Explosive match sees Braehead upset Belfast

Braehead Clan 4 – 1 Belfast Giants

An explosive match on home ice saw Braehead Clan snatch 2 points from league leaders Belfast Giants.

The match was volatile from the off, and Belfast seemed destined to take the lead early on as a relentless torrent of shots rained down on Clan netminder Jaakko Suomalainen.

Somehow, the puck stayed out of the home side’s net, and with only their second shot on goal, Braehead took the lead thanks to Kyle Bruce.

This unexpected goal seemed to level out what had otherwise been a severely one-sided period. Recovered from Belfast’s onslaught at the start of the game, the Clan’s confidence rose as they fought for every scrap of the puck.

Their persistence paid off, and soon Tim Wedderburn was setting up Mike Bayrack to take the lead to 2 goals.

Braehead weren’t done just yet – with less than 2 minutes remaining in the period, Jade Galbraith picked up the loose puck and fired it into the net with a ferocious slapshot. And so the first period of action ended with 3 unanswered goals for the Clan, the proverbial tables well and truly turned.

But even with a lead of 3 goals, it’s impossible to relax when facing the Giants – a point proven by Benoit Doucet’s goal less than a minute into the 2nd period.

A nasty hit on Braehead’s Sam Zajac led to a brawl amongst the players, resulting in 3 penalty calls. Giants’ Darryl Lloyd and Clan’s Kyle Bruce were given 2 minutes for roughing. And Benoit Doucet was given 2 minutes for checking from behind and a subsequent 10 minute call for game misconduct – a decision met with cheers from a fired-up crowd.

It wouldn’t be the last misconduct call for the Giants. Halfway through the 3rd period, a benched Jeremy Rebek was ejected for abusing an official.

With less than 3 minutes left on the clock, Belfast pulled their goalie to try and regain a grasp on the game as the teams faced off in the Clan’s area. It proved futile, however, as Clan coach Drew Bannister fired the puck all the way up the rink and into the Giants’ empty net to seal the game.

And that was that. A final score of 4-1 surprised many EIHL fans around the UK but left no Clanfan disappointed.

Braehead fought for everything in this match – their urgency and dogged determination is what won it for them. At times, it was like watching an entirely different team to previous performances. This fixture could be the beginning of a very feisty rivalry between the two teams.

The Brits in the squad had a brilliant showing – Matt Haywood in particular worked relentlessly throughout the game. But it was Jade Galbraith who stole the show for the Clan and rightly walked away as Braehead’s Man of the Match. With every passing fixture, he is proving to be worth every penny the team paid for him.

A subsequent 2-2 draw away to Dundee Stars 24 hours later means the Clan remain unbeaten in their Challenge Cup campaign.

Referee: Moray Hanson
Period Scores: 3-0 / 0-1 / 1-0
Powerplay: Braehead 0/2, Belfast 0/2
Penalty Mins: Braehead 10, Belfast 30
MoM: Braehead – #13 Jade Galbraith, Belfast – #37 Nick Kuiper