There is still a very long way to go in the 2024/25 Elite League title race, but it felt like this was a fairly significant weekend for the Belfast Giants – and not only because of the ground they managed to make up in the standings.
Saturday’s overtime win over the Cardiff Devils was big in and of itself in that, had they lost, the Giants could have fallen as many as 12 points behind their rivals in the title race.
But when added to Sunday’s win over the Coventry Blaze and Cardiff’s second defeat of the weekend, this time on the road at the Nottingham Panthers, it changes the complexion of the table altogether.
Now Adam Keefe’s men are up to fourth in the table and only seven points back in the title race still with three games in hand, meaning if they win all three of those, then they will close to within just one point of the Devils – a much different prospect indeed.
Even more than that, this was a weekend where Keefe got a committed effort from his team and, headed into a Christmas period that could make or break their 2024/25 season, turning on the style to comfortably account for the Blaze was exactly what he was looking for.
Six different players were on the scoresheet, with Pierre-Olivier Morin continuing his hot form after netting the overtime winner against Cardiff by notching two assists, netminder Tom McCollum bouncing back from a rough outing last time out with a 23-save performance and the Giants showing Keefe that they are ready for the rigours of a title fight.
“That game had a little bit of everything. I liked our guys’ effort tonight, I thought everybody was pulling the rope. Some big efforts,” praised Keefe of their victory at the SkyDome.
“I thought Karl (Boudrias) had a real strong night, skating everywhere out there. He was solid.
“And then we were tested there in the second period, there were a couple Grade As that we gave up there, but Tom was solid in net and shut the door for us.
“The guys did a great job after that penalty kill there.
“They put pressure on us for four minutes there at the start of the third period, and then our guys were pretty solid from then on and took control of the game.”
After a first period where the Blaze came closest to opening the scoring when Zach Heintz hit the post and they were unable to capitalise on a Bobo Carpenter slashing call – the Giants going 2-for-2 on the penalty kill – it was Carpenter who opened the scoring with a fine one-timer 2:34 into the second period, his ninth of the 2024/25 season, and in a theme for the game, Ciaran Long pocketed his fifth of the year just 46 seconds later to double the Giants’ lead, picking the top corner from the mid-slot for the game-winner.
Man of the Match Boudrias continued his impressive start to life in Belfast with his third goal since sealing his mid-season arrival, firing through traffic and all the way in with 13:45 gone in the middle frame before former Great Britain Under-20s captain Jack Hopkins made things interesting when some pinball in front of the net allowed him to slide the puck home to reduce Belfast’s lead to two with 2:59 to the second intermission.
But as Keefe alluded to, the killing of the game came when McCollum made two big breakaway saves on Chase Gresock and Alessio Luciani shortly after the restart, then the Blaze failed to strike on a Josh Roach hooking penalty and, with the energy sapped out of them, Coventry had no reply when the Giants struck again.
Once more, it was two quick goals that settled the game as a contest, Cooper tapping in off Elijiah Barriga’s wraparound at 8:02 of the final frame – his 15th of the campaign – and then, just 54 seconds later, Gabe Bast ended an eight-game scoreless streak when he rifled into the roof of the net from the right circle to put the game to bed.
And there was still time for Scott Conway to join the goalscoring party with his 13th of the year with just 1:52 left on the clock, the centre batting his own rebound out of the air and in to round off the scoring and a vital four-point weekend for Keefe’s men.