Top spot in Challenge Cup Group B and a Semi-Final place wrapped up for the Belfast Giants but they were made to work for it and then some against the Dundee Stars at the SSE Arena.
The Scots managed to frustrate Adam Keefe’s men for the first two periods, two disallowed goals and a post hit alongside a 31-12 shot count the tale of the tape at the second intermission in Belfast, but eventually the home side found a way in the final frame.
Ciaran Long’s third goal of the season – all in the Cup – at 4:28 of the third would be the only goal of a game where the Giants couldn’t turn their dominance into a comfortable afternoon and, on any other day, the final shot count of 41-22 would lead to a comfortable win.
Instead, they also needed netminder Tom McCollum, back in the line-up after sitting out Saturday’s win over Fife, to turn in a stellar performance to keep his second consecutive shut-out to keep the Stars out at the other end to ensure that Long’s one-timer would be the difference.
With an 8-1-0 record, the Giants are now seven points clear at the top of Group B and can no longer be caught by the second-placed Glasgow Clan who only have three games remaining, with their focus now on trying to lock down top seeding for the knockouts which would grant them home advantage in a potential Final.
Given they have won their last two Cups on home ice, that would be the ideal scenario, with two more games against the Clan and Flyers to come in which to try and maximise their points haul.
In a first period with a lot to like for the Giants as they monopolised time in the offensive zone and plastered Stars goaltender Jarrett Fiske with 15 shots compared to the four that came McCollum’s way, perhaps most pleasing was seeing young Mack Stewart answer the bell midway through.
The 20-year-old, called up from the Milton Keynes Lightning for his fourth appearance of the season, was the man who stepped up after an off-the-puck hit from Kameron Kielly on Scott Conway, wrestling the Stars man to the ice in defence of his team-mate, much to the delight of the Giants bench and crowd.
Remarkably, Kielly was not penalised for the hit but Stewart was for the retaliation, however Dundee rarely threatened on the powerplay – or for the rest of the period for that matter – in a frame controlled by the home side.
How the Giants weren’t ahead at the first intermission is anybody’s guess, Keefe’s men firing a plethora of excellent chances on Fiske but unable to beat him, including J.J. Piccinich actually having the puck in the net off a Grant Mismash wraparound but it being correctly washed out for the net being off its moorings.
Elijiah Barriga thought he had even more of a claim to a goal when he tipped in a shot from Cameron Pound early in the second period, only for it too to be ruled out by the officials for a high stick shortly after a slashing call against Mismash was also played out by the Giants’ kill unit.
They even had a post hit by Bo Hanson that saw the goal light go on in error and have the crowd on their feet but still the breakthrough wouldn’t come before the second intermission, which arrived to a chorus of boos as a Gabe Bast cross-checking penalty was met by retaliation from Zach Tsekos.
Undeterred by their inability to score to this point, Belfast continued their assault at the start of the third period and eventually they were rewarded just over four minutes in, a battle along the boards allowing the puck to break back into the right circle where Long stepped into it and found the twine for the opener.
But for McCollum, however, it could have been a very short-lived lead, Alex Tonge getting the one-on-one breakaway on the very next shift but the netminder gloving down his effort to prevent the visitors from tying it straight away.
And that was how it would end, the Giants getting one powerplay opportunity to extend their lead when Brendan Harms was boxed for delay of game but failing to take advantage, but, despite pulling Fiske for the extra skater, the Giants never looked overly troubled by the Stars as the seconds ticked down, closing it out to rubber-stamp their place in the final four.