Posted on Monday, November 9th, 2009 at 12:41 am
An overtime winner less than a minute into the extra period gave the Devils the extra point in this goaltending showdown between two Welshmen. Former Giant Stevie Lyle won the battle leading his new team to a 2-1 victory over the team he played with for the last two seasons.
Referee Tom Darnell kept the game from flowing by calling 46 minutes in penalties, but with the Giants powerplay struggling, they failed to take advantage of their numerous chances with the extra man.
The Giants opened the scoring at 17:03 when Evan Cheverie scored shorthanded as Shane Johnson was in the penalty box for a two-minute boarding penalty. The Giants looked the stronger team in the first period, outshooting the Devils 14-8, but could not get more than a single goal past Lyle in net for the Devils. The Giants penalty kill looked strong in the opening frame, killing off 6 separate chances for the Devils powerplay.
The second period was similar to the first, marred by penalty after penalty for both sides, but the Devils had more opportunities with the Giants killing off four penalties compared to the Devils two.
It wasn’t until two minutes into the third period that the Devils finally got on the board when Matt Towe tied the game sending the home crowd into a frenzy. Both teams had ample opportunities to score in the third period, including two powerplays for the Giants in the final 15 minutes that they failed to convert on, but the goaltenders stood tall.
This game was destined for overtime and unfortunately for the Giants, it took less than a minute into the extra period to score the winner, when Jay Latulippe won the game for the Devils at 60:42.
© 2008 Belfast Giants Limited, unless otherwise stated. Imagery © Michael Cooper Photography.
