I didn’t see it, I didn’t even hear it, but that is what I would call a hockey game. The goal tending might well have been shocking but the forwards were on their game for both sides as the teams scored goals for fun right up until the dying minutes when the Giants from Bobby Robins grabbed the eventual winner. The game had it all, power play goals, two short handed goals for the Panthers, four goals in three minutes, three goals in two minutes and a huge come-back effort from Nottingham. But the Giants who really needed the win, got the win and get right back into the title race.

The record for goals in a game involving the Giants is 14. It has happened twice against Bracknell and Basingstoke back in 2002 and 2003 but this is the closest they have come in quite some time. The game probably could have went anyway and early in the second period the wise money would have been on the Panthers winning. They over turned 4-1 and 6-2 defecit’s to tie the game at six with all the momentum before the Giants broke that with what turned out to be the winning goal.

Box Score:

Nottingham Panthers 6 v 7 Belfast Giants
Elite League, Saturday 15th November 2008, NIC Nottingham @ 7 p.m.

First Period:
1. Belfast, Cheverie (Thornton) 7:06
2. Belfast, Robbins (MacMillan, Deniset) 16:20 (pp)
Second Period:
3. Nottingham, Ferrara (Richardson, Bergin) 0:29
4. Belfast, Awada (Sample, MacMillan) 2:23
5. Belfast, Martin (Robins, Deniset) 3:08
6. Nottingham, Clarke (Toneys) 3:48 (sh)
7. Belfast, Cheverie (Howells) 13:40 (pp)
8. Belfast, Thornton (Deniset, Martin) 15:40
9. Nottingham, Bergin (Galbraith) 16:20
10. Nottingham, Tessier (Cook) 17:55 (sh)
Third Period:
11. Nottingham, Clarke (Bergin, Richardson) 0:10
12. Nottingham, Richardson (Galbraith) 7:58
13. Belfast, Robins (Deniset, Martin) 16:20

Penalty Minutes:
Nottingham: Galbraith 2, Cook 2, Ndur 16, Richardson 2.
Belfast: Awada 4, Cheverie 2, Johnson 4.

Shots on Goal: Nottingham 11 13 8 - 32, Belfast 14 9 13 – 36.
Powerplay: Nottingham 0-4, Belfast 1-4.
Man of the Match: Nottingham – Clarke, Belfast – Cheverie.
Referee: M Thompson.

Team:

Belfast: Lyle, Johnson, MacMillan, Deniset, Cheverie, Phillips, Thornton, Walton, Shields, Martin, Burgoyne, Robins, Awada, Sample, Howells, Craze.
Scratched: Morrison (injury).

Other Scores:
Hull Stingrays 3 v 4 Cardiff (SO Final)
Basingstoke Bison 6 v 5 Edinburgh Capitals (SO Final)
Sheffield Steelers 4 v 1 Coventry Blaze (Final)

Notes:
- George Awada’s 250th Giants game.
- 10 goals in first 40 minutes and 8 in the second period alone.
- 4 goals in 3:19 and later, 3 goals in 2:15 of the second period.

On the subject: Game Updates, Nottingham Panthers | ALL SUBJECTS |

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