Kingdom Of The Giants :: Belfast Giants Fan Community, News & Views
Belfast Giants v Mincoffs Vipers - Face Off 7pm
12-Sep-2008 | Discuss this Article
Live Video and Text Coverage from 6.30pm - Click Here
A successful opening weekend for the Coors Belfast Giants saw Steve Thornton open his coaching career in Belfast with 2 wins. This weekend Rob Wilson, himself returning to the mantle of Player/Coach, leads his Mincoffs Vipers to the Odyssey Arena for their first match up this season.
In the first of what could be considered a “mini-series” between the teams, 3 games only being separated by a trip to Hull on Sunday night and a midweek visit of the Bison, the Vipers are still in search of their first win. A tight home loss to the Nottingham Panthers followed by a bizarre penalty shots loss in Manchester which saw them only play 2 periods to stalemate due to poor ice conditions. The eventual shootout win for Manchester has given the Vipers their only point from the opening weekend.
The Vipers were able to retain a number of players from their last campaign that saw them climb to the summit of the EIHL early, only to unfortunately fall away, but finish the season beating the Giants on penalty shots to reach the Playoff Finals weekend, eventually losing in the Semi-final to the Coventry Blaze. Derek Campbell, Mark Gouett, Burt Henderson all remaining in the North East.
David Longstaff Captains the team for another season, and new arrival Rob Rankin is expected to perform well following an interesting season with the Hull Stingrays. The white gloves of Marek Ivan may be a pair to watch, the former Panther will be one of the Vipers key players, however new arrivals Tyler Willis and Todd Griffith are hoping to make a mark in Newcastle.
Described in the off season by Blaze and GB Coach Paul Thompson as a ”Fantastic Signing”, netminder Andrew Verner comes with excellent calibre, AHL experience from the early 90’s, then over 10 years in best leagues Europe can offer, in Sweden, Finland, Germany and the last 5 seasons with Klagenfurt AC in Austria. Verner impressed last weekend against the Panthers, despite the loss fans were talking of how Verner’s heroics kept them in the game. Giants fans will be interested to see how he deals with a Belfast offence who put away 9 goals in their opening weekend.
After an impressive hat-trick debut, Andrew Martin will be looking for more this weekend, while it will be an interesting game for Colin Shields, facing the team he shone with last season in Newcastle. It’s also a game Paul Sample will be hoping to do well in, the Geordie facing his home town club.
You can follow the game via the webcast available at www.giantslive.tv and the webcast is also available with interactive live text commentary via KotG Live Updates Page, join us from half an hour before the game, and mail us any thoughts or predictions you have for the night. As always in game stats are available from ih-update.
Patrick Smyth
Live Scores
Next Game
Next SeasonLast Game
- Sat 07 Apr
- vs Devils, OTL 4-3
- Giants Goals: Rebek, Clarke, Hoffman
- Devils Goals: Matzka, Dobben, Piggot
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 |