It’s been a seven year wait for the hundreds of Giants fans that take themselves to Nottingham year-in-year-out looking for their team to deliver the goods, but at long last and for the first time since 2003 the Belfast Giants can call themselves Elite League Playoff Champions again. I wasn’t there this year, but if 2003 taught me anything it is that when the Giants win this trophy the weekend becomes one of the biggest and best parties of the year and no doubt it was great times in Nottingham again last night and this morning plenty of sore heads. The Giants turned around a poor first two periods of play while throwing away a two goal lead to put in a fine effort in the third, a strong overtime and then a tight and tense shootout to win it. A playoff final should never ever be decided by the way of a shootout, but that’s how it is in Britain, and while I don’t agree with it, in this case, I’ll gladly deal with it and revel in the moment that my team are the Champions again, even though I never got to see them in person this year.

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Starting now, for the first time ever, is live TV coverage of the EIHL playoff final and it’s between two non-English sides, the Belfast Giants and Cardiff Devils. I’m off to retrieve one of my chilled beers and ready to enjoy the big game. I wish I was there and if I was I would doubtlessly be drunk, but if you can’t be there, getting to see it live on TV is the next best option and I’m glad Sky Sports have come through. This is the Giants second ever playoff final with their previous one being in 2003 when they beat the London Knights.

The show has just started and one of the analysits is Steelers coach and ex-Giant Dave Matsos. The year the Giants won the trophy in ‘03 he scored one of the goals.

Enjoy.

Brilliant news folks. Big bad Coventry Blaze were stuffed 6-3 by Cardiff Devils in the first semi-final of the EIHL playoffs meaning that their dreams of a league and playoff double are over and meaning that if the Giants can beat Nottingham this evening it’ll be the first playoff final that doesn’t feature an English team. Wouldn’t that be nice?

So far it’s been a wonderful weekend of sport for a Giants and Liverpool fan. United lost to Chelsea, Spurs lost to Sunderland and Coventry are out of the playoffs. And that is a very nice set of welcome gifts upon my return to Belfast for my first visit in fifteen months and a nice consolation for not being able to make the playoff final weekend for the second time in a row now.

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.

The boys have got the new decade off to a fine start with a 4-1 win over the Cardiff Devils. It keeps the team in a strong position heading into their big game this weekend against the Coventry Blaze on the road. A win there will put the Giants right into the title race but a defeat doesn’t really bare thinking about right now and will leave them with a lot of work to do. But, so far so good: We’re unbeaten this decade!

You’ve all seen the videos by now or at least if you haven’t seen the video you have surely heard of the incident. If you haven’t seen the video it’s worth a quick look but the camera angle is terrible and you don’t see the violence that brought the game into such disrepute that the infamous ‘Travesty of the Game’ penalty was handed out to two players. Brad Voth and Adam Knight went at it behind the players benches on their way to the dressing rooms after being ejected from the game for an on ice brawl moments earlier. Everyone tried to wade in by climbing the plexiglass behind the benches as punches were traded and even a stick thrown in spear like fashion from ex-Giant Curtis Huppe. It dragged the game into the gutter and the EIHL have handed out bans like they were going out of style.

The following is the statement from the EIHL: 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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The Giants have never paid this competition much attention in the previous few years but under a new coach, Steve Thornton the Giants have taken every game seriously this year and so find themselves still in the running for the two domestic trophies. Having already made the Challenge Cup Final the boys last night made it to the Knockout cup final with a 4-1 victory over the Cardiff Devils after drawing the first leg 3-3 in Dundonald ice-bowl.

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The Giants picked up another victory this week against the Cardiff Devils keeping them in second place in the league and still within touching distance of the ever impressive Sheffield Steelers. The Giants played a solid first period, a poor second and a victory third period to earn their two points. Read More»

Into the last 10-minutes of the game the Giants were tied 1-1 with the Devils having come from behind through a Bobby Robins goal midway through the game. It looked like the game would be going to overtime and the Devils would be walking away with a point of their own. On the balance of things a point on the road wouldn’t have been a bad thing but with the Steelers holding a pretty lead over the Giants in the standings they boys really could have done with the regulation win. With 53:47 on the clock they got the win thanks to unsung hero, Mark Morrison.

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