The Belfast Giants strengthend their position at the top of the Elite League with a 3-1 win over the Nottingham Panthers in the Odyssey Arena and made it maximum points from back to back games this weekend.
Goals from George Awada, Fredrick Nasvall and Man of the Match Curt Bowen gave the Giants their second victory in as many nights. They now stand 2 points clear of the Coventry Blaze who were beaten tonight by the Shefield Steelers in overtime.
An end to end game, that began late due to the Panthers having travel difficulties, remained scoreless after the first period. It was Awada who broke the deadlock in the 2nd period to put the home team a goal up.
The Panthers hit back at the beginning of the final session, Jan Magdosko slotting it past returning netminder Martin Klempa, only 2 minutes into the period. Man of the Match Curt Bowen gave the Giants the lead once again with a backhanded shot, lifting it over Nottinghams netminder.
Panthers kept the pressure on and with just over a minute left on the clock, they pulled their netminder to gain the man advantage. It didn't pay off however as Super Swede Fredrick Nasvall scored in the empty net from just by the players benches.
A vital win for the Giants to give them breathing space at the top of the table as they hit the road again next weekend. The Giants face BNL opposition in Hull on Saturday and Newcastle-upon-Tyne on Sunday. And they will be hoping they can keep ahead of the hunting pack containing the Coventry Blaze and Cardiff Devils.
| 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 |