The Giants were in Dundonald tonight trying to overturn a 5-2 defect to the Cardiff Devils from the first leg of their Challenge Cup Semi-Final and looking to return to the final of the competition for the second year in a row and defend the trophy they won last year. Knowing they had given the Devils a three goal lead from the first leg they had to go attacking from the start, not that such a tactic is unusual to the Giants who are known as an offense first club, but tonight the result had to be good. Enforcer Sean McMorrow was scratched from the line-up in return for speed and scoring power through the roster but if post game reports from fans are to be believe, player-coach Steve Thornton only rolled two forward lines anyway and the team didn’t have the legs to claw back the tie and win it.

Dropping behind inside the first three minutes would never help but three goals in the following thirty minutes of play put the score at 6-5 overall and giving the fans that had showed up to the old barn a bit of hope. Hopes were dashed though either side of the second intermission when a power play goal followed by a short handed goal just seconds into the third frame for the Devils put the tie beyond reach.

The Giants didn’t give up however, two Colin Shield’s goals in the final five minutes again pulled the tie within one with the Giants leading 5-3 on the night, but it wasn’t to be and time ran out on their hopes of retaining the trophy.

Who says a fight cannot rejuvenate a down but not quite out hockey club? Only in the great sport of hockey can two men drop the gloves, square off,  duke it out and lift the crowd and the benches to surge on to a result? Only in hockey does the result of the fight not always matter either. Last night in the first second of the game Sean McMorrow of the Giants dropped the mitts with Brad Cruikshank of the Sheffield Steelers. McMorrow had invited Cruikshank to fight him in the press before the game and Cruikshank thinking that it might just give his directionless team the kick in the ass they need, duly obliged. McMorrow won the fight, easily, but the Sheffield players must have been sparked by their players courage and took the game to the Giants for the next 59 minutes and 59 seconds for the won the game 5-3 and may use this result as a turning point for their season. Read More»

A fine 5-2 win tonight in Newcastle. After a close battle for the first two periods the Giants took over in the third and won a game that confirms their place in the Challenge Cup semi-final as the slow start to the season becomes a further distant memory and things continue to get better and better. Newboy Jeff Szwez had another two point night to continue his fine start to the season while McMorrow got onto the boxscore, not for his fighting skills, but for the scoring touch tonight when he also added a goal and an assist.

McMorrow has had it tough from some quarters of the Giants fanbase, even before he touched the ice for the club, but since arriving he has proved them wrong with his ability to turn the game by lifting the crowd and his bench via his fists through intimidation of the opposition and has now got into the scoring side of things. It’s been a feel good story and a great one to see develop as the team has come together so well over the last few weeks knocking up win after win.