Sunday shutout seals super home weekend

First Period

JJ Piccinich immediately looked to pick up where he left off the previous evening but he slid a good chance wide of the post early in this one. However, he was involved in the Giants opener shortly after as he and Mike Lee combined for a lovely goal from Scott Conway on 04:10 (1-0). Morten Jensen then tried his luck with a couple of quick-fire efforts, one of which was saved and the other fizzed over the bar.

The visitors then had their first opportunity of the game as Michael Drabek broke away but was denied well by Jake Kupsky in the home goal. After playing his part in the opener, Piccinich did get back on the goal train himself on 07:11 as he knocked the water bottle out of Dominik Groh’s net with a clinical finish (2-0).

Jensen was trying his luck again after this but Groh stopped him and Nicolas Guay on the rebound before the Flyers had a spell of pressure that saw Kupsky called into action to stop Victor Bjorkung and Chase Dubois. The period ended with the two teams exchanging chances from Logan Cockerill and Drabek again.

Second Period

Reece Kelly came close to an opener for the Flyers but his shot was well tipped away by Kupsky. Garet Hunt would then sit down for a holding penalty that, despite efforts from Conway and Piccinich, would be killed.

Conway then had a shot tipped over but this was merely foreshadowing as he got his second of the night and fourth of the season as he got a touch on David Goodwin’s net-bound shot almost exactly midway through the period on 30:03 (3-0).

Bjorkung tried his luck again, forcing a save from Kupsky before Lucas Chard put the rebound wide. After this, a flurry of penalties to both sides disrupted the flow of the game with chances at a premium. Kaleb Pearson fizzed one over while Hunt’s shot was gloved.

However, the hosts did grab a fourth late in the period as Jaeden Martin fired home into the roof of the net on 38:30 after a loose puck broke his way (4-0). The goal was the Florida-born defenceman’s first goal in teal and opened up a healthy advantage heading into the second intermission.

Third Period

The third period began with Patrick Guay on a one-man mission to get his goal but was denied on multiple occasions before Pearson too tried his luck. It was another bitty period with penalties for both sides but the hosts did add on later in the period on the powerplay. First, Gaudet was in front of the net to redirect a Conway shot past Groh on 54:59 (5-0).

To their credit, Fife did not put their head down and came a post’s width away from getting on the score sheet as Mika Partanen rattled the upright. Adam Keefe’s men continued to get shots on goal with Mike Lee coming close before a sixth was added late on through Cole Shudra on 58:29 who added to his goal the previous day and continued his positive start to life in Belfast (6-0). Kupsky kept his net untouched as he picked up the first Giants shutout of the season in what was a an excellent defensive weekend for the Giants

Up Next

The Fife Flyers are back in Belfast on Saturday 26 September, for a 7pm face-off. You can get your tickets for that one here.