demolition.

Durham Wasps emulated Racers, beating Peterborough Pirates 15-4 and icing their youngsters in the process; Jonathan Weaver responded with his first league double. Durham have now won their last four - Pirates have lost their last four.