Tonight, Saturday 4th September, sees the puck drop on a new season of Elite League Ice Hockey. Belfast travel to Nottingham, where just a few short months ago they claimed the playoff title.
There have been many changes since that memorable evening - Doug Christiansen replaces Steve Thornton as coach and a high turnover of players with some old favourites going and many new faces both to Belfast and the EIHL arriving. One thing not changing is that this game, like that playoff final, will be showing live on Sky Sports as the first of 8 monthly live games.
With so many new faces on the roster, it is hoped that lines will gel and the team can get off to a winning start before heading down the road to Cardiff tomorrow and back to Belfast for the home opener next weekend. Some work towards this was done with the Giants' solitary pre season game where a 4-2 victory was claimed in the Charity Shield competition with some old faces picking up where they left off.
The excitement builds and many are looking forward to catching the new team live on TV. Drop That Puck!
Aaron Kernohan
| 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 |
| Points | Robert Dowd | 78 |
|---|---|---|
| Goals | Robert Dowd | 40 |
| Assists | Craig Peacock | 49 |
| PIM | Adam Keefe | 247 |