Evan Cheverie was the Giants top man on the score sheet bagging two goals in each game while Jeff Szwez continued his clutch play with three goals over the two legs to help the Giants through.

A 10-3 aggregate victory is always pretty comprehensive and hopefully the team can build on this scoring form next weekend and win their second ever playoff crown. I’ll be back in the UK during the final four weekend but, for the second year running and third year since 2000, won’t be able to attend though temptation will be very high to book a last second flight should they actually make the final on the Sunday.

MVP – Paul Deniset
Coach’s Player – Evan Cheverie
Players Player – Paul Deniset
Most Improved Player – Dave Philips
Best Forward – Paul Deniset
Best D – Mike Burgoyne
Goal of the Season – Andrew Martin (9 Oct ‘08 v Devils)
Fan Favorite – Mark Morrison

I wonder has anyone other than Paxton Schulte and Mark Morrison won the fans favorite award?

History has shown that it isn’t so easy to ease off once the league title has been decided and then turn it back on again for the playoffs but that is what the Giants will be looking to do when they take on Cardiff in the first round of the playoffs.

George Awada scored two goals in the game to go with Evan Cheverie’s opening goal of the game as the Giants blew a first period 3-1 lead. Three consecutive goals for Nottingham by Meyers, Bergin and Cooke spread across the final two periods brought the Panthers from behind and put them into second place behind league Champs, Sheffield.

As I previously wrote the Giants were trailing 4-1 in what looked to be another final to forget for the Giants but a very strong third period and goals from Andrew Martin and Evan Cheverie to go with an earlier one from George Awada brought the score to 4-3 and enough to keep things alive for the second leg back in Belfast. 

The new signings mean that the Giants only have two spots to fill on their roster before the new season, meaning that with just 5 players re-signed from last season (all, except Shane Johnson of which are Brits), only a potential high of 7 players could return from last season.

I have no idea who the last two players could be but I would hedge my bets that one of them will be a returning forward from last season, possibly George Awada.

Anyway, here is what the press-release had to say about the latest two signings for the team:

Coors Giants Sign Two More Forwards…

Wednesday, July 16th, 2008 – The Coors Belfast Giants are delighted to announce the signings of forwards Evan Cheverie and Paul Deniset. They are both very highly skilled forwards that are going to add to the excitement in the Odyssey this season. Cheverie is no stranger to the Elite League as he led the Coventry Blaze in scoring during the 2005/06 season. It will be Paul Deniset’s first time in the UK but he has already tasted European success last year finishing in the top ten in scoring in the highly rated German Bundesliga.

Coach Thornton on signing Evan Cheverie:

“Evan is a former East Coast Hockey League (ECHL) all-star and was on the Elite League first all-star team when he played for Coventry. He is a proven star over here and has put up numbers everywhere he has played. He was the top scorer for the Blaze in 2005/06 as well as his ECHL team so we have very high expectations for Evan. He also knows how to win having won the French Elite League title while playing with Stevie Lyle in Morzine. With a lot of new faces coming in this season, it is nice to have another guy in the room that knows the league and has performed well in the UK before. He will be a big part of our offence this season and there aren’t many gifted forwards out there that can also take shifts on defense, which is a huge bonus.”

Cheverie speaking from his home in Canada:

‘I am thrilled to be part of the Belfast Giants. I have talked to both Steve Thornton and Todd Kelman and I think all three of us are extremely excited about next season. After being away from the UK for two years I am certainly looking forward to being in an environment where people have a lot of passion for hockey. I remember playing against the Giants when I was part of the Blaze. It was very clear that the fans in Belfast were very supportive of their team and that the organization was committed to winning and that made my decision to come to Belfast an easy one. I can’t wait to put the skates on and start playing for the Giants. I didn’t like the way my season played out in Norway last year, I feel as though I have a lot to prove this year. As I said before I just can’t wait to put the skates on again, I wish the season started tomorrow. I am looking forward to winning some trophy’s this season and I believe we have the team to do it!’
Coach Thornton on Paul Deniset:

“Getting one of the top players from the German Bundesliga is a major coup for the Giants. Paul is very fast and very skilled and excels on the big European ice. He is a proven leader having worn a letter 3 out of 4 seasons while starring for the University of Manitoba. He battles extremely hard on the ice and has game breaking skill. He was one of the top players in Canada during his last few collegiate years and managed to land himself a job in Germany as a result. I think Paul is going to be one of those players that will make his linemates better.”

Paul Deniset speaking from his home in Manitoba:

“I am very excited to be coming to Belfast and playing for the Giants this year. I have talked to many people about Belfast as a city and I have heard nothing but positives. The same holds true for the Giants organization. I hear the fans are passionate and supportive and I look forward to having a great year with the team. See you soon!’

GM Todd Kelman speaking on both players:

“I was unfortunate enough to have to play against Evan a few years ago. At that time I felt he was one of the best players in the league. I was quite happy that he left Coventry the following season! He spent one third of the year playing defence and still managed to finish amongst the top scorers in the league. He can play a lot of minutes and a lot of different positions and do some damage in many different ways. He finishes his hits, he plays gritty, he is strong on face-offs and he can put the puck in the net.”

‘We feel Paul Deniset is a huge signing for the Giants. We got the chance to see Scotty Cameron last season and he had a great deal of skill. Paul played on the same team as Scotty in Germany and actually finished with more goals than Scotty had points, which means we should be expecting great things from him next season! He will be an important figure on the powerplay and will certainly provide some entertainment for the fans. We added a couple more great guys to the locker room which was the direction we really wanted to take the team in as well.”

Paul Deniset, along with recent signing Andrew Martin will be the inaugural Giants to attend University locally and earn their Master’s Degrees as part of a recent partnership with University of Ulster at Jordanstown.

Belfast now have only 2 spots left to fill on their roster and expect to make another announcement next week.