Dundee Stars came out on top in the battle for top spot in Group B of the Challenge Cup with a penalty shot win over Belfast Giants at the Dundee Ice Arena.
“We played solid tonight,” began Stars’ Justin Bean. “They had a push in the third period but we held strong which is a positive. We were able to pull through and I’m happy with both our consistency and our persistence tonight.”
Matt Berry opened the scoring for Dundee at 06:04, reacting first to a rebound after Jackson DeSouza’s point shot was saved by Jackson Whistle. Belfast equalised on the powerplay three minutes later, when Jordan Kawaguchi deflected J.J. Piccinich’s shot from the high slot past Jarrett Fiske at 09:43.
The Stars almost regained the lead in the final seconds of the period, as Keanu Yamamoto intercepted a pass and set up Hampus Olsson on a two-on-one, but Whistle made the save to keep the score 1-1.
“We haven’t faired well against Dundee this season,” admitted Giants’ Jordan Kawaguchi. “The first period was good but not great, and then we let things get away for us. Credit to Dundee, they played a good game tonight.”
Dundee controlled much of the second period and were rewarded at 25:32 when Morten Jürgens broke in alone and fired a shot over Whistle’s glove to make it 2-1. Kameron Kielly extended the lead at 35:43, scoring from close range after sustained pressure in the Giants’ zone.
Ryan Smith pulled one back for Belfast at 44:44, but Olsson restored the two-goal lead at 47:04 after Yamamoto’s drive to the net created a rebound. The goal was confirmed following a video review.
A double-minor penalty against Bradley Schoonbaert gave the Giants a chance to respond, and Kawaguchi scored his second of the game at 48:26. Nicolas Guay tied the game at 53:35 with a shot from the right circle, forcing overtime.
“We pushed back in the third period and managed to force overtime, but we lost that game in the second period,” summarised Kawaguchi. “We played for maybe 40 minutes tonight, and you can’t do that in this league.
Both teams traded chances in the extra period, but neither could find a winner. In the shootout, Drydn Dow and Otto Nieminen scored for the Stars, while Fiske stopped both Belfast attempts to secure the 5-4 victory and two Challenge Cup points for Dundee.
The Stars have beaten the Giants in three of three meetings so far this season. What’s their secret? “Belfast are a top team that’s been good for a long time in this league. Our ability to keep it simple and stick to our structure has bee important,” continued Bean. “If you give them too many chances they’ll find a way to put the puck in the net.
“We’d like to be consistent through both games at the weekend, but the last two we’ve found a way to bounce back after a difficult Saturday which I think speaks volumes about the character we have in the room. We have a solid group of guys, we persist, sometimes things won’t be in your favour we we have to stick to our gameplan.”
Photo: Derek Black