2009-10 SEASON IN REVIEW
The London Devils' eighteenth season kicked off with a fantastic party in the newest addition to the Bodean's empire in Tower Hill. Devils new and old celebrated through the night in the traditional way - ribs, drinks, and lots of laughs. Training had been going for a month, and the games began with a meeting of the newly-named Devils North (formerly NW) and Devils East-West (formerly EC). Names might have changed, but the result was the same - with the East-West continuing their unbeaten run from the previous season. That would soon change when Devils South finally beat the E-W in early November - could this be the year that the South finally realised their potential?? In mid-November the Devils travelled to Reykjavik to participate in the Icelandair Cup. After winning the first three games without conceding a single goal, the Devils lost 4-1 in the final to the Delta Airlines boys. It was a legendary trip and anyone who was there will tell you that Reykjavik is certainly one of the places to visit before you die! DEVILS IN ICELAND 
In December, match play began in the London Cup with the Devils drawing with the Eastern Stars and losing to the London Eagles - not the best start by any means. Meanwhile, in the Bodean's Cup at the Christmas break, the E-W were at the top of the table with North and South level for second place. Both cup competitions resumed after the break and E-W started to pull away from the pack. In the London Cup, the Devils got back on track after a rocky start by beating the four-time champion London Rangers 6-4. February saw the annual trip to the World Pond Hockey Championship in Plaster Rock, NB. This year, the Devils were represented by Jonathan Foster, rookie Phil Holbrook, and two legendary Devils alumni Chris Parsons and Ryan Weeks. It was the Devils' most successful WPHC by far, as they went 4W-1L over the weekend. Again, the Devils took time out of their drinking schedule to speak at the local school and meet all the local kids. February also saw two more friendly matches inserted into the schedule. Having drawn in the first friendly of the season back in November, the Devils won, then lost in February against the Rangers and Spitfires respectively. The season was certainly in full-swing now! AT THE WORLD POND HOCKEY CHAMPIONSHIP 
March was another busy month as ice-time was juggled between the two cup competitions, training, and another friendly match - this time a draw against London's newest team, the Bulldogs. Two more wins in the London Cup kept the pace with the first-place Rangers, whilst in the Bodean's Cup a pattern was emerging: E-W winning all of their games, and North beating South - usually by one goal. There was also some bad news delivered to the club that the Alexandra Palace would be closing for at least six months for some much-needed refurbishment. With 60 club members and plenty of match play still to go, extra ice would be needed. An extra slot at Lee Valley was picked up to coincide with the May closure of the Pally and crisis was averted. April would be the last month at the Palace, and the club celebrated with a Family Day skate on a sunny Saturday afternoon. Friends and family came out for a skate and then got to watch as the Devils hosted the London Legion in a friendly match. Lots of fun and loads of delicious ribs from Bodean's as well. In May the Devils travelled to Budapest for the first time in club history. Three games in three days and plenty of shenanigans along the way. It was a brilliant trip with a perfect three wins out of three. Returning from Budapest with silverware in hand, the Devils got straight into the playoffs in the two cup competitions. A lopsided win over the London Eagles set up a London Cup final between the Devils and Rangers. Meanwhile, the Devils South's inability to beat the North meant that the North would face first place Devils East-West in the Bodean's Cup final. The East-West had finished the Bodean's regular season with a 7W-1L record and boasted the top three scorers in Neil Sankey, Gary Reid, and Franz Baumann. Devils North knew they would have to shut down their potent attack if they were going to have any chance of breaking their grip on the cup. They did just that in the final - stifling the sharp-shooting E-W forwards while Richie Clark netted two for the North. The extremely tight affair was sealed with a empty-net goal that gave the North a 3-1 victory. BODEAN'S CUP CHAMPIONS: DEVILS NORTH 
A friendly against a team of visitors from Moscow slotted in between the two cup finals and the Devils were well-schooled by the visitors. Next up was the London Cup final against four-time champions London Rangers. The two teams had split their games in the regular season with the Devils winning 6-4 in January, and the Rangers getting 5-4 revenge in April. In fact, looking back over the last two seasons the difference between the two teams was a single goal. Two goals each for James Mulligan and Richard Veinot lead the ecstatic Devils to their first London Cup championship as they defeated the Rangers 6-3 in the final. As the season wound down, the annual team BBQ provided another chance to get together for great food and good times. This year, organisers Harry Grant and Paul House added a ball hockey tournament into the mix and a fantastic day was had by all. It was a fitting finale to a great season. Another great year for the club which goes from strength to strength. A brilliant crop of young rookie players has added a lot of enthusiasm to all aspects of the club - not to mention the return of prodigal son Brian Fudge who had been away for five years! Meanwhile, Devils veteran Gary Reid showed that age is no barrier - as he had one of his best seasons at the club. The club bid farewell to long-time Devil Tony Tornquist as well as to keeper Uldis Zupa - both will be missed. Next season will start off in September and with news of delays at Alexandra Palace, it looks as though things will be focused around Lee Valley for the foreseeable future.
DEVILS BEAT SPITFIRE IN RETURN MATCH
Friendly Match 28-06-2010 Lee Valley: London Devils 8 - London Spitfire 5
The Devils atoned for their loss in February's friendly match against the Spitfire with a very open 8-5 victory at Lee Valley. This was Devils' keeper Uldis Zupa's last game with the club as he has moved back to his native Latvia. Good luck to Uldis and his family - and we're glad we could send you off on a winning note! London Devils: Scoring Neil Sankey (F. Walshe)
Mark Maloney (N. Sankey, F. Walshe)
Kyle Mulligan (I. Repishevski)
Kyle Mulligan (unassisted)
Richard Veinot (O. Hrabowych, J. Alcock)
Gary Reid (I. Repishevski, A. Blais)
Jon Alcock (G. Malcolm, R. Veinot)
Kevin Leizer (M. Maloney, F. Walshe) London Devils: Penalties none
DEVILS CAPTURE LONDON CUP
London Cup Final 20-06-2010 Streatham Arena: London Devils 6 - London Rangers 3
The Devils defeated the four-time champion Rangers to win their first London Cup championship. The Devils had finished second to the Rangers throughout the regular season - splitting their two meetings this campaign with a 5-3 win and a 5-4 loss. There had been very little to separate the two teams over the last few years, but the Rangers had traditionally come out on top in the final. The Devils dressed four rookies for the final, and it would be a combination of these rookies and some long-standing veterans who would finally bring home the cup. James Mulligan opened the scoring off a rebound, but before anyone got comfortable in their seats the Rangers answered back with two quick goals off strange bounces. Sniper Richard Veinot would eventually level the score at two, before Mulligan netted his second of the night to give the Devils back the lead. It would stay close throughout the rest of the contest with both teams trading powerplays and scoring chances. Veinot hit again and the score was 4-2. With five minutes left in the third period, Devils' leading scorer Neil Sankey put the game out of reach to make the score 5-2 - but the Rangers were not done yet. Rangers' sniper Paul Kelly answered straight back to make it 5-3 and then the Rangers came at the Devils in full force. Some fantastic defending from the back four and clutch goaltending from Simon Tallett kept them at bay, and when rookie Fabian Goehring swept in a long-distance empty-netter, it was well and truly over. The Rangers were extremely gracious in defeat and showed the class that made them four time champions. The Devils, often runners-up in this competition, had finally got their name on the elusive cup and the drinks flowed well into the night. Cheers to all who participated through the season - it was a great win for the club.
 London Devils: Scoring James Mulligan (P. House, R. Clark)
Richard Veinot (K. Sirrell, D. Heath)
James Mulligan (R. Clark, F. Goehring)
Richard Veinot (F. Baumann)
Neil Sankey (J. Mulligan, R. Clark)
Fabian Goehring (unassisted) London Devils: Penalties Bench (2min too many men)
F. Baumann (2min rough)
N. Bowman (2min trip)
R. Clark (2min trip)
R. Veinot (2min hook) CLICK HERE TO VISIT LONDON CUP TWITTER CLICK HERE TO VISIT LONDON CUP WEBSITE 
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