To Be Or Not To Be...

The highs and lows of playoff hockey can take their toll on a fan.. Conor gives us his take

... Not to be it seems. If any fan wanted to experience the plethora of emotions associated with sports, then surely this weekend would have served them all. In just twenty-four hours Giants fans went from agony to ecstasy and back as their team fell just short of qualification for the Elite League’s Playoff Finals Weekend. It was the second year in a row that the Giants were unable to overcome a first leg deficit as the Cardiff Devils denied them a dramatic come from behind win with an overtime goal from captain Brad Voth.

If Giants fans were to be honest, they may well concede that Cardiff deserved to advance over the two legs, having set up their stall in the Odyssey Arena on Saturday night and come away with a surprise 2-1 lead. A spirited Giants victory in regulation time (3-2) set up five minutes of overtime, but the Devils only needed the first of those minutes with Bobby Robbins serving a two minute penalty into the decisive session. The 4 on 3 advantage was too much for the valiant Giants outfit who had battled back from 5-3 down on aggregate to equalise with barely a minute left on the clock.

It was also an extremely interesting night in the KOTG chat-room with tension filling the interwebs. The joy was more than palpable as news of Evan Cheverie’s second goal of the game began to filter through. ‘Caps Locks’ predominated as Giants fans began to believe that the team would return to the finals weekend after a year’s absence. But it was not to be, since with only thirty-three seconds gone in the extra period, Voth struck to send the packed Tent in Cardiff into raptures as they continued to improve their impressive playoff pedigree of recent years, and set up a fascinating clash with the EIHL champions, the Sheffield Steelers. The two sides have built up an intense rivalry this season, which has erupted on more than one occasion both on and off the ice, most memorably amid accusations that Devils fans had attacked the Sheffield bus as it attempted to leave after a league clash in the Welsh capital.

Giants fans will be left to reflect with what has been a largely successful season, with two cups captured, but also left to rue a dramatic dip in form late season which ultimately cost the side an easier qualification tie in the Playoff rounds. Nevertheless, hundreds will still make the annual pilgrimage across the Irish Sea to join the rest of the UK’s ice-hockey fraternity next weekend in what promises to be a great weekend for all who travel.

For those not heading to Nottingham, it’s time to hang up the jerseys for another season, time to raid the savings for the early bird season ticket, and time to start thinking of what weird and wonderful O/T subjects to discuss over the summer in the traditional ‘Totally Pointless Post’.

KOTG will be online as always bringing you he latest news from your Belfast Giants as and when it’s announced in what will undoubtedly prove to be a tumultuous off-season. Look out as well for news on our forthcoming Playoff Weekend coverage. As always here at KOTG, we are trying to bring you the latest innovations in the hockey world and next weekend will be no exception!

Have a great off-season; I know I will!

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