Manchester Phoenix 4-3 Belfast Giants (4-3 on agg.)
Sunday 8 March 2009, Challenge Cup Final 1st Leg, Manchester.
1st leg of the Giants first trip back to the Challenge Cup Final since Black Sunday in March 2002. A strong comeback keeps them in contention for the 2nd leg.
Scoring:
1-0 MAN, Fulghum (Beauregard, Hand) 6:51 (pp)
2-0 MAN, Mulherin (Hand) 24:06
3-0 MAN, Clouthier (Walker, Garbutt) 25:23
4-0 MAN, Beauregard (Hand, Smith) 31:30
4-1 BEL, Awada (Cheverie) 32:35
4-2 BEL, Martin (Shields) 45:32
4-3 BEL, Cheverie (Martin) 54:16
Penalty Minutes:
Manchester: Bruce 2, Clouthier 2, Dunn 6.
Belfast: Robins 4, Phillips 4, Awada 4, Howells 2.
Shots on Goal: Manchester – 36, Belfast – 30.
Powerplay: Manchester 1-4, Belfast 0-2.
Man of the Match: MAN – Kyle Bruce. BEL – Colin Shields.
Referee: D Smith.
Giants line-up: Lyle, Johnson, MacMillan, Cheverie, Deniset, Phillips, Thornton, Walton, Shields, Morrison, Martin, Burgoyne, Robbins, Awada, Sample, Howells, Craze.
Injured: Rushton.
Notes:
— Giants first Challenge Cup Final since March 2002.
Media Report:
We are now in the sixth season of the Elite league and this is the first time either of these two teams has got to the final of the Challenge Cup. So after the 2nd leg on 17th March there will be a new name on the trophy. And after tonight’s 1st leg that could be any one of them as there is only a goal between them.
Both teams had a single powerplay opportunity in the first period and the Phoenix took advantage of theirs to net the only goal of the period at 6.46 as Luke Fulghum (29th) dispatched the rubber past Steve Lyle in the Giants goal.
With both teams finding their feet at the start of the second period, two goals from the hosts just over a minute apart put them 3-0 in front. The first of these goals came at 24.06 from the stick of Bruce Mulherin (19th) this was followed by a strike from Brett Clouthier (11th) at 25.23. Just over the midway point David Beauregard (56th) netted a fourth goal for the hosts with 31.30 on the clock. The Giants pulled one back at 32.35 with a goal from George Awada (23rd).
The visitors pulled back another goal at 45.32 with a goal from Colin Shields , left,(32nd) they then made it a one goal game at 54.16 with a strike from Andrew Martin (22nd). The Giants will go into the second leg in a much better frame of mind having been four down at one point they now only trail the Phoenix by one.
