Late last night I was very tempted to get onto the Internet and book a flight, any flight, to England and somehow make my way to Nottingham for 4 p.m. to watch the playoff final now that the Giants are actually playing in it. I’ve waited 6 years for the Giants to get into the playoff final again and now that they finally have, I’m not able to be there to enjoy it. I can only imagine the craic in the bars around Nottingham last night and the celebrations of the Giants fans as their team eliminated the big rich Nottingham Panthers in a shootout. WInning a playoff game in a shootout sounds disgraceful, but it’s the only way in a tournament were the semi’s are on the Saturday and the final on the Sunday but if the game is going to go the shootout, you may as well win it.

I’ve been to 7 playoff weekends and only once has the Giants actually got to the final (going on to win it in 2003). So now they’re back there, I’m going to have to make-do with the TV coverage. Saying that, I shouldn’t be so dismissive of the ‘TV coverage,’ for this is the first time ever the playoff final has been broadcast live on TV and the timing couldn’t have been better; I’m not there, I’m back in the UK for the first time in 15-months, and I’ve a Sunday afternoon to waste.

Nottingham are the team in the EIHL that everyone loves to hate, at least everyone who supports the Steelers and the Giants and when the Giants put them out last night they left the Panthers without a league or playoff trophy yet again and the fans lapped it up. The Giants took an early lead before blowing a late goal which sent the game into overtime. Just like in 2003 when the Giants last won the playoff championship, their semi-final ended in a tight scoreline (0-0 against Sheffield that year) to go into overtime and a shootout. The Giants never do things the easy way so the shootout was inevitable and it was Jeff Szwez one of the Giants most clutch players this season and perhaps of all-time who delivered the goods with two goals in the shootout to book the Giants place in the final. In 2003 it was Kevin Riehl’s shootout heroics that put the Giants into the final and back then when they reached the final it was two goals by Shane Johnson who helped the Giants win the thing over London Knights. This year the game will be the last professional Hockey game by Shane Johnson and wouldn’t it be nice to see him go out with another big performance and victory.

On the subject: Final Four Weekend in Nottingham, Jeff Szwez, Nottingham Panthers, Shane Johnson | ALL SUBJECTS |

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