Blaze 8, Giants 0 

The Giants blew it big time.  When your goalie has a disaster and your forwards don’t show up you know you’re in for a long night.  Despite out shooting the Blaze 37-22 the Giants where embarrassed by the likely 06-07 league champions, Coventry Blaze.  I say likely in that in this sport you don’t know what’s going to happen next.  We’ve went from good to bad and it could equally happen to Coventry but the unfortunate thing is we now need that kind of collapse from them to have any chance.

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On one final note.. According to ih-update.co.uk Trevor Koenig was awarded the Blaze man of the match for tonights 8-0 win.  Is that some kind of joke?

The Giants are on the road tonight with a game against the Coventry Blaze and it’s a game they really need to come home with all two points in.  Ideally without giving the Blaze anything.  Realistically though against such a tough opponant in such a tough arena to play the Giants would love to come out with even an overtime win.  A tie would not be the end of the world but it wouldn’t put them top of the league and right now points mean everything to the Giants who go into the contest level on points with the Blaze but having played two games more.

Updates: Blaze 8, Giants 0 (FINAL)

- Coventry have now made the game 4-0 leaving the Giants in a huge hole, the Giants will need to get their asses in gear. 
- Two powerplay goals from two attempts for Coventry.
- Blaze take their third roughing penalty of the night, not only are they beating us up on the scoreboard…
- At 0-4 with the man advantage the Giants must strike now to make a game of it…
- Another short-handed goal for the Blaze.  What a shambles our powerplay is.  More the fool to me for thinking our fortunes could change on this game…
- Giants hand the Blaze a 5 on 3.  I could at least understand it if they where for a bit of goonery, but no.
- A dismal second period ends and the league title looks further away than ever before.
- Third underway and normal order is restored where it left off.
- The embarssment continues.  I’m not sure what our boys are doing but it’s not fighting for the league title.  This is a blow out and it’s time for changes.
- And thats a rap.  Eight – Zip, and I’m off to bed – So too is the Giants season.

SCORING:
1st Period:
1. COV, D.Stewart (N.Martin, S.Nasreddine) @ 03:46 (pp)
2. COV, R.Ndur (A.Calder, D.Carlson) @ 16:25 (pp)
Penalties - BEL, L.Jamieon (Hooking) @ 01:52 ;  COV, J.Pease (High Sticking) @ 04:00; COV, T.Carlon (Roughing) @ 06:26; COV, S.Nasreddine (Slashing) @ 09:11; BEL, M.Morrison (Slashing) @ 14:40.

2nd Period:
3. COV, A.Tait (B.Moore, D.Stewart) @ 21:17
4. COV, T.Carlon (N.Martin) @ 27:01 (sh)
5. COV, A.Calder (D.Carlson, N.Martin) @ 29:31 (sh)
Penalties – BEL, M.Levers (Charging) @ 24:54; COV, T.Carlon (Roughing) @ 24:54; COV, R.Simonton (High Sticking) @ 25:57; COV, S.Nasreddine (Roughing) @ 28:29; BEL, G.Awada (Interference) @ 30:01; BEL, L.Jamieson (Slashing) @ 30:15; COV, T.Watkins (Interference) @ 36:10; BEL, J.Ruff (Slashing) @ 37:14; BEL, S.Skiehar (Cross Checking) @ 39:16.

3rd Period:
6. COV, M.Tasker (T.Watkins) @ 41:55
7. COV, M.Tasker (S.Nasreddine, A.Calder) @ 51:04 (pp)
8. COV, A.Calder (D.Carlon) @ 57:11
BEL, J.P.Morin (Slashing) @ 49:33.

Thats the hope anyway!  According to an article in the Sunday Life this morning, Giants owner Jim Yaworski has been in talks with New York Rangers General Manager, Glen Sather about linking up some kind of Euro affiliation with the Giants and his NHL team.  The deal would include an exehibition game between the Rangers and another east coast team at the Odyssey at some point in September 2008.

Of course, those of you who have been following the Giants since day one will remember talk of this somewhere down the line when in season one the Giants where looking to strike up some kind of partnership with the Buffalo Sabres.  It came to nothing.  This time however you get the feeling there could be more to it.  Afterall Yaworski brought us Theo, and he’s already talked to Sather about the idea so heres hoping something would get done.  In what capacity we dont know but the fact it could bring an NHL exehibtion game to the Odyssey can only be promising.

We’ll watch closely…

Jim’ll fix it for Rangers to play at the Odyssey [Sunday Life]

Giants 4, Vipers 1

Scoring has been a problem for the Giants over the last couple of months after scoring for fun early in the season.  It seems at last the scoring touch has returned but it took until late in the game against Newcastle before the goals started to come.  They started from a suprising source as well, forward Shawn Skiehar scored the game winner for the Giants to make it 2-1 before Curtis Huppe and Jeff Hutchins added goals to seal the deal.  Todd Kelman had given the Giants the lead early in the game with is 200th point as a Giants player before Andre Payette tied things up mid-way through the third for the Vipers.  OT was avoided by three goals in two and a half minutes by the Giants as they finally solved goaltender Mark Lee, a British kid who was in goal in place of the injured Aubery for the match.

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Bit late on this one, but its five years to the day yesterday that the Giants lifted their first league title back in the 2001-2002 season.  Jeff Hoad was the captain and the Giants boasted the best forward line in the league of Ruff – Riehl – Berens.  The following season would be the last time a team would lift the Superleague crown – the league was disbanded and opened up as the new Elite league that continues to run today.

Also three years to the day yesterday Gareth Martin became the first Northern Ireland born player to score a goal at the Odyssey arena for the Giants when he scored during the 7-1 win over the London Racers.

The Giants game against the Cardiff Devils tonight at the Odyssey has been cancelled due to bad weather conditions in Cardiff effecting flight times.  The Cardiff flight was delayed so much that it was impracticle to play the game tonight.  The game will be re-played at a later date to be announced shortly.

Bit of a shame really for the fans in Belfast where not a single drop of snow has hit the ground but what can be done, it’ll keep legs fresh for the two games coming up this weekend.

He’s been away ten months and how we could have used him on more than one occasion in the past month or two, but the man who helped lead the Giants to the league championship last season, Theo Fleury will return to Belfast again.  It was announced on Saturday night that Theo will come over for a one off special to play as part of the Todd Kelman testimonial game.  He’ll line up along side some of the greatest players to play for the Giants on the Kelman all-stars team.

The game takes place on March 13th at the Odyssey arena.  Faceoff is at 7.30pm and tickets are currently on sale.

I’ll have more on that game soon…

Giants 3, Stingrays 2

That’s more like it.  The third period of Saturday night’s game reminded us all what the Giants are capable of.  Pucks where getting fired hard into the Stingrays zone and players where chasing them down more often than not getting to them first.  It may have been a come from behind win but it was one the Giants deserved.

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An article in the Belfast Telegraph this evening had Ed hinting that he will indeed return next season as the Giants head-coach when he talked about signing players in the summer for next season.  In the article he passed up threats to his forwards that they will be looking for clubs elsewhere when it comes to re-signing players if they do not find their scoring form tonight and for the rest of the season.  The team that once averaged over four goals per game earlier in the season are really struggling to hit the net when it matters of late.

The real question being asked of fans will be why on earth will Ed not make immediate changes to the team but you’ve got to remember that to release a forward you need to find a replacement and chances are there is not an abundance of quality snipers throughout hockey looking for a team.

The Giants play Hill Stingrays tonight at home.  Face off is 7pm

Belfast Telegraph article