Kingdom Of The Giants :: Belfast Giants Fan Community, News & Views
Blaze Extinguished
13-Sep-2010The Aer Lingus Belfast Giants finally got their home campaign underway this weekend. Back to back games against the reigning league champions were a stern test to Doug Christiansen’s side but one they relished come Sunday evening.
Over 5000 people witnessed a fresh Giants side suffer an early set back when Russ Cowley put the visitors ahead before the clock had reached two and a half minutes of the game.
The Giants were resurgent however and midway through the period equalised. D-man Mike Hoffman put a nice finish past Brett Jaeger in the Coventry goal, assists from Josh Prudden and Jon Gleed saw the points for the first home Giants goal of the season go to Odyssey debutants.
Belfast came out storming in the 2nd session and it only took Tim Cook 46 seconds to put the home side ahead. Assists from Brandon Benedict and Colin Shields showed that what the new guys can do, the returnees can match.
Mike Hoffman is seen by many as the replacement for former Giants enforcer, and self appointed Belfast Giants ‘Humanitarian of the Year’, Sean McMorrow. On this showing however Christiansen has shown he has picked up a distinct upgrade on “The Sherriff”. At the games midway point, Hoffmans superb stick-work, skill and aggression were key to setting up Craig Peacock to fire home and give the Odyssey side a 3-1 advantage going into the final period.
The Giants had plenty of opportunities to extend their advantage, Colin Shields with more than one scuppered breakaway shot clear in on the Blaze net.
Paul Thompson’s sides have been renowned over the years for their tenacity and this was shown once again as Greg Owen narrowed the score line to a single goal. As a Richard Seely penalty expired, Dan Carlson found a gap between a sleeping Giants PK unit and Greg Owen scraped it over the line giving the visitors hope of once again closing a 2 goal lead on the Giants just as they had in the Charity Shield game a few weeks ago.
But it a 4-2 win was signed, sealed and delivered by Mike Bayrack. An empty net goal finishing the game and keeping the 2 points in Belfast.
A strong performance from the Giants against a disappointing Blaze side. And they travelled to Coventry the next night hoping to repeat the achievement away from home.
In the opening few games of the season the Giants have shown an inability to sustain or add to a 2 goal lead, and once again they succumbed to this trait. First period goals by Prudden and Welch in the 1st period were cancelled out by Cowley and an Owen Fussey penalty shot before Brandon Benedict nailed the game winning goal past Jaeger with around 7 minutes remaining in the game.
4 points from 4 this weekend and 7 points from 8 overall is a great return for Christiansen’s men, especially having faced the Blaze twice and the Panthers. The fans watched the Playoff Championship banner join the newly refurbished banners hanging from the ceiling of the Odyssey Arena, and on this weekend’s showings, will maybe dare to dream of more.
Patrick Smyth
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 |