Giants Douse Flames to Start League Campaign with Win

The American blue-liner grabbed two goals which, along with finishes from Ben Lake, Ara Nazarian and Quinn Preston, earned the Giants their first two points of the campaign, aided by a superb 24-save night from Tyler Beskorowany in goal.

First period

Beskorowany was the busier of the two netminders in the early exchanges and he needed to be quick to get across to a rebound as Marcus Tesink’s shot fell nicely to Peter Crinella but the goaltender steered it wide, and instead the Giants took the lead just 3:52 in when Mark Cooper’s pass to the slot found Lake and he snapped one into the top corner. (0-1)

And it wouldn’t take long for the second goal to arrive as Nazarian delivered shorthanded with Preston in the box for roughing, the puck falling for the winger in the offensive zone and he dragged around a defenceman before slotting home low past Eamon McAdam to double the lead at 5:57. (0-2)

Guildford should have pulled one back shortly after when Ben O’Connor’s pass to the doorstep for Bryan Lemos saw the forward fail to make connection with the net yawning, and the home side also couldn’t connect on a powerplay with Greg Printz in the box for hooking.

Instead, the Giants would add to their tally before the first intermission as Preston was set up in the slot by a lovely reverse pass from Printz and made no mistake with the finish at 13:29 (0-3), and they could have added to that total further when a high-sticking double minor on Lemos and a roughing penalty against Brett Ferguson went unpunished.

Second period

The Giants picked up where they left off at the end of the first period as Preston nearly grabbed another as he skated down the slot and fired on goal but it was saved by McAdam, with the netminder making another big stop to deny Printz after he was found by a sensational reverse pass into the middle of the ice by Preston.

Those chances came either side of a delay of game call against Logan Fredericks, but killing off the penalty seemed to spark the Flames into life and Owen Griffiths fired over from a good position in the slot and the Giants made them pay when they grabbed a fourth, Johnny Curran dropping the puck back into the right circle for Baum on the rush and the defenceman put it in off the post at 37:38. (0-4)

The shut-out would be ended with 56 seconds to the first intermission, though, and it was defenceman Kyle Locke who provided it as he was found completely unmarked skating into the zone by former Belfast winger Lewis Hook, and he provided a clean finish into the top corner. (1-4)

Third period

An early chance for Lemos saw the winger skate in on Beskorowany and get a backhand shot away, only to see it turned away by the netminder, while the Giants were inches away from a fifth goal as once again Printz and Nazarian linked up to set up Preston on the doorstep, but an intervention from Tesink prevented him from getting the shot away with McAdam out of position.

It would be the Flames who would have most of the chances in the third as Sam Talbot and Owen Griffiths both shot wide from promising positions either side of Ciaran Long and Jordan Klimek dropping the gloves.

Printz nearly grabbed a late goal as he struck the post and then the Giants had a goal washed out when Preston was determined to have kicked the puck into the net, but the visitors would round the night off with a fifth with 13.5 seconds remaining as a rebound dropped perfectly onto the stick of Baum, who slotted in his second. (1-5)

Next up

The Stena Line Belfast Giants remain on the road, taking on the Cardiff Devils on Sunday before returning to Champions Hockey League action against EC Salzburg at The SSE Arena, Belfast on Tuesday 10 October. Tickets are available here.