Below are a couple of articles on the story below regarding the changes to the EIHL over the off-season. Read More»

Thankfully for the Giants the Challenge Cup is a two-legged affair these days. For that reason they still have a chance to win the blasted tournament that has eluded them since they came into the league. Following their one an only final nightmare seven years ago when they lost 5-0 to Ayr they were back in the final tonight playing the Manchester Phoenix in the first leg in Manchester.

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. 

Seven years ago the Giants lost their one and only Challenge Cup Final 5-0 to the Ayr Scottish Eagles in a final that became known as ‘Black Sunday’ among Giants fans because of the Black jersey’s the team wore for the game. The game was also broadcast on BBCni live — the first and last time that has ever happened to the Giants — and with a team that had dominted everyone all season long it was the perfect chance to show the people of Northern Ireland what these dominant Giants were all about.

Of course things didn’t go remotely to play as the Eagles shocked the Giants 5-0 and the boys never recovered. They had already won the league but following this defeat their season went to hell in a hand basket and they didn’t even make the playoffs final four.

Fast forward seven whole years, a league name change, local players now involved and a bunch of old teams gone and new teams in and the challenge cup remains and remains a trophy the Giants cannot get a trip on. In fact they cannot even get to the final. At least until tonight. Read More»

By all accounts last nights game between Belfast and Manchester was far from a classic. The atmosphere was flat and neither teams were playing the way they can when the passes are on the tape and the shots are really making the goalies work, but the Giants were leading the contest when the final hooter blew and that is all that matters.

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I always quite liked midweek games at the Odyssey. A lot of people didn’t because it meant a smaller crowd but I always enjoyed sitting in work knowing I had a game that evening to look forward too. You could stay up in town after work, go to the bar for a few drinks and be in a great mood come 7.30 p.m. and face off time.

I hate midweek games now. I’m stuck in work because of the time difference and I can’t even watch the games online. So on that note there will be no preview, just the information that the Giants play Manchester tonight, that Rushton will almost certainly fight Clouthier and that face off is from 7.30 p.m.