Cardiff Devils beat Manchester Storm 4-1 at the Vindico Arena on Saturday evening in a match they controlled despite accumulating nine penalties across the second period and never quite cutting Manchester adrift until the closing stages. Perlini and Dudek scored unassisted within 13 seconds of each other in the first period, Martin added a power play goal in the second, and Ferguson and Duggan sealed it in the third to give Cardiff a comfortable final margin that flatters neither side's second period.

It is Cardiff's fourth win in five — W, W, W, L, L across their last five — with two losses preceding tonight suggesting a wobble that this result may have arrested. For Manchester, suffering a second defeat in two days after Friday's 5-1 loss at Altrincham, the weekend has been sobering.

Two unassisted goals, 13 seconds apart

The first period produced one of the more unusual sequences of the weekend. Dudek scored unassisted for Manchester at 7:16 to give Storm the lead, and Perlini equalised unassisted for Cardiff 13 seconds later at 7:29. Two solo efforts from either side within a quarter of a minute, neither requiring an assist, and the match level before the period reached the halfway point.

No further goals came in the opening period and the match went into the first break at 1-1.

Cardiff take control — nine penalties, one goal

The second period was defined by Cardiff's extraordinary penalty count and Manchester's failure to capitalise on it. Ferguson was penalised for holding at 26:02. Ulett penalised for interference at 23:59. Brandt for slashing at 33:29. Olischefski for tripping at 34:51. Then simultaneous roughing calls on Ulett (twice) and Oligny at 36:57 — three penalties at the same moment — followed by a Fournier holding the stick at 56:57. Manchester had extended power play time throughout the middle period and scored none of it.

The one goal that did arrive was Cardiff's. Martin converted a power play at 25:02 — Fournier and Kontos assisting — after Ulett's 23:59 interference, making it 2-1 and giving Cardiff a lead they would not relinquish.

Ferguson and Duggan close it out

Ferguson made it 3-1 at 51:43 from Fournier's assist — Fournier involved in three of Cardiff's four goals — before Manchester called their timeout at 56:57 and pulled DeRidder for an extra skater. It made no difference. Duggan scored the empty net at 57:39 from Estes and Stoever — with Stoever, Cardiff's starting goalkeeper, picking up an assist from the bench — to seal a 4-1 win with over two minutes to spare.

Stoever's assist on the empty netter is an interesting footnote: the starting goalkeeper credited with a point while his team closes out the match.

Result: Cardiff Devils 4 – 1 Manchester Storm
Cardiff Devils scorers: Perlini 7:29 unassisted — Martin 25:02 PP (A: Fournier, Kontos) — Ferguson 51:43 (A: Fournier) — Duggan 57:39 EN (A: Estes, Stoever)
Manchester Storm scorers: Dudek 7:16 unassisted
Goaltenders: Christian Stoever (CAR) | Drew DeRidder (MAN)