Having experienced the wonder of the continental market in Belfast city centre, winger Bobo Carpenter is hoping to recreate some of that magic on the ice for the Belfast Giants.
Back after a short lay-off due to injury, the 28-year-old Massachusetts native has picked up where he left off before he went down hurt, picking up two goals and an assist in his last three games for a strong return.
But it’s not only on the ice that Carpenter has been feeling good, it’s also been away from the rink where he has seen the positives of Belfast, the first place outside of the United States that he has played his hockey, particularly down by City Hall.
“I’ve been trying to get down there, I’d finished all my school work so I had most of the day and Bo (Hanson) and I went down. Clearly it was meant to be because it started snowing!” he smiles.
“I was talking to my wife the other day and I was kinda in shock on the plane over here that I was coming to Belfast to play half a season without her, saying ‘this is crazy’. But everyone has made it so special.
“Today was another way it showed that.”
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What he hopes is that the on-ice product will match what he has been experiencing off it. So far it has, but the Giants are wanting more as they look to claw back the deficit to the Cardiff Devils at the top of the Elite League as quickly as possible.
Carpenter has been an integral part of that, contributing six goals and 10 points in 11 games, and he marked his return to the line-up with a goal in each of their two wins over the Glasgow Clan in the past week.
One of the biggest challenges when it comes to recruiting a team in the Elite League is working out who will adapt quickest to the British style, and in Carpenter the Giants have found a gem, even if the man himself is hesitant to accept the praise.
“There’s a lot of similarities (to North America), the biggest difference really is the size of the ice,” explains the winger.
“We have a great line-up and I’m so lucky to play with guys who see the ice so well and make some great plays. I’m fortunate enough to be on the right end of those for the goals.
“It’s special to be a part of that and enjoy it. It’s a lot of fun being out there with the guys rather than watching from the sidelines.”
The Giants have now left their Challenge Cup bid behind until February and have their full sights on their League campaign, which sees them seven points back of the Devils but with two games in hand over their rivals.
They hope this week will help them bridge that gap somewhat; Adam Keefe’s side welcoming the Guildford Flames to the SSE Arena on Friday night before heading to the Nottingham Panthers on Saturday (both 7pm) and Carpenter is excited to shift to a one-track mindset.
“It brings me back to my other pro years where it’s just the League now and everyone is in a race to have the best record,” adds the former Boston University captain.
“It’s nice to have an even-keeled pace now and not have to play the same teams repetitively, get to see different parts of the country.
“We’re starting to click as we move towards this busy part of the schedule. We want to set ourselves up to be in a good spot come the final stretch, so that has to be done now as you can’t take any nights off.
“We’ve made good strides towards that and we’re feeling good about how we’re doing.”