Giants Edge Panthers In Emphatic Win

Posted on Saturday, September 24th, 2011 at 10:42 pm

The Stena Line Belfast Giants notched an emphatic 2-1 victory over the Nottingham Panthers in tonight’s table-topping clash at the Odyssey Arena.

In a game that may well determine the outcome of this years Elite League Championship both teams got off to a flying start with the high tempo, hard hitting hockey creating a fantastic vibe amongst the fans in the arena.

Both teams traded scoring chances in the opening minutes and then it all kicked off just after the mid way point. Brock McBride and Brock Wilson clashed after the whistle and following an altercation involving a number of players from both teams the two originating combatants were ejected from the game.

At 15:46 Benoit Doucet gave the Giants the go ahead goal with a slap shot from the top of the circles. Patience and poise on the powerplay allowed Doucet time to set himself before blasting the puck past Kowalski low to his glove side, giving establishing a lead going into the first intermission.

As the second period started the Panthers got back on level terms with sniper Jordan Fox slipping past the Giants defense and firing past Murphy to make it 1-1.

The remaining time in the period was filled with incidents and a host of potential penalties that were not called by the officials. At 36:37 Craig Peacock netted what turned out to be the game winner on a feed from Doucet to the elation of the Giants fans.

The final period remained scoreless with the Giants withstanding everything the Panthers threw at them. The win keeps the Giants at the top of the standings and puts some daylight between ourselves and what will surely be one of our fellow Elite League contenders come the end of the regular season.