Posted on Wednesday, May 6th, 2009 at 10:53 pm
Stephen Murphy will be the new man between the pipes for the 2009-2010 season. The Scottish born netminder, who played last season with the Manchester Phoenix, moves over to Belfast to replace the departing Stevie Lyle.
The 27 year old appeared in 67 games last season, posting a 91.1% save percentage, while carrying his team to two Cup finals. Murphy led the league in appearances and minutes played, faced the second most shots in the league and recorded three shutouts last season.
Coach Steve Thornton believes that Murphy comes to the Giants with unlimited potential; “Murphy was one of the best netminders in the league last season. We saw him more than any other opposing netminder, so we saw what he was capable of and he was their star nearly every time we played them. He won nearly 40% of his team’s man of the match awards and barely missed out on his team’s choice as players player of the year. Considering they had the league MVP on their roster, it shows how valued he was by his teammates and his coach last season. Tony Hand had great things to say about Murphy and talked about Murphy’s ability to steal games for them, something every team needs to be successful.”
General Manager Todd Kelman echoed Thornton’s sentiments; “Signing a British netminder allows us an extra import spot on forward, and in this league, that can make a huge difference to a team. To be successful in this league, you need to have at least three impact non-import players that are as good or better than imports around the league. With the loss of Lyle, we needed to add another star British player, and Murphy was available. We asked the guys that played against him this year, all of our legitimate goal scorers, and they all felt he was one of the top three netminders in the league, as did Thornton.”
Also returning to the lineup for the 2009-2010 season is Belfast’s own Graeme Walton. The 27 year old national team defenseman is back for his seventh year with the Giants, having just completed his most successful season to date where he recorded 15 points in 69 games played. Walton has won three major titles in his six seasons as a Giant, and he now sits in third place on the all-time games played list in franchise history. He also picked up a Bronze medal as part of the Great Britain National Team at the World Championships this past April.
Coach Thornton is excited to have Walton confirmed for another season; “Wally had another solid season, and has become a staple in our defensive unit. He is steady, moves the puck well and is very solid in his own end. He does not try to play flashy, which is why he has been so successful and precisely why he continues to play in key situations for us all season.”
GM Kelman had nothing but praise for his former teammate; “Wally is a great team guy who puts his heart and sole into every game. He plays such an important role in our defence, filling the spot of reliable defender that can play with the more offensive guys on the ice. He has improved so much over the years. He really is a player that the people of Belfast can be proud to call their own.”
Walton was pleased to be back, particularly after such a great season last year.
“I can””””t believe that next year will be my seventh as a Giant. Last year had to be the most fun I have had so far, not just because we won two trophies, although that was a big part of it. Im looking forward to another year like that and I think that we are shaping up to be another contender for every title.”
© 2008 Belfast Giants Limited, unless otherwise stated. Imagery © Michael Cooper Photography.
