The Pressure Will Blow

If the Coors Belfast Giants want to win the league, they are going to have to do it on the road. And without player coach Ed Courtenay for at least one game as he picked up a match penalty for his behaviour midway through the final period.

It was a game where the real Belfast Giants only seemed to appear in fleeting glimpses, and where the Cardiff Devils showed determination and will to win. The first period was fairly uneventful until Theo Fleury and Brad Voth got involved just behind the Cardiff netminder after Voth had thumped Fleury into the boards. No goals were scored by either team though, and the Giants were unable to capitalise on the man advantage.

The Cardiff Devils were clearly the better team and early on in the second period they took a two goal lead and looked very comfortable with it. Shortly after the Devils scored their second goal, Fleury and Voth were penalised again for off the puck incidents. Voth received two minutes for hooking and Fleury received an extra two minutes plus a further ten minute misconduct. Although the Giants were under pressure, Captain and Giants MoM, George Awada managed to combine with Colin Shields to score the Giants opening goal. Cardiff pulled ahead again moments later with a shorthanded goal by Mike Garrow but the deficit was narrowed again as player coach Ed Courtenay provided his last meaningful contribution to the game, scoring on a powerplay.

This final period will be one that the Giants will want to forget in a hurry. The Cardiff Devils were on the powerplay after another penalty on Fleury, and while Voth was giving JB some rough treatment behind the referees back, they managed to score their fourth goal and effectively end the Giants hopes of winning the league at home, in front of a sellout crowd. This was the cue for some embarrassing scenes from the Giants bench as Courtenay proceeded to throw every available object either onto the ice, or in the refs direction. As a result both he and Fleury received misconduct penalties, effectively leaving the Giants with no top forward line. It is hardly surprising then that the Giants scored no further goals.

So, after all the toys were put back in the pram, and the penalties handed out (Courtenay receiving a match misconduct on top of his game misc), the play resumed, and to add insult to injury, the Devils scored a fifth goal while on a 5on3 powerplay. Once again, the Giants could not handle the pressure in front of a home sellout crowd. While questions will certainly be asked regarding the officiating (only the Devils were penalised after Courtenay's outburst, was this a futile attempt to even things out?), Giants fans will be wondering whether or not Courtenay will be penalised further, and also if he will be willing to make a statement regarding his actions.

More News

Live Scores

League Standings

full table >>

Giants' Stat Leaders

Site Search