Belfast Telegraph — Belfast Giants general manager John Elliott last night spelt out the reasons why the team was playing in Belfast last weekend rather than Europe.

The Giants had first refusal on the Continental Cup place that is offered to the Elite League after winning the Championship last season, but it was the Nottingham Panthers who competed in the competition in France.

When the Giants last won the league back in 2002 it led them to the Super Final of the Continental Cup the following January, but that was in the days of Superleague and things are very different now.

“There were two sets of reasons why the club declined the take up the Continental Cup place,” said Elliott.

“The first was the playing standard. With just ten imports this season we are stretched with three lines as it is and teams in Europe play with four lines.

“You also have to play three games in three nights and in those circumstances you leave yourself open to humiliation and also injuries.

“The other part is purely financial. It is a very expensive weekend and Nottingham have more resources than we do to afford that.

“In addition to that we have seen teams in the last two or three years suffer a dip in form after coming back from the Continental Cup and it will be interesting to see how Nottingham do in the next couple of weeks.

“They don’t play until Sunday and then have a break until Wednesday to ease themselves back in a little.”

The Giants will be aiming to fend off the Panthers bid to overtake them this weekend as Ed Courtenay’s side face two tough away games.

Tonight they face the Sheffield Steelers followed by a visit to the Newcastle Vipers tomorrow evening.

Sheffield sit in mid-table as they have struggled for consistency, but Newcastle are a shadow of the team they were a year ago and are rooted to the bottom of the table with only one win in their seven games so far.

The Giants away form has been up and down, but Courtenay will fancy his teams chances of picking up at least three points - and very possibly all four - from this weekend’s games.

Category: Uncategorized » Newspapers |

............................................................................................................................................................................