If you listened to and believed media reports then you wouldn’t have expected to see George Awada back in a Giants jersey this season but whether it was a medical miracle or an injury that was not as bad as reported, the Giants club captain George Awada returned to game action. He picked up two goals on his return as the Giants beat Newcastle 6-2 and all reports suggest he looked full of energy, just glad to be back playing again. Somehow however Mark Morrison, with a handful of shifts in the game that included a fight, did enough to get the man of the match award but that doesn’t really matter because with Jeff Szwez reportedly out for a number of weeks with a hand injury Awada’s return is extremely timely.

I’m off into the country for a few days to enjoy presents, turkey, beer and more importantly plenty of games of pond hockey. Enjoy the Giants hockey over the Christmas period and I’ll be back later next week to catch up with what has been going on. The site is now bang up-to-date so enjoy and stay safe.

Merry Christmas one and all.

It was the biggest two games of the year for the Giants, a home-and-home against their biggest rivals for the Elite League title, the Coventry Blaze. Two wins here would go a long way to erasing the games in hand the Blaze have over the Giants that if won would put them in a comfortable position atop of the table. Unfortunately for the Giants they could do no better than coming away with just one point to their name after losing the away game of the two in overtime. It’s a big blow, but it isn’t even Christmas yet and with plenty of games still to be played, including quite a few against the Blaze themselves the Giants have to remain positive, though the Blaze are now the big favorites to win the title if they weren’t before.

Both games were close but the telling factor might well have been the injuries to key personnel, namely the Giants coach Steve Thornton who missed the games and couldn’t even make the trip to the away fixture because of his injuries. The short bench was never going to help, especially against a team like the Blaze and so these game came at the worst possible time. The Giants will now lick their wounds over the Christmas period and look to get back on track heading through the festive season and into the new year.

What a nice way to round out the weekend with a win over Edinburgh and the news that Coventry had slipped up to our old friends Sheffield to put the Giants back on top of the Elite League. Of course Coventry still have a few games in hand but it is nice to be on top by a point putting the pressure on them to win them games. With back-to-back games coming up against the Blaze before Christmas this has put the Giants in an excellent position going into them match ups. The possibility of taking a five point lead into the Christmas break regardless of the two games in hand Coventry might have must be mouth watering for the players and a real incentive to get a big result.

Last night in the Odyssey, following a defeat to the Vipers last weekend, the Giants had the chance to exact some revenge and they certainly went about doing that in clinical fashion with a massive 11-3 victory. The eleven goals for tied a team record for goals in a game (they have done it twice before) while the total of fifteen goals scored in total tied a record for goals in a game that involved the Giants (they have done it three times before). Goals in the game came by way of Pat Bateman (2), Steve Thornton (2), Craig Peacock (2), Brandon Benedict (1), Mark Morrison (1), Sean McMorrow (1), Evan Cheverie (1) and Jeff Szwez (1).

Both Pat Bateman and Steve Thornton picked up two goals and three assists while six other players registered multi-point games including Mark Morrison who grabbed his first goal of the season. Captain and top points scorer Colin Shields took until the seventh goal to get on the board and that was only with an assist as his quiet night allowed for nearly everyone else to get on board. In fact, only defenseman Michael Jacobsen and young forward Robbie Brown failed to pick up a point.

The highlight of the night however was the McMorrow goal. While on a hat trick Pat Bateman decided to pass up the opportunity to shoot for a team-mate who normally does the dirty work with his fists. McMorrow finished the tap-in and his celebration though was one that had the Giants benched doubled over laughing and the crowd equally entertained: He threw his glove in the air and proceeded to replicate shooting it with the but-end of his stick like a someone with a shut-gun hunting a bird. I guess when you don’t score very often as an enforcer and finally get your first goal at home, you have to make the most of it. An entertainer with his fists tonight he did it by putting the puck in the net.

The win sent the Giants back on top of the Elite League at least for a day or so until Coventry, who with games in hand, played again. But the team is really coming together now, everyone is contributing and the message to the league is clear that with an 11-3 win here and an 8-2 win last week against Edinburgh, the Giants mean business. Their next opposition is indeed the Capitals on Sunday.