Kingdom Of The Giants :: Belfast Giants Fan Community, News & Views
Vipers Lack Venom
10-Sep-2005 | Discuss this ArticleThe Newcastle Vipers came to town boasting three of the hardest enforcers in the league and with the intention of muscling their way through the season. Last night proved that sometimes brain does win over brawn, as the Giants eked out a 1-0 home win.
The game started predictably enough with the Vipers throwing their weight around and being content to play the body rather than the puck. The Giants started their game looking a little bit rusty and workmanlike, and in spite of lines constantly changing, and being two players short of a full bench, the home team dominated the opening exchanges.
The second period began with both teams still unable to find a way through the opposition defence. The Giants were unable to capitalise on a number of rebounds from the Vipers goalie Trevor Koenig, while new number one Giants goalie Mike Minard held onto everything threw at him by the Vipers forwards.
With honours even going into the final period, something had to give. Up stepped Jason Ruff with some nice setup play for Curtis Huppe to slot home the opening goal of the season. With momentum shifting towards the Giants, the game got feisty very quickly, with Andre Payette inviting new Giant Shawn Skiehar for a quick dance. It was a short fight with not many punches landed, however Skiehar acquitted himself well and will no doubt be on his way to becoming a crowd favourite.
The rest of the period seemed to fly by as both teams upped the tempo of the game. Both teams had clear chances to score but neither could capitalise, mainly due to outstanding goaltending from Mike Minard and some poor finishing from the Giants forwards.
The Giants travel to Newcastle on Sunday for the Vipers home season opener, and it is hoped that travelling with them will be temporary signing Matt Reid.
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League Standings
| P | TEAM | GP | W(OT) | L(OT) | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Giants | 54 | 46(0) | 5(3) | 95 |
| 2 | Steelers | 54 | 41(0) | 11(2) | 84 |
| 3 | Panthers | 54 | 38(0) | 12(4) | 80 |
| 4 | Devils | 54 | 32(0) | 12(10) | 74 |
| 5 | Blaze | 54 | 32(0) | 20(2) | 66 |
| 6 | Clan | 54 | 31(0) | 19(4) | 66 |
| 7 | Stingrays | 54 | 16(0) | 34(4) | 36 |
| 8 | Stars | 54 | 13(0) | 35(6) | 32 |
| 9 | Capitals | 54 | 13(0) | 37(4) | 30 |
| 10 | Flyers | 54 | 8(0) | 40(6) | 22 |
Giants' Stat Leaders
| Points | Robert Dowd | 78 |
|---|---|---|
| Goals | Robert Dowd | 40 |
| Assists | Craig Peacock | 49 |
| PIM | Adam Keefe | 247 |