Winning three Champions League group games in a single campaign is certainly progress for a member of the UK’s Elite League.

There were nice words spoken and plenty of platitudes over Cardiff’s journey in this years CHL competition despite not being able to qualify after an excellent beginning.

Behind closed doors however, I imagine Head Coach Andrew Lord and his group of players will reflect on a missed opportunity to create a piece of club history and send a shockwave or two through European hockey.

A dream start saw Cardiff take the opening game of the group stages by a 3-2 score line as they defeated Mountfield HK at the Viola Arena.

Cardiff should really have made it perfect six points out of six but let slip a late 3-2 lead in regulation, allowing Graz99ers to tie up proceedings with 3:12 remaining.
A shootout win was still a great success but that first dropped point allowed those below them in the standings to remain within striking distance..

Any kind of positive result on their travels in Austria would have likely put Cardiff on the precipice of qualification.
Instead the Devils were a no-show against a highly motivated Mountfield team who were allowed to spot themselves a four-goal lead.
The frustration only grew when Cardiff netted twice to half the deficit with seven minutes remaining to give them a sniff of a chance. A tale of what could have been as Mountfield took all three points with a 5-2 win.

Qualification hopes were now essentially on the line heading into Austria for game four.
A terrific 5-2 victory against Graz99ers was just what the doctor ordered with Ben Bowns posting 42 saves to ensure success.

However the situation now facing the Welsh organisation was not favourable with results having gone against them.

A pair of games against reigning champions Frölunda Indians was an exciting but daunting prospect as at least one result was now required with Mountfield just a single point behind in the standings and facing Graz who had become the whipping boys of the group.

It was a bridge too far in all honesty as Cardiff played well for stretches against the Swedish outfit but in the big moments they were simply outclassed and made to pay for errors in a pair of 9-2 reverses.
Mountfield would not slip up against Graz and rightfully earned their place in the knockout stages.

Had they not lost the regulation point against Graz at home and any kind of positive result in the Czech Republic would have been enough to secure a place for the first time in the round of sixteen.

With rosters changing on a season-by-season basis and the luck of the draw when it comes to the CHL, Cardiff might look back ruefully on this missed opportunity which could easily have turned into a glorious success story.