It was a rollercoaster weekend for the Belfast Giants.
Adam Keefe’s men were riding on the crest of a wave of positivity on Saturday night, having just hammered Manchester Storm 7-2 away from home.
However, it all came crashing down the following night as the men in teal were toppled by reigning treble champions, Sheffield Steelers, 5-2 at the Utilita Arena in Sheffield.
Such was the stark contrast between the two performances there will inevitably be question marks raised over whether the Giants can achieve the consistency required to once again challenge for silverware this season.
Adam Keefe’s side currently sit in fifth place in the Elite league, however have fared better in the Challenge Cup, booking their place in the semi-finals of the competition with games to spare.
Saturday night’s performance certainly gave the appearance of a side capable of challenging for trophies.
Six different Giants players got on the score sheet in an impressive attacking display, while goalie Jackson Whistle turned in a solid performance to limit Manchester’s chances at the other end.
The Giants got off to a perfect start with Jordan Kawaguchi and Mark Cooper giving their side an early lead.
The Storm hit back to reduce the deficit on two occasions after new signing Karl Boudrais scored the Giants’ third on his debut.
The Giants really hit their stride just after the half hour mark, with Josh Roach rifling in a slapshot to extend his side’s lead to two goals.
The five minute period continued to be profitable for the Giants, with Gabe Bast finding the bottom corner for the Giant’s fifth and Elijah Barriga demonstrated quick reactions to pounce on a rebounded puck to squeeze it past the pads of Storm’s goalie Weninger.
With a comfortable lead going into the third period, the pace and urgency began to drop but Barriga capped off the win with a strike with 30 seconds remaining.
Speaking after the game, Giants head coach Adam Keefe praised his side’s efforts in taking home the two points.
“Yeah, we’ll certainly take that. I thought we were pretty ruthless with our scoring chances tonight and guys were finishing well.” Keefe said.
“I don’t think it was a 7-2 game but I thought our guys were good and we stuck to our game plan for the first 40 minutes in particular.
“I didn’t love the third period but I understand there’s a big game tomorrow and guys didn’t want to get injured or go too hard.
“But we didn’t end up giving up too much in the third period and I thought Jackson was great and he kept us at that scoreline and I was glad we were able to get something in the third period because I don’t think we had too many chances in the third.”
The following evening was a different proposition. Sheffield Steelers - the reigning champions and perhaps the Giants’ biggest rivals - would prove to be more of a test.
Another ideal start for the Giants appeared to give the side early momentum in Sheffield. A quick-fire double from Elijah Barriga in the first nine minutes proved to be an insufficient cushion as Steelers powered their way back into the game.
The tide turned when Patrick Watling snuck a shot past goalie Tom McCollum to make it 2-1 and there was a sense Sheffield were growing into the game as the buzzer went for the end of the first period.
Sacha Guimond levelled the scores on the powerplay in the second period and Watling put his side ahead with his second goal of the game just before the break.
The game was far from wrapped up for the Steelers, with the Giants applying pressure but the final two nails in the coffin came with goals from Veeti Vainio and Robert Dowd, who struck from the left circle to seal a comprehensive win for the home side.
Certainly a night to forget for Adam Keefe’s side, however there were enough positives from the previous evening to give reason for optimism as the Giants now turn their attention towards an action packed week ahead, facing Glasgow on Wednesday followed by Fife Flyers and Glasgow again on Sunday.
