Giants still looking for continuity
After a double blast from Belfast’s Robby Sandrock stick gave the Giants the edge over Dundee on Thursday night 2-1. The Stars displayed their new inform puck stopper Nic Riopel who was excellent.
Belfast peppered Riopel between the pipes for Dundee with countless shots but couldn’t find a way through until Sandrock unleashed his cannon shots from the blue line.
A tough way to take two points in your first league home game of the season when your forwards, although have a superior shot count but still couldn’t find the telling strike that resulted in a goal.
Coach Doug Christiansen stated after the game. “It wasn’t pretty but it was two points and I’ll live with that early days in the new season”.
The Giants then traveled to Sheffield to take on the Steelers who hung on to beat the archrivals Nottingham in Lace City the night before 3-2.
Well if the Steelers were tired they didn’t show it in the opening period when they opened the scoring through Ron Sarich just over two minutes into the game. The reply came quickly from the Giants when Greg Stewart equalized with only 3.36 played on the game clock.
Then the tide turned the Steelers way with league’s all-time leading point’s scorer Ashley Tait finding the net on the powerplay middle way through the opening period putting Sheffield’s noses out in front again.
If the tide turn the Steelers way in the opening period there was a floodgate of crash turbulence coming from Sheffield in the second period. They scored two more goals from Jeff Legue and then Steven Goertzen on the powerplay to open up a three-goal lead.
It must be said the visitors dug deep and did pull one back with a goal coming from the stick of Scott Champagne late in the second period to give Belfast some hope.
That hope became belief just inside the first minute of the third period, when it became a one-goal game as Noah Clarke found the net for the Giants.
Followed by the equalizer from Sam Roberts who completed the Giants comeback as he netted midway through the third period.
At four goals each anyone could have won the game but it certainly was an amazing turn around in the Giants effort and commitment to their game plan. There were no further goals in the remaining ten minutes of regulation time or in the five minutes of overtime.
So it came to that penalty shootout. With the home side scoring with their first two shots and the Giants missing both of theirs it was all over with the home team taken the extra point.
Giants can be pleased to come out of Steel City with a point after trailing 4-1 earlier in the encounter but they must find more commitment early on in their game. I’m sure Stephen Murphy would have like to face those two early penalty shots again from Sheffield that earned them the extra point.
Its early days yet in the Elite League and the gelling process is still taking place with the mainly all new lock Stena Line Belfast Giants.
You certainly would have been given long odds on the game going to overtime when the Steelers were 4-1 up. Ryan Finnerty’s side was in complete control of the game and playing their best hockey of the season.
However the Steeler’s game winning hero Jeff Legue was delighted with the final outcome “I think we deserved the win” he said, “We dominated the game early on keeping things very simple. We worked hard for our goals and I didn’t think the 4-1 lead flattered us at all.
Saying that it was a different Belfast that came at us after that. The 4-2 goal changed things, once they scored that one they had belief and threw everything at us. We perhaps sat back a little too much and got ourselves caught out.
I think we were confident in the shoot out. Johnny DeCaro played great and didn’t give the Giants shooters any chance at all. When Colin scored I knew I would have a chance to win it. I wanted to finish it there and then. The ice was bad and I didn’t really want to make as many moves as I ended up doing but in the end I got it past Murphy and I guess the rest is history.
I’m sure we will look back at the game and say we should have surrendered a 4-1 lead, and your right we shouldn’t have. Saying that there were far more positives out of this game and the weekend than negatives and I think we will focus more on those” Concluded Leque.
Giants face Cardiff Wednesday before returning Fortress Odyssey on Saturday night for a Challenge Cup game against Braehead who defeated them in their game of the season.
Photo of our very own Wayne Hardman with Hall of Famer Rob Stewart.