There was something interesting about Paul Deniset’s hat trick in tonights 8-1 victory over Manchester. Not only was it his third hat trick of the season but his third against the same team. Yep, Manchester have been the result of three heavy defeats to the Giants and on all three of them occassions Deniset found the net three times. One in a 6-3 win, another in a 4-2 victory and again in last nights 8-1 demolition.

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Inconsistency has been the story of the Giants season so far and tonight it proved to be the case again. It was not surprising that they lost to Sheffield last night but tonight they where expected to get a result against the Phoenix. But in the playoffs anything can happen and the Giants took their 2004 playoff record to 0-2-0 when they where shutout by a good Manchester Phoenix side.

As is the Giants trademark they took some silly penalties and where punished for it. An opening power play goal for Manchester my Mark Bultje was the only scoring seeing the first two periods where the Giants actually out shot Manchester 16-11. Same old same old in the third period as the Giants again won the shout count 14-13 but lost on the score board when Mark Bultje scored again on the power play and when the Giants pulled goalie Colin Ryder Bultje scored into the empty net to record his hat-rick.

It now leaves the Giants in an uncomfortable position with two home games left and not a point yet on the board. Manchester and Sheffield have yet to play their two games against each other.

Manchester Phoenix 3-0 Belfast Giants

Phoenix: Bultje (pp) 4:47, Bultje (pp) 49:19, Bultje (e) 58:44.
Giants: None.

Giants Lineup: Ryder, Johnson, Jamieson, Stewart, Walton, Kelman, J.Bowen, Morrison, Ward, Finney, Sample, Ruff, Schulte, Finney, C.Bowen, McGimpsey.
Scratched: Martin (broken collarbone), Brittle, Carlon.