Another busy Storm Shelter witnessed an entertaining affair between Manchester and Cardiff, with the latter coming out on top 4-1.

The hosts got off to a poor start as they left too many men up the ice and the Devils expertly converted, in the fourth minute. The initial stop by the returning Weninger could prevent Martin from tapping home the rebound. However, an excellent powerplay from the Storm worked Wall from every angle and the pressure would eventually pay when Johnson deflected the puck from a Phillips feed, in then eight minute. Both sides settled into a rhythm, for the remainder of the period, until some increased forechecking pressure by the visitors paid dividends. Ryan Barrow was the recipient of a cross-seam pass from Crandall, as the former carefully lifted the puck over the pads of a hapless Weninger.

This goal just 45 seconds before the intermission break titled the ice for large sways of the middle stanza. Arniel skated into the slot undeterred from the wing and roofed a wristshot, just over a minute into the period. A soft minor penalty assessed against the Storm would prove costly, as a deflected shot from the point secured Martin’s brace and extended the Devils advantage to three-goals.

A textbook road performance in the final period from Cardiff kept the ever-trying Storm attackers at arms length for the vast majority. A powerplay late in the game offered the hosts a small glimmer of hope to kickstart a rally, but this unfortunately elapsed without any notable chances being fashioned.