The Belfast Giants have a fight on their hands as they travel tonight to face the London Racers in their third road game in four nights. A mid week 2-2 draw with the Cardiff Racers and a defeat last night at the hands of the Basingstoke Bison mean that the Giants, having surrendered the lead of the Elite League to the Coventry Blaze, have to work hard and regain form.
The Giants valiantly gained a draw against the Cardiff Devils having went down by two goals, but many at the game described it as a scrappy affair with the Giants not at their best.
Last night that was compounded when a goal was conceded after only 23 seconds in Basingstoke. Curt Bowen was responsible for bringing the Giants back on to level terms. It was Basingstoke who took the lead once again with only 9 seconds left in the first period benefitting from another lapse in concentration in the Giants camp.
Curt Bowen was on hand once again however to link up with Fredrick Nasvall and haul the Giants back on to level terms. Concentration disappeared and frustration appeared in the final 10 minutes of the game for the Giants as Basingstoke hit hard with two late goals from Steve Gallace and Mike Ford. Giants Player-Coach Tony Hand lost his cool at Bison's Brent Pope, gaining himself 2 mins for slashing, 2 minutes for roughing and a 10 minute game penalty for his troubles.
Not the best of nights for the title-chasers. But Hand will be hoping to turn that around tonight against a Racers team who have proved very physical and tricky in recent meetings.
| 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 |