Giants up for the Cup as Finnerty joins Cardiff

In a bid to retain the Challenge Cup the Belfast Giants travel to Cardiff on Wednesday for the first leg of the semi final which could see them face either Nottingham Panthers or the Sheffield Steelers in the final come February/March.

The Challenge Cup has been a trophy the Giants have “opted out” of in the past. However last season Coach Steve Thornton and General Manager Todd Kelman spoke many times of their target to win “all competitions available”. A 50% achievement was met on this target, the Giants picking up the Knock Out Cup and the Challenge Cup for the first time in the clubs history.

The Giants qualified for this years semi finals by virtue of topping Group A, scoring 30 goals in the process and achieving a goal difference of +13, both totals greater than any other team in the competition. Only a 5-4 loss at the Sheffield Arena and a 2-2 tie in the Odyssey against the Newcastle Vipers kept Belfast from a 100% record in the competition.

Cardiff qualified second in Group B. Gerad Adams’ side’s 4 group wins were punctuated by home and away victories over the Coventry Blaze, knocking the Blaze out of the competition.

Belfast travel to Cardiff Bay Ice Rink holding a 3-1 record over the Welsh side, Cardiff’s only victory coming in overtime in South Wales. However both league meetings in the Welsh Capital have required overtime, with the Giants only victory coming by way of penalty shots.

”At time of print” the potential participation in this leg of the Devils talismanic captain, Brad Voth, is in doubt following Saturdays game against the Coventry Blaze. Voth and Blaze’s Derek Campbell were involved in an altercation which saw Referee Matt Thompson award the each player a Match penalty. This sentence carries a one game suspension, Campbell serving his in the Blaze’s home loss to the Sheffield Steelers on Sunday evening. However it is believed Voth’s may be put to appeal prior to Wednesday nights game giving the Cardiff side hope of a reprieve.

Update: Brad Voth's Match penalty has been revoked. He will take to the ice in the game

Wednesday night will also see Ryan Finnerty make his Cardiff Devils debut. The former Sheffield Steelers forward lines out in red and black to be supported by fans who held him as “Public Enemy Number 1” only one season ago. Finnerty was involved in an on-ice tête-à-tête with Jay Latullipe which carried on in the press and developed into alleged ugly scenes post-game at Cardiff. With Finnerty now a part of the Devils the reaction of the crowd to their new acquisition will be one of interest to those on lookers who recall the furore of last term. While Coach Adams will be hoping that Finnerty can bring the grit and agitation that were so part of his success in South Yorkshire.

In other team news from Cardiff, Wes Jarvis is a day-to-day doubt with an upper body injury. While young Brits Ben Davies and Jaimie Hayes are on U20 international duty in Hungary.

The Belfast Giants come into Wednesday’s game off a very successful weekend that saw them rise to the summit of the Elite League. A thumping win over the Newcastle Vipers had the Giants putting 11 goals in the Tyneside teams net. While a gritty win in Edinburgh on Sunday combined with Coventry’s loss to Sheffield saw the Giants finish the weekend on top.

An achievement made all the more impressive as the Giants have not been without injuries. Shane Johnson, Graeme Walton and Nathan Craze all joined Pierre-Luc Faubert and George Awada on the physio’s table for the weekend, the three latest additions may also be unavailable for Wednesday nights clash.

Wednesday is the first leg of a two legged semi-final that concludes on January 20th in Dundonald International Ice Bowl. Ticket information for this second leg is available on the Giants Official Website.

The UKHL/KotG team will be providing live text coverage from Cardiff on Wednesday night. Join Patrick and Marty either by going to UKHL or visiting the KotG Live page. Coverage begins at 7.15pm.

Patrick Smyth

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