Kingdom Of The Giants :: Belfast Giants Fan Community, News & Views
Steelers are Champions as Giants Faulter.
15-Mar-2009The Coors Belfast Giants enter the final stretch of the EIHL season on the back foot, but with the potential to still make it a successful season.
Last night the Sheffield Steelers lifted the EIHL title in front of their home fans, following a 3-1 win over the Newcastle Vipers. While in Belfast the 2 teams vying for the runners up spot battled at the Odyssey Arena. Coventry now sit in the box seats, following a game which seen them come back from a 2-0 deficit to beat the Giants 4-2 on home ice.
Meanwhile, following this defeat, and previous defeats to Manchester and Nottingham, Steve Thornton's side enter the second leg of the Challenge Cup final on a 3 game losing streak, with a 1 goal deficit to overturn at the Dundonald IceBowl.
All is far from lost however. The Giants have fallen foul of poor performances before and revived themselves to better results. And with three trophies still up for grabs, fans will be hoping for better results and a battle to take silverware back to the Belfast for the first time in 3 seasons.
The Giants face Manchester in Dundonald on St Patricks Day, before traveling for 3 away league games to finish the domestic league season at Nottingham, Coventry and Manchester.
And then? Playoffs! Currently the Giants look to be facing the Cardiff Devils on recent form, with the Coventry Blaze lining up for a match against the Newcastle Vipers and Nottingham facing the Manchester Phoenix. There is, however, a lot to play for still. And no team in the hunt for silverware, has given anything up yet.
Patrick Smyth
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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 |