Kingdom Of The Giants :: Belfast Giants Fan Community, News & Views
Huppe In, Johnson Out?
12-Jul-2006 | Discuss this ArticleOn a normally quiet day for sports news, the Belfast Telegraph have announced that hot-shot goal scorer Curtis Huppe should be returning for a third season in the teal and white.
It is hardly a surprising move for Coach Ed Courtenay, considering that the Giants top goalscorer was also the Elite Ice Hockey Leagues top scorer. Those stats are made all the more impressive when you factor in an 8 week injury lay-off. Quite whether or not Huppe will reproduce those kind of stats without the help of the supreme talents of Theo Fleury and also Ed Courtenay remains to be seen.
As with all seasons, there are some surprising changes to the roster. This years surprise could be a big one, with the potential non-return of former team Captain Shane Johnson. It appears that Coach Courtenay wants to inject some new blood into the defensive core of the team, and former KotG Player Of The Year Shane Johnson may be the player that loses his position in that re-shuffle.
Johnson, the grittiest, niggliest of players could become the target of a number of teams in the Elite League as he undoubtedly has several more good seasons left in the tank, despite a long-term injury last season. Other teams fans have commented often enough on how much they love to hate his style of play, perhaps this season it will be the Giants fans turn to chant that particular mantra?
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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 |