This is it… All up for grabs now and needing just a little favour from our Scottish neighbours as well!

Yep, the Giants are at home tonight against Newcastle with a win required and hoping that Edinburgh can deliver the goods against Coventry and take the championship race down to the final day between the two teams slugging it out – in Coventry: Blaze v Giants.

I’ll be getting some text updates from the game tonight and trying to hunt down what is going on between Coventry and Edinburgh. It would be nice just to get the chance to win it off our own bat tomorrow night. If you get the chance and aren’t at the game, tune into Giants TV for the live feed from the Odyssey and if you can’t do that, then keep up to date here…

Tonight’s games that will effect the title race are as follows:
(All times by the British clock)

Belfast Giants v Edinburgh Capitals @ 5 p.m.
Coventry Blaze v Sheffield Steelers @ 6 p.m.
Cardiff Devils v Nottingham Panthers @ 6 p.m.

5:45 p.m. The Giants have finished the first period and lead 2-0 with two big goals by Jeff Szwez. One text I have gotten from the game tells me that this guy is by far the best player on the team. No surprise there, the guy is clutch.

5:49 p.m. Coventry and Nottingham are yet to get underway but as of right now the table looks as follows:

1 Belfast 54gp 71pts
2 Coventry 52gp 70pts
3 Nottingham 52gp 68pts

5:55 p.m. Second period underway again for the Giants and the other two games will be getting underway any moment now.

6:05 p.m. Coventry leading Sheffield 2-1 already after just a few minutes of action. No score in Cardiff.

6:17 p.m. Awada scores with four left in the second period to make it 3-0 Giants. Surely they don’t blow this game now? It’s the second goal tonight for the Giants on the PP and they are now 2-3 tonight with the man advantage – rare.

6:35 p.m. Craig Peacock makes it 4-0 Giants with just over a minute to go in the 2nd period but Sheffield are 4-1 down to Coventry after just one period so it looks like Coventry will retain their league lead tonight. The good news is that Nottingham are being beat 1-0 in Cardiff.

7:05 p.m. Having never had it so easy the Giants take the win, 4-0, outshooting the Capitals 59-16. Unfortunately though the Blaze are beating the Steelers 4-1 in the second though the Panthers are losing 1-0 to Cardiff.

7:13 p.m. League standings at the minute:

1 Coventry 53gp 72pts
2 Belfast 54gp 71pts
3 Nottingham 53gp 68pts

7:38 p.m. Cardiff now two up on Nottingham but no change in the score at Coventry.

9:09 p.m. Coventry now 5-2 up in the third, Nottingham still 2-0 down.

9:25 p.m. Coventry squeak it 5-4 in the end. Sheffield ran them close it seems but they got the two points that matters.

9:53 p.m. Cardiff beat Nottingham 3-0 and put them far enough behind that even if they win their game in hand they will still trail the Giants. They need Coventry to fall apart to have any chance and the Giants have got to feel good about finishing second now.

TABLE:

1 Coventry 53gp 72pts
2 Belfast 54gp 71pts
3 Nottingham 53gp 68pts

All the Giants can do is win their final two games to move to 75 points which would include beating Coventry and hope that they take no more than two points from their other two games.

I didn’t see it, I didn’t even hear it, but that is what I would call a hockey game. The goal tending might well have been shocking but the forwards were on their game for both sides as the teams scored goals for fun right up until the dying minutes when the Giants from Bobby Robins grabbed the eventual winner. The game had it all, power play goals, two short handed goals for the Panthers, four goals in three minutes, three goals in two minutes and a huge come-back effort from Nottingham. But the Giants who really needed the win, got the win and get right back into the title race. Read More»

BELFAST GIANTS 3 – 2 NEWCASTLE VIPERS (Final)
1. BEL, Colin Shields (Evan Cheverie), 33:32
2. NEW, Marek Ivan (Unassisted), 42:11
3. BEL, Mike Burgoyne (George Awada, Paul Sample), 47:42 
4. NEWE, Todd Griffith (Jamie Tinsley), 51:35
5. BEL, Dave Phillips (Paul Sample), 59:06 

The Giants are currently playing rivals Newcastle Vipers in the Challenge Cup. The Giants have already done enough to qualify for the semi-finals but with a win tonight the Vipers can keep their hopes of making it through alive. The Giants have decided to rest Colin Shields and have put Nathan Craze between the pipes.

Click below for updates on the action as I see it:

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The service has been going for a year or two now but this is the first time I have ever tuned in to watch a Giants game live on the internet when the game is being played in the Odyssey. Worryingly as I type the service has just went off air but with 10-minutes or so until face-off here is hoping things come back again. Yes the Vipers are in town and the Giants are looking to win their first three games of a season for the first time in their history. Yes folks, a win tonight and the Giants will be off to their best ever start. Then we can really watch some people plan the parade route! Read More»