Posted on Sunday, February 7th, 2010 at 7:57 pm
The LBM Belfast Giants turned on the style in the third period and picked up a valuable two points that keeps them in touch with Coventry and Nottingham in the race for the league title but the Steelers made them fight all the way.
It’s now four straight wins for Giants but three losses in their last four for Steelers, who’s season simply cannot get going at all.
The expected bout between enforcers Sean McMorrow and Mike Sgroi took all of one second to initiate with both picking up fighting majors for their trouble but in a period where Giants outshot their hosts by 13 to 8 there was no net finders.
That all changed in the middle period as firstly Joey Talbot (28th) fired steelers ahead at 28.41, before Giants levelled at 33.11 thanks to Colin Shields (36th).
Still nothing to separate the teams with one period remaining but Giants knew their season was perhaps on the line and they pressurised the home side until they cracked at 50.26 and Pat Bateman (23rd) scored the go-ahead goal for the visitors. Despite a lot of effort it was all in vain for the home side and Pierre-Luc Faubert (14th) added the insurance marker with four seconds remaining into the empty net.
Period Scores: 0-0, 1-1, 0-2
Penalty Mins: She 36 – Bel 20
Powerplay: She 0/5 – Bel 1/8
Shots On: Andrew Verner 35 + 1 ENG – Stephen Murphy 25
Referee: Matt Thompson
© 2008 Belfast Giants Limited, unless otherwise stated. Imagery © Michael Cooper Photography.
