Giants Show Steel To See Off Sheffield

Adam Keefe’s side got goals from JJ Piccinich, Gabe Bast and David Goodwin and a 23-save night from netminder Kupsky to continue their remarkable run on home ice and take one step closer to defending their crown.

First Period

A couple of early chances fell the way of the Steelers as Mitchell Balmas flashed two snapshots wide, while a kind bounce off the stanchions set Piccinich in on Matt Greenfield but the netminder made the save, before Ryan Smith’s tip on a Brandon Whistle shot just went over the net.

Both sides then had big chances in quick succession as a breakaway led to Piccinich setting up Scott Conway to hit the post before Kupsky made a brilliant save as Ryan Tait bore down on net one-on-one, and then David Goodwin was similarly denied by Greenfield in front before Kupsky clutched a wicked one-timer from Brett Ritchie to his chest.

But the deadlock was broken at 15:16 by Piccinich, the winger set into the zone by Goodwin’s pass and he picked the top corner over Greenfield’s shoulder for the opener (1-0), and it could have been even better at the intermission had the goaltender not denied Conway after the centre pulled a slick move in front of goal.

Second Period

A fast start to the middle period yielded few chances either way, but a slashing call on Evan Jasper brought the first powerplay of the game however the Giants couldn’t strike on the man advantage and, in fact, the closest either team came was when Tait broke away shorthanded but found the glove of Kupsky.

That seemed to spark the Steelers into life but everything they threw at the Giants, Kupsky was equal to as he turned away shot after shot, the closest the visitors came to finding a tying goal being a hopeful pass through the crease that went out the other side with two men in orange lurking.

Instead, it would be a two-goal game at the intermission. A delayed slashing penalty on Ritchie gave the Giants a short advantage and it didn’t take long for them to capitalise, Brandon Whistle pulling the puck back for Bast to hammer a one-timer into the top corner at 38:17 for the second (2-0).

Third Period

An early breakaway chance for the Giants’ second line saw Nicolas Guay strike the helmet of Greenfield, but it was the visitors who got the first goal of the final period as a slashing penalty on Gabe Bast allowed Stephen Harper to tip in Jack Dougherty’s shot to get them on the board with the powerplay goal at 47:45 (2-1).

Kupsky, beaten for the first time in the game, then produced arguably the save of the night as he blanked Dominic Cormier as he got in behind thanks to a stretch pass from defence, then Conway drew a similarly good save from Greenfield, the Steelers goalie flashing the leather to glove down the centreman’s effort.

As the time ticked down, Jasper rifled an effort over from the edge of the right circle and Sheffield pulled Greenfield for the extra skater, with the visitors piling on the pressure right at the death in search of the equaliser, but instead Goodwin found the empty net with just over a second remaining to settle any nerves and rubber-stamp the win (3-1).

Next up

The Belfast Giants head on their travels to Scotland on Sunday March 1, when they take on the Fife Flyers in Kirkcaldy before returning to The SSE Arena, Belfast on Wednesday March 4 for the rescheduled second leg of their Challenge Cup semi-final against the Coventry Blaze, looking to overturn a 3-2 deficit from the first leg.