The Belfast Giants have moved to the top of the Elite League table after securing four points in this weekend’s home double-header against Sheffield Steelers and Manchester Storm.
Adam Keefe’s men have finally managed to leapfrog Cardiff Devils who have held first place in the Elite League for a large portion of the season but had two games in hand over the Belfast side.
Having enjoyed a recent run of good form, the Giants are now on 45 points after 30 games, edging out Cardiff who now sit one point behind Keefe’s side.
Things are heating up in the Elite League with a chasing pack not far behind as we enter the business end of the season.
In third place are last season’s treble champions, Sheffield Steelers, who sit on 40 points and Nottingham Panthers are still very much in the frame, just one point behind in fourth place.
The Giants were made to work for their four points this weekend, with a hard-fought 4-2 win over the Steelers on Saturday night before holding off a late comeback from Manchester Storm on Sunday, securing a 3-2 win in front of the home crowd.
After a back-and-forth start on Saturday evening, it was Sheffield who broke the deadlock midway through the first period with Robert Dowd getting his side off the mark.
Grant Mismash struck back for the hosts just before the interval to level the sides.
The Giants came alive in the second period, with the Giants striking twice in quick succession through Bobo Carpenter and Ciaran Long to give the hosts a temporary cushion.
However, it wasn’t long before Sheffield reduced the deficit with a well-taken finish from Patrick Watling from a Maxim Golod pass to set up a dramatic third period.
Things got feisty at the end of the second period with tension spilling over into a mass brawl and plenty of physicality on the ice in the final period.
Despite some pressure from Sheffield, it would be the Giants who were next to score, with Giants’ captain Mark Cooper rifling a shot into the net.
Goalie Jackson Whistle did well to shut out the visitors for the remainder of the period and the Giants held on for a deserved win in front of their relieved home fans.
Speaking after the game, head coach Adam Keefe praised his side’s efforts.
“I thought the penalty kill was good, I thought the powerplay was good and got us on the board plus the special teams.
“I thought the first period was great but we gave them some life in the second period with the odd-man rush which resulted in a big goal for them.
“Third period is what I loved. It is the third periods that win championships and we shut them down, played responsibly and got the job done.”
Next up was a visit from Manchester Storm on Sunday.
Things looked comfortable for the Giants initially, getting off to a 3-0 first-period lead with goals on the powerplay from Bobo Carpenter and JJ Piccinich followed by a strike from Gabe Bast which looked to have put the hosts out of sight early doors.
However, Manchester Storm struck with goals from Alexis D’Aoust and a further strike from Craig Martin had the Giants on the ropes with time remaining.
However, Jackson Whistle was again called into action to help the Giants seal another hard-fought win to see his side move to the top of the league table after a four-point weekend.
