The Elite League regular season is drawing to a close, with just one game remaining before the playoffs. Following a series of high-scoring encounters on the penultimate night of the campaign, the race for top-eight seeding remains intensely competitive.
The Cardiff Devils, Nottingham Panthers, and Sheffield Steelers are all in contention for positions between second and fourth. Meanwhile, fifth place is a direct battle between the Guildford Flames and Manchester Storm, while the Coventry Blaze and Glasgow Clan are vying for seventh.
Welcome to “Around the Rinks,” our daily summary of post-game media remarks from every team.
Elite League Saturday Round-Up: April 4
Belfast Giants 2-6 Guildford Flames
Adam Keefe, Belfast Giants:
We simply weren’t good enough tonight, and full credit goes to Guildford; they played exceptionally well. I was largely pleased with our first period, where we controlled play and were unlucky to be 1-0 down. However, once they took a 3-1 lead, they simply outplayed us. They executed the crucial details required to win, and we fell short.
While this game didn’t hold any point significance for us, we should still be playing for pride. With 7,000 fans in attendance, I found our performance unacceptable and was deeply disappointed with the evening’s outcome.
Paul Dixon, Guildford Flames:
I am absolutely delighted for the team. We came into this game missing several key players and were somewhat short-staffed, yet the guys were fantastic. Our execution, competitive drive, and work ethic were impeccable. We delivered a complete performance for the entire sixty minutes, and I thought it was almost flawless from our side tonight.
Cardiff Devils 2-1 Coventry Blaze
Paul Thompson, Cardiff Devils:
I felt our first ten minutes were strong; we were moving the puck well and creating good opportunities. The latter ten minutes of the first period, however, were sloppy, with passes not connecting. Our start to the second period wasn’t great either, but we generated a lot of excellent chances in the third.
Our penalty kill unit deserves immense credit tonight; they all performed a marvellous job.
Kevin Moore, Coventry Blaze:
Special teams were the defining factor tonight. A mistake on the penalty kill led to a well-executed goal for Cardiff, and we failed to capitalize on our five-minute powerplay. That was ultimately the difference.
Fife Flyers 3-2 Dundee Stars (Overtime)
Mike Courts, Fife Flyers:
I’m incredibly proud of the guys; they came out with tremendous intensity. It was a fantastic game from both teams, and I genuinely felt that we deserved the win.
Marc LeFebvre, Dundee Stars:
We were simply completely outworked tonight. Fife wanted it more than we did, and that’s ultimately what it boils down to. When you’re outworked, you don’t deserve to win. Fife displayed that desire from the outset and were rightly rewarded.
Manchester Storm 3-4 Nottingham Panthers
Quotes from Cam Critchlow and Danny Stewart are pending.
Sheffield Steelers 8-1 Glasgow Clan
Aaron Fox, Sheffield Steelers:
We absolutely needed this performance tonight. I was very pleased with our effort and energy. There were no passengers tonight; everyone played the game correctly. It all starts with defensive responsibility and getting to the inside. When everyone is committed to the cause, it transforms us into a completely different hockey team.
I believe it was crucial that we delivered tonight, especially with 9,000 people here after we haven’t given them much to cheer for recently. There’s a really good feeling in the building.
Mike Sirant, Glasgow Clan:
It was a truly humiliating performance tonight. We’ve been playing some quite strong hockey over the past several weeks, but it completely unravelled for us tonight. Things were acceptable until the middle of the second period, and then we simply collapsed. We’re making far too many mental mistakes with the puck, and you simply cannot do that when facing a team like Sheffield.
