It is no great surprise really that Paul Deniset walked away with the major trophies at this year’s end of season awards dinner. He picked up MVP, Players Player and the best forward awards. Evan Cheverie was voted in a coaches player while Davy Phillips getting the most improved player. Hard to argue with any of them. For all the nights winners click for more. Read More»

The Belfast Giants have only ever been to the final four dance three times in their nine year history and on one occasion they won the thing. But on six occasions they have failed to get out of the qualifying group or knockout game or whatever the format has been over the various seasons of falling short.

On five of the six occasions (you have to exclude their inaugural season) they were one of the favorites to make the final four but always found a way to blow it. This year it was against Cardiff a team who finished well behind the Giants in points during the regular season but come the crunch games could pull it together. If this kind of post-season form carries on for much longer, it won’t be long before fans start uttering the word ‘curse’.

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Well that was a fine way to say goodbye to the home fans after an long, up and down, injury riddled season — With the second trophy in a month. Prior to this season the Giants haven’t won more than one trophy in a season never mind two in a month but tonight the last glimpse the fans got of the 08-09 team were each of them skating around the Odyssey ice with the Knockout Cup above their head.

The Knockout cup usually comes last in the list of teams priorities going into a season and until this year the Giants tended not to even enter it, but this year under Steve Thornton the Giants appeared to give every trophy an equal level of importance as they went into the season with the hope of winning everything. Injuries soon put pay to their chances in the league but their great form in two-legged knockout games came to the fore over the season and they ended up in the final of both the Challenge Cup and Knockout Cup.

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The Giants have been mailing it in recently in the league, very much content to settle for forth place in the hope that they can take on and beat Cardiff in the playoffs. Tonight was different though in the penultimate league game of the season. This appeared to be an effort to step up their momentum going into the playoffs. The only problem was that a player they let go last summer, Leigh Jamieson, came back to bite them with an overtime victory. Defeats to Coventry always hurt but its even worse when Jamieson grabs the goal winner. Read More»

For the second season in a row the Giants fans will have to be content with a poor 4th place finish in the league table. Away from the league there has been lots to shout about this season thanks to the two cup competitions and while injuries have been a huge factor in the Giants not pushing for the league title, another forth place has to be seen as disappointing. Still a playoff run can more than make up for it. The forth place finish was confirmed after the team lost another league game, this time to Nottingham Panthers. Without the victory in the challenge cup on Tuesday night this has been a bad run of form going into the playoffs.

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