Giants hold their nerve in Nottingham shootout success

The Belfast Giants defeated the Nottingham Panthers 2-1 after a shootout at the Motorpoint Arena on Friday evening.

First Period

A hectic first period got underway with the Giants having the first chance of the game. Reid Irwin tested Kevin Carr with a one-timer after good work from Scott Conway before the Panthers goalie also denied David Goodwin and Patrick Grasso in quick succession. The hosts did get a foothold in the game with Chase Pearson and captain Matt Alfaro getting shots in.

The Panthers killed a total of three penalties in the first with the best chance on the powerplay for the visitors coming on the second one when Jordan Kawaguchi struck the upright. Pearson came out of the box and straight on the attack only to see his shot go over but he would strike shortly after.

The former Detroit Red Wings man was in the right place at the right time to deflect home Brendan Harris’ shot from right in front. (1-0). Alfaro and Mitchell Fossier then had chances with the former denied by a superb double save by Jackson Whistle. Adam Keefe’s men did have opportunities through Irwin again and Nicolas Guay but, despite killing a penalty called on Bo Hanson, they went in a goal down at the intermission.

Second Period

The second period was one dominated by the Giants but they were held at bay by Carr between the Panthers’ pipes. Brandon Whistle came striding on to the puck for a one-timer that was stopped while, shortly after, Jake Gaudet was making a nuisance of himself in front of the net but couldn’t force the puck over the line.

Ciaran Long had a pair of shots with the first kicked away by a stick-less Matt Spencer before Carr held his second effort. Marcus Eriksson fizzed one wide as the visitors rained shots down on the goal while Grasso couldn’t finish after being teed up from behind the net by Gaudet. Mitchell Fossier then tried unsuccessfully to catch out Whistle from a narrow angle as Danny Stewart’s men rode out the pressure to hold their one goal lead after 40 minutes.

Third Period

With the game very much in the balance heading into the final 20 minutes, the Panthers had a couple of early chances before the Giants began to push for an equaliser. Jordan Kawaguchi had a puck on net that caused a scramble but Carr came up with the puck. However, another scramble in the blue paint resulted in the much-sought-after goal. It was Guay who swept home a loose puck in front of the net to tie up proceedings and set up a grandstand finish (1-1).

The hosts reacted well to that setback with breakaway chances for Alfaro and Oliver Betteridge. The sides then traded blows as the clock ticked down as Bryan Lemos and Kawaguchi both had near post efforts repelled while Ryan Smith rattled the post. Whistle then made a stunning save from Fossier and then made a double stop from David Noel almost right on the buzzer as we headed for overtime.

Overtime

It was a tense five minutes of overime as the teams fought for the additional point. Gaudet tested Carr while the Panthers goalie made a super save with his skate to deny Smith. At the other end, Finlay Ulrick had a great chance to be a last second hero but he flashed his shot wide almost right on the buzzer as we headed for a shootout.

In what was Belfast’s first shootout of the season, the hosts were unsuccessful with all four of their efforts with Whistle stopping the first three before Harris struck the crossbar. With Kawaguchi having already scored, Harris’ miss meant that Smith’s successful final effort was enough to bring home the extra point on game one of this three game road trip. (1-2).

Up Next

The Belfast Giants travel to Sheffield tomorrow (Saturday) before visiting Cardiff next Friday. They will return to home ice next Sunday (9^th November) for their final Challenge Cup group game against the Dundee Stars. That game is a 5pm start and you can grab tickets here.