The last time I wrote about the Giants they had just lost a Challenge Cup game to the Sheffield Steeleers, but since then they have played four games losing twice more after the Steelers game including once in overtime before rattling off two big wins this past weekend against Cardiff and Newcastle. The win against Newcastle was exceptionally pleasing as the Vipers have looked strong this year yet the Giants managed the put eight without reply past them.

The results keep the Giants there or there abouts in terms of the league title race and certainly they look like a team that will compete for the championship. But a lot of teams look competitive in the early going so there is plenty to play for and every point is vital at this stage. The last thing you want to find yourself doing is playing catch up.

The league table makes interesting reading but you have to study it pretty hard to get a proper idea of who is doing what because teams have played different numbers of games than one another meaning the games-in-hand factor comes into play. But since it is only November it is maybe still a little early to get too worried about what other teams have to do. The thing for the Giants right now is to continue winning and keep the pressure on.

Statistic updates are a few weeks behind but should be updated in the next day or so

A fine 5-2 win tonight in Newcastle. After a close battle for the first two periods the Giants took over in the third and won a game that confirms their place in the Challenge Cup semi-final as the slow start to the season becomes a further distant memory and things continue to get better and better. Newboy Jeff Szwez had another two point night to continue his fine start to the season while McMorrow got onto the boxscore, not for his fighting skills, but for the scoring touch tonight when he also added a goal and an assist.

McMorrow has had it tough from some quarters of the Giants fanbase, even before he touched the ice for the club, but since arriving he has proved them wrong with his ability to turn the game by lifting the crowd and his bench via his fists through intimidation of the opposition and has now got into the scoring side of things. It’s been a feel good story and a great one to see develop as the team has come together so well over the last few weeks knocking up win after win.

And I thought the crash in temperature from 27 degrees yesterday to 19 degrees today here in Toronto was just a blip until I remembered at the last minute that the Giants were back in hockey action and realized it was a definitive sign than winter was not far away and that the hockey season was even closer. I also realized at about 5.30 p.m. that there was a Giants game tonight and then remembered I hadn’t factored in the time difference and so was left wondering how the game actually finished. It wasn’t on a webcast anyway and there was little chance of me getting back to Dundonald were the game was taking place today so it’s not like I missed much. Besides, if you didn’t already know, it was just a pre-season ‘friendly’ against Newcastle giving Thornton a chance to run through some line combos. Oh and they won 8-3 with new boy Faubert getting three of them and Mark Morrison adding another two.

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.

Jason Rushton will have to be on the top of his game tonight as the Giants travel into Newcastle to play the Vipers for the first time since the double header in the Odyssey last month when fights broke out all over the place. The Vipers were furious the way things went down, never mind the fact they lost both games. They have promised pay back and have promoted the game as the Giants circus coming to town. The odds on Rushton and Payette fighting again are tiny and the chances of their being more fights than goals are good as well.

I don’t mind. So long as the Giants come home with the two points and without injuries then I am all for us beating them up along the way. It is going to be entertaining but unfortunately I am not going to be able to watch it. Oh well, I am sure the fight videos will surface sometime after the game.