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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Amidst the distraction that must surely have been lingering over the Giants dressing room this afternoon on some scale or another, the team went out and put up a fine victory over the Edinburgh Capitals 3-1. The game which didn’t feature McMorrow or Shane Johnson who is out with a concussion, were able to pick up the two points that keeps them in the title race. Unfortunately Coventry themselves picked up a victory. Without McMorrow to do their fighting the Giants enforcer-elect Mark Morrison stepped up to do the fighting duties!

Last night in the Odyssey, following a defeat to the Vipers last weekend, the Giants had the chance to exact some revenge and they certainly went about doing that in clinical fashion with a massive 11-3 victory. The eleven goals for tied a team record for goals in a game (they have done it twice before) while the total of fifteen goals scored in total tied a record for goals in a game that involved the Giants (they have done it three times before). Goals in the game came by way of Pat Bateman (2), Steve Thornton (2), Craig Peacock (2), Brandon Benedict (1), Mark Morrison (1), Sean McMorrow (1), Evan Cheverie (1) and Jeff Szwez (1).

Both Pat Bateman and Steve Thornton picked up two goals and three assists while six other players registered multi-point games including Mark Morrison who grabbed his first goal of the season. Captain and top points scorer Colin Shields took until the seventh goal to get on the board and that was only with an assist as his quiet night allowed for nearly everyone else to get on board. In fact, only defenseman Michael Jacobsen and young forward Robbie Brown failed to pick up a point.

The highlight of the night however was the McMorrow goal. While on a hat trick Pat Bateman decided to pass up the opportunity to shoot for a team-mate who normally does the dirty work with his fists. McMorrow finished the tap-in and his celebration though was one that had the Giants benched doubled over laughing and the crowd equally entertained: He threw his glove in the air and proceeded to replicate shooting it with the but-end of his stick like a someone with a shut-gun hunting a bird. I guess when you don’t score very often as an enforcer and finally get your first goal at home, you have to make the most of it. An entertainer with his fists tonight he did it by putting the puck in the net.

The win sent the Giants back on top of the Elite League at least for a day or so until Coventry, who with games in hand, played again. But the team is really coming together now, everyone is contributing and the message to the league is clear that with an 11-3 win here and an 8-2 win last week against Edinburgh, the Giants mean business. Their next opposition is indeed the Capitals on Sunday.

Sheffield lost tonight against Hull giving the Giants a wonderful opportunity to get right back into the title race with a victory over Newcastle. Unfortunately two ex-Giants players came back to haunt their old team in the worst possible way as the Vipers beat Belfast 6-3. Our old player-coach Ed Courtenay picked up 2 goals and 2 assists while one time winger Jeff Hutchins grabbed a hat trick.

Mark Morrison put in the best performance for the Giants picking up two goals as well as their man of the match performance. Although the game passed off more peacefully than some might have expected there was still a few donnybrooks when Jason Rushton and Andre Payette squared up in the pre-game warm-up before Rushton picked up two fighting majors against Chris McAllister and Derek Campbell. Rushton also scored an assist in the game but missed the entire third period due to a hand injury. It is not yet clear how serious the injury is.

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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