Its for the good of hockey: Giants 2 Blaze 5

Well, thats one way of looking at it - a revamped team structure in a revamped league (and we were just welcoming the new boys into the league anyway ...)

After all the mist settles from the action on the Odyssey ice last night, the Giants' faithful should recall the sobering thought that just a little over two months ago, the Giants were on the brink of merging into past history.

But it was history for all the right reasons on opening night with three players from Northern Ireland taking to the ice for the very first time in Giants' existence. Gareth Martin and Mark Morrison didn't look at all out of place in the teal and white, while reserve netminder Chris McGimpsey watched from the bench, and they got a deserved roaring welcome when they stepped out of the tunnel. The 'local' playing numbers too, were swelled by ex-Dundee Star, Paul Sample and Leigh Jameison on loan from Milton Keynes.

The game itself was a rather scrappy affair at times but the differences were evident with largely intact Coventry team after the off-season looking more comfortable with each other compared to the Giants who had barely three days practising as a ‘complete’ unit.

Any returning Giant players should by now have realised that penalty killing 101 should be chalked high up on any pre-season training schedule but alas, that doesn’t seem to have been the case as Steve Gallace made it 1-0 to the visitors. Looking a little rattled, the Giants then coughed up another goal, less than a minute later from O’Brien.

Shaun Johnson netted Blaze’ third goal, three minutes into the second period before Todd Kelman lifted the Giants’ woes with their first goal of the season at 28.35 with assists from Sample and Schulte. Ten minutes later, Kelman however was sitting out a holding penalty when Ruff was sent to join him after a 50/50 boarding call from Hanson, and it Chartrand who completed the ‘three Steves’ Coventry scoring on the powerplay going into the break.

Brit hockey veteran, Hilton Ruggles icing in his sixteenth season on these shores, clinched his MoM award in the opening minute of the third, but new signing Brad Kenny regained a little Giant pride scoring on his debut for his new side and 5-2 was how it stayed til the close.

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