Spooktacular Giants Down Flyers in Belfast

The Belfast Giants continued a fine weekend on Halloween Game Night at The SSE Arena, Belfast on Saturday, comfortably easing their way past the Fife Flyers by 4 goals to 1; ending the Challenge Cup group run on a high.

Goals from Scott Conway, Lewis Hook, Jordan Boucher (PP) and Mark Cooper rounded off a 4 point weekend in style, on a night where the Belfast Giants had plenty left in the tank by the end of the third period.

FIRST PERIOD

With Challenge Cup qualification secure, you could argue that Belfast’s work for the weekend was done last night with Elite League points up for grabs in Nottingham.

And whilst they may have been lacking somewhat in the intensity they showed in a dominant victory at the Motorpoint Arena on Friday night, the Giants put together a professional opening twenty against the Fife Flyers.

A quiet evening on the game sheet was brought to an abrupt halt at 16:27 when Scott Conway worked his way in close to fire home an easy finish past former Giant Shane Owen (Assist: JJ Piccinich, David Goodwin, 1-0).

Lewis Hook doubled up just over a minute later at 16:27, again with the help of solid Belfast net front presence (Assist: Mark Garside, Jordan Boucher, 2-0).

SECOND PERIOD

Continuing a solid weekend, the Giants penalty kill unit ate up 4 minutes of Flyers power play (Doggett, Hooking, 25:06 & Conway, Slashing, 30:13).

Erik Naslund was called for a slash on a goal-bound Lewis Hook at 30:13, but Shane Owen (who had been the sole standout for the visitors) denied the resulting penalty shot in the Flyers goal.

An Imants Lescovs tripping penalty (32:52) saw the Belfast Giants break their recent dry spell on the power play, when Jordan Boucher tucked home from close range at 33:31 (Assist: Scott Conway, JJ Piccinich, 3-0).

The game was even further out of sight for the visitors at 35:03, when Mark Cooper added a fourth off a Griffin Reinhart pass in the zone (4-0).

Greg Chase sat for unsportsmanlike conduct at 39:26, handing the Giants power play time to open the final period.

THIRD PERIOD

Fife pulled one back at 49:11 courtesy of a neutral zone turnover and an impressive solo breakaway effort by James Anderson (4-1).

Carson Stadnyk took a hooking call at 51:30, pouring cold water on any momentum generated by the visitors’ opening goal. The Giants moved the puck well in the zone but were denied by a scrambling Flyers defence.

Despite a well worked consolation goal, and heroics in the Flyers crease from Shane Owen, it was a comfortable victory for a Giants side who had plenty left in the tank by the end of the third period, and the weekend.

UP NEXT

The Belfast Giants are in home and away league action next weekend, travelling to Sheffield to face Sheffield Steelers on Saturday 6^th November at 7pm, before returning home on Sunday 7^th November at 4pm to take on the Glasgow Clan at The SSE Arena, Belfast. Tickets are ON SALE NOW!

Images by William Cherry.