The Cardiff Devils claimed the 2025/26 EIHL Playoff Championship with a 5-2 victory over the Sheffield Steelers at the Motorpoint Arena on Sunday. Nolan Yaremko led the Devils with a two-goal performance, while Kohen Olischefski and Cole Sanford each tallied two assists. The win marks Cardiff’s first EIHL title since the 2021/22 season and cements their dominance in the league’s postseason.
Cardiff struck first just 2:41 into the game as Kohen Olischefski capitalized on a power play. The goal came after a double-minor for high-sticking against Mitchell Heard. Brandon Estes set up the play with a sharp pass to Olischefski at the left circle, who fired the puck past Matt Greenfield’s blocker to give the Devils an early lead.
Sheffield responded with aggressive pressure in the first period, testing Devils goaltender Christian Stoever multiple times. Stoever made 12 saves in the opening frame, including a pair of saves at point-blank range, to preserve the 1-0 lead after 20 minutes.
The Steelers equalized early in the second period at 22:52. Kevin Tansey scored after receiving a behind-the-net pass from Samuel Tremblay and firing a tight-angle shot past Stoever. But Cardiff answered late in the period when Yaremko scored on a high-slot shot at 38:32, assisted by Gleason Fournier. Yaremko extended the lead to two goals just 25 seconds later at 39:57, finishing a setup from Cole Sanford behind the net.
Sheffield cut the deficit to one at 53:25 when Ryan Tait scored his third goal of the weekend. Tait took a pass from Tremblay in the high slot and fired through traffic past Stoever to make it 3-2. Tait’s goal gave the Steelers hope in the final minutes, but Cardiff held strong.
With just over 90 seconds remaining, Sheffield pulled Greenfield, but the Devils controlled the puck and closed out the game. Josh MacDonald and Kohen Olischefski each scored into the empty net in the final minute to seal the 5-2 victory.
“We were telling each other on the bench that we’ve got this, just stick with it and keep it going,” said Brett Ferguson, who made the move from Guildford Flames this season. “This is amazing, anywhere you can win a trophy is an incredible feeling.”
The Devils finish the 2025/26 EIHL season with a 41-18-5 record and their second playoff title in three years. The team will now begin preparations for the 2026/27 season, aiming to defend their championship.
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