Having finally climbed to the Elite League summit last weekend, the message is clear from the Belfast Giants’ star winger, Bobo Carpenter, who says his side will be keeping their foot firmly on the pedal until the end of the season.
Indeed, having secured statement wins over Sheffield Steelers and Manchester Storm last weekend, the Giants continued their hot-streak with a 5-2 win on the road against Guildford Flames at the Guildford Spectrum arena.
Adam Keefe’s men now have five wins on the bounce and sit three points clear at the top of the league.
Now entering the business end of the season, a crucial run of fixtures awaits Adam Keefe’s men who will be seeking to further consolidate their place at the league’s summit.
The Irish News caught up with 28-year-old American winger, Bobo Carpenter, who was reflecting on the ‘difficult but exciting’ task that lies ahead as his side targets the three available trophies in the coming months.
“The position we’re in is a nice place to be, but there is a lot of pressure that comes with it.” Carpenter explains.
“It took us a while, but we’ve finally moved up to first place which is a reflection of the hard work we’ve put in all season. It’s a privilege to have the pressure that comes with it.
“Sometimes things haven’t gone our way, but when you work hard and stick to the process you find a way to win games.
“The nature of the ice hockey season is that it’s intense. Nothing changes now that we’re first. We will work even harder now because that has to be the foundation for what we hope to achieve. There will be no taking our foot off the pedal because we are still chasing three trophies.”
Carpenter has been an important player for the Giants this season, with the Massachusetts native contributing 11 goals and 10 assists in 25 games for the Belfast side so far in this campaign.
The winger is not shy in sharing the ambitions of his side, who hope to replicate the grand slam success of the 22/23 season. Given the increasing quality of the Elite league’s competition, Carpenter is also realistic about the difficulty of the task ahead.
“It’s definitely a daunting task, but that’s what would make it so special.” Carpenter says.
“It’s a special environment and I’m thankful to be a part of such a close knit group. We try to have fun and enjoy the process because you need that to help balance out the pressure and be at your best.
“We’ve talked about the pressure we’re under from the start of the season. However, this group wants to make great memories for ourselves and for the fans by achieving something special.”
This weekend starts with a clash on home ice against Coventry Blaze, who currently sit fifth on the table.
However, the main event comes on Sunday against fierce rivals, Cardiff Devils, who will be desperate to reclaim their seat at the top of the table.
A win on Sunday would be a significant statement of intent from Keefe’s men as it would give the Giants a five point cushion at the top of the table as we enter what Carpenter refers to as ‘trophy season’.
“Cardiff have been the team to beat, so it would be really significant to get a win over them at their place.” Carpenter says.
“Last time, we won in overtime at their place but we know they are a big, strong, physical and fast team so we know we need to be on our A-game and treat this like a play-off game.
“That’s our mindset now. Every game is a play-off and if we can take four points from the weekend then it puts us in a good position but the task will be far from over.”
The Giants face Coventry Blaze on Saturday evening at 7pm at the SSE Arena before travelling to Cardiff to face the Blaze the following evening.
