Giants Start Christmas Season With Four Point Weekend
The Stena Line Belfast Giants completed a perfect weekend on Sunday night with a commanding win 6-1 on home ice over the Glasgow Clan. The Giants exploded for six goals, with David Goodwin (x2), Brian Ward, Liam Morgan, Bobby Farnham, and Jordan Smotherman, finding the back of the net, while Shane Owen turned aside 23 of 24 shots in the win.
The Giants now sit in third place with 30 points from 24 games, two points behind the Sheffield Steelers in first place with 32 points from 26 games.
Tight First Frame
The Clan got things started quickly on Saturday evening. The Giants worked to break the puck out of the defensive zone but Glasgow was able to keep it in and Scott Jacklin fired a puck from deep that made its way past Shane Owen. The goal, which came at 0:51, put Belfast in an early hole.
The Giants would manage to knot things up before the end of the first period. Jordan Smotherman worked the puck out from behind the net and David Goodwin rushed in from the point and rifled a shot clean past goaltender Patrick Killeen. The goal, which came ay 14:33, was Goodwin’s first as a member of the Giants.
The first frame would come to a close with the teams in a 1-1 deadlock, though the Giants led the Clan in shots 8-5.
Grabbing The Lead
At 31:38, the Giants would finally break and deadlock and take the lead. Liam Reddox picked up the puck behind the net and wrapped in out front where Brian Ward, who was battling off a couple of Clan defenders, would slide a backhand over the outstretched pad of Killeen.
Under a minute later, the Giants would extend their lead to 3-1. Lewis Hook picked up the puck off the face-off and fired a shot that was turned aside by Killeen. Liam Morgan was waiting in the slot and picked up the rebound and waited out a sprawling Killeen before sliding the puck into the net.
The Giants kept the pressure on right up until the end of the second period. Belfast make it 4-1 at 36:20 as Liam Reddox fed a gorgeous pass from below the goal line Bobby Farnham who fought off a Glasgow defender and ripped a one-time shot past Killeen. With just a few seconds left on the clock, Morgan found Goodwin for a tap-in at the side of the net, giving the Giants a 5-1 lead heading into the intermission.
Cruising To Victory
At 51:44, Jordan Smotherman took a pass from Ryan Lowney just inside the blueline and proceeded to a roof a snipe over Jordan McLaughlin, who had replaced Killeen in net in the intermission. The goal gave Smotherman eight on the season in league play.
The Giants would cruise through the rest of the third frame on their way to a commanding 6-1 victory. The offensive explosion was a much-welcomed one as Belfast had been shutout in their two previous home games. The win also brought the team to within two points of the first-placed Sheffield Steelers in the standings with two games in hand.
Next Up?
The Giants will be back in action on Wednesday night in Cardiff for the second leg of their Challenge Cup quarter-final match with the Devils. The Giants lost the first game of the quarter-final 1-0 last Wednesday and need a win in Cardiff to advance to the next round.
Their next league game will come on Saturday as the Giants host the Devils at The SSE Arena. After that, they’ll head to Fife for a match with the Flyers for their final game before Christmas. Tickets for home games are available online now at ticketmaster.ie.
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