Kingdom Of The Giants :: Belfast Giants Fan Community, News & Views
Giants Split Series
22-Sep-2008
After the disappointment of the previous night's defeat, the Giants returned tot he Metro Radio Arena for the 2nd of back to back games and third game in just over a week against the Newcastle Vipers.
A much better opening saw the Giants put pressure on the star of the previous evening Andrew Verner, once again forcing him to keep his team in it. Unlike the previous night however, the Giants powerplay clicked straight away as Marek Ivan warmed the penalty box allowing Paul Deniset to stickhandle in and beat Verner with a lovely shot for an early lead at 7.18.
Once again Verner was the busier of the goalies, but once more as he kept his side alive, the Vipers found a way past Stevie Lyle to tie the game 1-1 as Jez Lundin scored an opportunistic shot that Lyle will definitely want back, tying things up at 30.41.
Mike Burgoyne got his first goal as a Giant on the powerplay in somewhat fortunate circumstances as he attempted to find Evan Cheverie who was ghosting in at the far post only to see his pass catch the stick of a Vipers defenceman and slide between the legs of Verner - finally a way to beat him! - restoring the Giants lead with just five minutes of the second remaining.
The shot clock doesn't always tell a story, but with the Vipers only able to muster 2 shots in the second period, the Giants were definitely holding the upper hand and this was confirmed as Paul Deniset notched a second goal just 1.20 into the final period to make it 3-1.
The fun and games most had been expecting on Saturday night never materialised, but unfortunately Sunday night was a different matter. Early in the second period Giants player coach Steve Thornton appeared to strike Andre Payette with a slash to the head.
And once more with the game lost the Vipers players showed their lack of discipline with several trying to goad Giants into needless fights, Bobby Robins getting involved with Todd Griffith and Rob Rankin going for Paul Deniset with just 2 seconds left in the game.
Aaron Kernohan
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 |