In the big games, you need your captain to lead by example and Mark Cooper did just that on Wednesday night.
Knowing they needed to take a lead into the second leg of their Challenge Cup Semi-Final with the Nottingham Panthers, Cooper produced the goods for the Belfast Giants with a jaw-dropping solo goal to open the scoring before his drive to net set up Jordan Kawaguchi for their third in a 3-0 win that has them in the driving seat for a place in the March decider.
The big games don’t stop coming, though. The Giants have five more of them over the course of the next two weeks that could play a pivotal role in deciding the success of their season as not only do they have that second leg a week on Wednesday, but before then they have three crucial games in their Elite League bid to navigate — a trip to the Sheffield Steelers on Sunday before an exciting double-header with the Cardiff Devils at the SSE Arena next weekend.
Unlike in previous seasons, though, the Giants aren’t the ones doing the chasing. This season they head into this stretch eight points clear of the Steelers at the top and are the ones with the targets on their backs — although Cooper reveals that the feeling within the locker room is no different to any other year.
“Especially the second year we won the trophy, we’ve always been a target, just because we won it the previous year. It comes with the territory of being a Belfast Giant, you know everybody wants to beat you and you are always the target,” explains the 32-year-old Canadian winger, who has 20 goals and 43 points in 49 games this season.
“We’re the target this year again. Everybody knew Belfast was going to be good after a disappointing season last year and I don’t think it’s any different.
“Those guys, they’re hoping for us to lose, so it’s different in that sense, but we’ve just got to enjoy the moment, the ride, and hopefully we’re drinking champagne in a few months.”
This mini six-game series continues on Friday night with the visit of the League’s bottom side Fife Flyers — who have won just six games all season — before that huge trip to Sheffield, but Cooper insists that their focus is not on the Steelers yet.
“We’re just trying to think of it as one game at a time. It can become overwhelming when you look at the big picture. On to Fife now, take care of business on Friday night, rest Saturday and then a big one on Sunday against Sheffield,” adds the skipper.
“(Saturday’s rest day) is huge, especially because we’re travelling. Normally we fly on game day but this allows us to go the day before and not deal with delayed flights or stuff we’ve been dealing with all year. It makes it feel professional, it feels like a business trip.
“The boys will be ready to go on Sunday.”