. . . But they go down fighting.

I was overly critical of this team after periods one and two last night in Dundalk but with a third period effort to get back into the tie I decided to hold back on serious criticism until I seen how they performed over the next two periods.  Well ‘heard’ how they performed is what I should have said.  As it turns out the Giants performed well and did themselves proud in an effort to fight back into the tie.

Had this team been a top of the table team all season long I still would have been seriously disappointed but it has been such an up and down season with many downs and plenty of highs and a conclusion that when summing everything up that we were just a middle of the road team and not quite good enough to get it done.  With all that in mind I’m not overly angry that we failed to squeak into the playoffs past a physical and well-drilled Vipers side.  MORE »

Here’s hoping the team can improve on last night, carry their third period momentum into tonight, treat it like a no lose situation (which might suit us better) and give me something to be excited for next week other than just the beer!!

For in depth game updates have a look at the KotG in game updates service.

What is it with computers and technology failing you when you need it the most?  I pay a high monthly fee for this dammed laptop and when I want to get a game report out all I want is for the bloody thing to work.  Thankyou Toshiba and the internet - The game report that I spent about 30 minutes angerly putting together frooze up on me and I failed to get it online.

So without further ado I let you know that I wont be producing one.  I have not go the time nor the patience to go through that again!  That is probably a good thing however.  I didn’t want to go too indepth about my true feelings last night when afterall it was only ‘half-time’ in the series and thanks to a good third period after two terrible periods the Giants have gave themselves some hope for tomorrow night.

I will touch on a few things that stood out for me however.  MORE »

It’s commeth the hour commeth the man time and all that kind of talk.  Yes this is the playoffs - the pinacle of a hockey season even if the British playoffs do only last 4 games.  This is where you want your big players and the guys who know how to play in this kind of situation.  It’s a two legged affair and the Giants with the first home game will be looking for a big result to carry into Newcastle the following night. MORE »

For a bit in the first period I had this worry that it was going to be like Thursday. Well maybe not qute as bad but the Vipers came out, typically with a physical brand of hockey and seemed to have an edge on the Giants. They even score the first goal of the game to silence the Giants crowd after a scoreless first. However the Giants this time stuck to their game plan, hit the Vipers back and gradually worked their way back into the game.

It was probably the second largest crowd of the season so far. Probably only a few hundred seats shy of a sell-out crowd. It was great to see and the crowd were entertained to a good game of hockey. Ok so it wasn’t the most slick and skilled game you’ve ever seen but they never are against a rugged Newcastle. To beat Newcastle on the scoreboard you must first beat them in the back alleys. They always bring a physical game and if you aren’t prepared to match it then you’ve no chance. MORE »

The third period of last nights game was like a throw back to the Giants games of old.  Sure the crowd wasn’t big but they were as noisy as they have been in a while, especially watching a third period that brought goals and fights.  It’s been a long time since we seen a scrap in the Odyssey never mind a number of them in one game.   The Giants were in control of the game throughout most of the night and only gave up their only goal against late on with the Vipers netminder pulled.  How close Lyle came to the shutout will naturally frustrate him but he and his team-mates can take pride in extending the franshise record to 11-straight wins after beating the Vipers 3-1.  MORE »

Tomorrow night the Giants host the Newcastle vipers in their forth league game of the season.  They go into the game with an unusual looking record by their standards.  One win and three defeats.  It wont matter to the fans how the win comes as long as it comes and the Giants get their season back on track.  Ideally a game with few goals against would also instill some confidence into the defence.  The Giants will again start with Todd Kelman in defence as Roman Gavalier continues to nurse a knee injury.  MORE »

This summer may already feel like winter but it’s not quite hockey time yet, well actually now that the season is upon us it is indeed hockey time again.  With the season only a few weeks one day away and with obviously no blogging time left I guess it’s about time to try finish up the preview each of the teams with as much knowledge as I actually have of them anyway!  Next up it’s the Vipers: MORE »