Tag Archives: #BelfastGiants

Giants get past Devils, 2-1, in OT, meet Steelers in Final

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The Stena Line Belfast Giants secured their spot in the 2023/24 Elite League Playoff Final after defeating the Cardiff Devils in overtime at the Motorpoint Arena in Nottingham. A second period goal from Blake Speers and a decisive winner from Greg Printz gave Adam Keefe’s side a 1-2 win, and set up a showdown with the Sheffield Steelers in the final on Sunday 21 April.

FIRST PERIOD

A fast start from both sides saw the Giants create the first definitive scoring opportunity as Daniel Tedesco’s early shot stung the gloves of Devils’ Ben Bowns before being safely ushered down the ice.

After Josh Roach sat for a two-minute tripping penalty, it was Jackson Whistle who would next be called into action when a Devils shot came through a crowd of bodies, but the Giants’ netminder was equal to the task.

Sustained Cardiff pressure required a big defensive effort from the Giants, and after a flurry of efforts on target, Jackson Whistle stood firm, with the help of a crucial block from Travis Brown, keeping the scores level midway through the opening period.

It was then the Giants’ turn to go on offence, with attempts from Ben Lake, Jacob Friend, and Bobby MacIntyre calling Ben Bowns into action.

With only a few minutes remaining in the period, the Giants once again found themselves a man down as Ben Lake was penalised for slashing. The Devils went close to netting the game’s opener when Riley Brandt tipped the puck goalward, only to be denied by a fine pad save from Jackson Whistle.

SECOND PERIOD

The Giants started the period the stronger of the two sides, with early efforts from Mark Cooper, Sean Norris, and Kohei Sato needing Ben Bowns to quickly add to his nine first period saves.

Soon after, Bowns kept Devils in the game once again, after a thunderous shot from Oliver Cooper required a big pad save.

After Cole Sandford was sent to the penalty box for roughing, Bowns continued to be the difference maker for the Devils as he denied Kohei Sato’s close-range effort from breaking the deadlock.

However, Daniel Tedesco rattling the Devils’ bar was a sign of things to come, as Blake Speers finished off a fantastic pass from Greg Prinz at the backdoor to give the Giants the advantage. (0-1)

THIRD PERIOD

Responding well to going behind, the Devils created a number of early chances, with Evan Mosey and Jamie Arniel having the best in the early goings.

At the other end of the ice, Ciaran Long’s tipped effort towards the Devils goal was quickly shutdown by Ben Bowns, keeping the deficit to just one.

After Mark Cooper was sent to the penalty box for a cross-check, the Devils’ powerplay piled pressure onto the Giants’ net, and they were finally rewarded when Cody Donaghey fired the puck into the roof of Jackson Whistle’s goal with less than two-minute remaining to send the game to overtime. (1-1)

OVERTIME

Josh Roach and Daniel Tedesco saw efforts turned away by the formidable Ben Bowns, before the Devils launched a counter-attack on Jackson Whistle’s goal, only for the Giants’ netminder to parry away a Cole Sandford shot.

After a back-and-forth exchange, which saw both sides have good opportunities to win the game, Ben Lake found an oncoming Greg Printz, who sent the Giants’ fans into pandemonium with two-minutes left on the clock. (1-2)

Next up, the Stena Line Belfast Giants will take on the Sheffield Steelers in the final of the 2023/24 Elite League Playoff Finals at 5pm on Sunday 21 April.

Whistle backstops Giants into Finals Weekend

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The Belfast Giants edged past the Genting Casino Coventry Blaze in the Quarter-Finals of the Elite League Playoffs with a 1-1 tie and 2-3 aggregate victory at Skydome Arena on Sunday.

Both teams began the game with a far higher intensity and physicality level compared to the night previous which ended with a 2-1 Giants victory.

After Jackson Whistle was forced into a couple of early saves, Taran Kozun at his opposite end had his goal post to thank for the Giants not doubling their aggregate lead ahead of the ten-minute mark.

Both teams had powerplay opportunities towards the end of the first period, but unlike in Belfast neither were able to convert as the first period ended scoreless.

The opening goal came at 26.43 when Daniel Tedesco converted on an opportunity right in front of Kozun to give the Giants a 1-3 aggregate advantage.

Blaze pushed hard to get on the board, but Whistle was the star of the show pulling off several outstanding saves to keep the home side out.

Frustrations began to boil over in the final few minutes of the second period with each team assessed a couple of minor penalties following a scuffle in front of Whistle’s net.

With both teams looking tired, the tempo dropped in the third period, but Blaze continued to push and with 1.06 remaining pulled Kozun for the extra skater.

Chances came and went before Danny Kristo finally beat Whistle, but with just a second remaining on the clock it was a consolation for Coventry whose season was ended cruelly by the narrowest of margins.

Photo credit: Scott Wiggins

Giants take narrow lead into Coventry

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Belfast Giants will take a one-goal aggregate lead to Coventry for the second leg of their Playoff series, having beaten the Blaze 2-1 in front of 7,411 fans at the SSE Arena.

A scoreless and tight opening period began this Quarter-Final series, Taran Kozun notably pulling off an excellent pad save to keep things all square.

The Giants went ahead just 19 seconds into period two with Greg Printz passing from below the goal line to Oliver Cooper to slot past Kozun and open the scoring. On a Cameron Pound Tripping minor, Mitch Cook reacted fastest to Jackson Whistle spilling a JD Dudek shot as Coventry tied the game at 24:58. The Giants survived another penalty kill before making use of a man-advantage of their own – Daniel Tedesco’s throw on the net bounced off Ben Lake at the top of the crease to put the Giants back ahead with 31:28 played.

That was where the scoring stopped, with just one of the three periods on the night producing goals. The final period ended without penalties and 19 shots across both goalies.

Photo: William Cherry

Giants top Steelers, 4-1, in heated, controversial end to game

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It was a heated final period in Belfast with the Giants coming through 4-1 in the end, but that doesn’t tell the full story

Steelers had led 1-0 through Scott Allen before Greg Printz equalised at 47.24

Colton Saucerman was called for tripping and then, surprisingly the officials gave a penalty shot to the outrage of Aaron Fox and the Steelers bench.

Will Cullen scored and with the Steelers pushing Daniel added a third and Mark Cooper found a late empty net for the 4-1 scoreline.

No Marrone, Vallerand, Dowd or Watling tonight with Greenfield, Whistle, Diffley and Harper returning.

First Period.

Early chance for the Steelers when at 1.16 Mikko Juusola was awarded a penalty shot

Beskorowany made the save

Steeler though were soon on the power-play when Travis Brows sat 2

Mitchell Balmas had a great chance but his shot was just an inch wide.

Belfast turned the screw in the second half of the period and Matt Greenfield took over making several outstanding saves.

Both Diffley and Saucerman helped their goalie out clearing the puck off the line in the closing minutes

End of the first period Giants 0-0 Steelers

Second Period

End to end middle period with both sides creating chances

Daniel Ciampini and Mikko Juusola both created chances whist at the other end Greener was on top form making saves off lake and Cooper.

It’s tight and tough in Belfast and still scoreless after 40 minutes.

Giants 0-0 Steelers

Third period

All to play for in the final period … and a controversial end to the league season. i

Steelers had led 1-0 through Scott Allen before Greg Printz equalised at 47.24

Colton Saucerman was called for tripping and then, surprisingly the officials gave a penalty shot to the outrage of Aaron Fox and the Steelers bench.

Will Cullen scored and with the Steelers pushing Daniel added a third and Mark Cooper found a late empty net for the 4-1 scoreline.

Giants still in race for second, Clan stay outside of playoff places

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Aspray Glasgow West sponsored Glasgow Clan experienced another difficult night as Belfast Giants ran out 5-0 winners at the SSE Arena.

With three games to go, Clan remain level on points with eighth place Coventry Blaze, who play Guildford Flames on Sunday as the play-off race took another twist.

Belfast got off to a rapid start as Will Cullen lobbed the puck through the zones to Ara Nazarian who slammed the puck into the net to put the Giants in front after just 59 seconds.

Bryce Reddick almost levelled the scoring for the Clan when he rifled a shot from between the hash marks and forced an impressive save through traffic from Jackson Whistle.

Mike Pelech also came close to bagging a Clan equaliser with a shot from the bottom of the circle later in the period, but it was kept out by the crossbar.

(PHOTO: William Cherry/Press Eye)

Ciaran Long caused some minor chaos in the Glasgow crease at the end of the period as he fired multiple shots on visiting goalie Antti Karjalainen’s net, but he couldn’t get the puck over the line.

In the second period, Bobby McIntyre doubled Belfast’s lead with a penalty shot after the officials deemed that Charlie Combs had hooked him on his previous shot.

Just 27 seconds later, the Giants were awarded another penalty shot after Gregg Printz was forced out of possession in the crease by Ryan Harrison but he couldn’t deliver on the shot.

Long grabbed a third goal for the hosts shortly after though as he charged up the right wall and drove in on Karjalainen before slotting it into the roof of the net.

Whistle had a strong performance in the Belfast net throughout the second period as he kept out multiple shots from a Clan powerplay before making an unbelievable double stop on Dyson Stevenson.

(PHOTO: William Cherry/Press Eye)

Darien Craighead was unfairly held by Jeff Baum as he broke away from the Giants’ defence which forced the officials to award the Clan the third penalty shot of the game. Craighead’s attempt was impressively held off by Whistle though.

McIntyre bagged his second goal of the game on the powerplay as he ripped a first time shot from the top of the circle which sailed past Karjalainen to give Belfast a four-goal lead.

David Goodwin then sunk the dagger on the game as he grabbed a fifth Giants goal with a backhanded effort in the final two minutes as the hosts claimed all the points on the night.

Just before the final buzzer, Harrison got tangled up with Belfast’s Ben Lake which saw the Clan’s #22 handed a game penalty for spearing.

Stevenson was also ejected for abuse of officials to cap off a miserable night for the Clan.

Report by Sam Scouller; photos by William Cherry/Press Eye

Giants keep race for second alive

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Belfast Giants kept the race for second alive with a two-goal victory on the road against Cardiff Devils.

Jackson Whistle in the Giants net was a large part of the reason why the visitors were leading after the opening 20 minutes, pulling off no less than three excellent saves as he slide from one post to another. Josh Roach put them ahead with a shot form the wing that took a couple of bounces and beat Tyler Wall with 3:04 played. Josh Batch levelled on a 2-on-0 opportunity to tie the game a little over ten minutes later, but Daniel Tedesco had the Giants back ahead wit 4:07 left in the period.

The Devils were forced to kill an early Trevor Cox minor, but rather than falling further behind the levelled things up again – Evan Mosey converting on the breakaway at 24:23. Some 90 seconds later, Trevor Cox batted a looping puck into Whistle’s net from behind the Giants goalie to put the Devils ahead – Adam Keefe called his timeout to steady the visitors. That worked with Greg Printz tipping a Cullen shot past a stranded Wall at 31:51 to make it three each.

Belfast were the only team to score in the final period, netting two which were enough to win it. David Goodwin’s pass at the second attempt found Ben Lake in the slot to fire past Wall and put the visitors ahead with 5:21 to play. 127 seconds later, Tedesco shot low past Wall, one the Devils’ goalie would want back, to give his team a two-goal cushion heading into the final stages. Cardiff pulled Wall for the extra skater on a late powerplay with 39 seconds to go, but Whistle wasn’t to be beaten again and backstopped his team to a 5-3 win.

Photo: James Assinder