The Belfast Giants got off to the perfect start in their first competitive fixtures of the season, securing four points from their double-header trip to Scotland in the Challenge Cup.
Adam Keefe’s side came away from Dundee with a comprehensive 7-3 win and the following night sealed a 4-2 victory against Fife Flyers to round off the ideal start to the season.
There was no shortage of attacking talent on display with 11 goals across the weekend from six different men in teal, however, head coach Adam Keefe set his stall out on Saturday evening when it came to maintaining high defensive standards.
Off the back of a pre-season which included four wins from four, the Giants sought to carry their momentum to the Dundee Ice Arena on Saturday evening.
The 7-3 scoreline is perhaps flattering to the Giants given the back-and-forth nature of the game. The win was well-deserved in the end, but for two-third of the game the sides were relatively even.
New signing Jordan Kawaguchi opened the scoring but Craig Moore’s strike leveled the sides just before the end of the opening period.
Jonathan McBean eventually found a way past Giant’s goalie Tom McCollum - who put in an impressive performance for the visitors - however Joe Cassetti struck twice for the Giants in the second period to put his side ahead.
Kawaguchi grabbed his second goal of the night to give his side a cushion, and the Giants pulled away in the third period with a quickfire double from Mark Cooper and, after a consolation goal from Jake Elmer, Ciaran Long capped things off with a goal to make it seven.
Keefe gave due credit to his players for the margin of victory but lamented aspects of his side’s performance, emphasising that the opposition had been given too many chances.
“It wasn’t a very pretty game but I thought our quality shone through in the end in terms of finishing.” Keefe explained.
“I think we were outplayed at times tonight which is quite eye-opening for us. We learnt a lesson tonight: you can’t just turn up and think it’s going to happen.
“The guys found a way of getting it done and they did that because they’re a really good group of players, but that’s not going to cut it for us down the stretch. We have to get much better.
“We gave away too much - too many breakaways and two-on-ones, too many shots against. We’re on the road and it’s a tough building to play in and the guys got it done so I can’t be upset about that.
“I think the pre-season went a little too well for us and I think it showed tonight. The intensity, the urgency rises in a meaningful game and obviously… we have a big game tomorrow in Fife and it’s going to be more of the same.”
Indeed, despite the winning margin appearing less impressive, the Giants turned in a more complete performance the following night at the Fife Ice Arena.
Goalie Jackson Whistle turned away 31 of the 33 shots he saw to pick up player of the game, while Bobo Carpenter struck twice and Kyle Osterberg and Mark Cooper also chipped in to complete the Giant’s four-point weekend.
Opposition goalie Shane Owen put in an inspired performance to keep his side in the game but it was the Giants who looked more impressive, showing greater cohesion than the previous evening.
“I liked tonight’s game a lot better than last night,” Keefe explained.
“I’m not really focused on the scoreline, believe it or not. I thought the guys were good tonight. We possessed the puck well and had some really good o-zone shifts.
“I thought the momentum swung in our favour and the good news is we can certainly get a lot better. There are some areas we need to clean up defensively, but we put up seven goals last night and four tonight. I think the guys were pretty good.”
Indeed, despite Adam Keefe’s reluctance to get too carried away in public following an impressive opening weekend, the ambitious head-coach will be reassured by the extent to which his much-changed side have already gelled in attack.
The Giants will now turn their attention towards next weekend when they face the Dundee Stars in the Challenge Cup in Belfast on Saturday.