Giants gearing up for Challenge Cup clash in Cardiff

Belfast Giants head coach Adam Keefe, who is hoping to pick up silverware in his first season at the helm. Credit: UTV

The Belfast Giants are building towards their big Challenge Cup final clash with the Cardiff Devils in Wales, but must first get through a league encounter with Milton Keynes.

Head coach Adam Keefe rarely looks past the next game, but will surely have one eye on what could be his side’s best chance of silverware this season.

The Giants will go into Sunday’s big game as the comparative underdogs against the reigning Elite League champions – who look set to retain their title after another strong season.

The Devils, coached by Andrew Lord – and owned by a consortium led by former Giants player and general manager Todd Kelman, whose retired jersey number hangs in the SSE Arena Belfast – have established a 10-point lead at the top of the league table.

But the Belfast side, who currently sit third, have had their wins against the Devils – three times out of six games so far this season, and two of those were in Cardiff.

For a time, the Giants had set themselves up as a valid title challenger, but the league race has slipped away in recent weeks after an unfortunate slump.

While Keefe may have conceded that trophy, as a former player and captain himself, he knows only too well the hunger of the organisation and the fanbase for silverware after a few ‘dry’ years.

Hundreds of the Teal Army hope to make the trip to Wales to back the Giants, with fingers crossed that the inclement weather does not throw a spanner in the works.

Friday’s league game between the Devils and the Manchester Storm in Cardiff at Ice Arena Wales has already fallen foul of the wintry conditions, but it is hoped the Challenge Cup final will go ahead.

Fans and even former players have been showing their support for their team on social media, with messages flooding in under the ‘We Are Giants’ hashtag.

The likes of fan favourites Darryl Lloyd and Rob Sandrock have been among those getting behind their former teammates – especially Adam Keefe, who played alongside them but is now in the hunt for his first trophy success as a rookie coach.

Saturday’s league game against the visiting Milton Keynes Lightning will serve as a send-off for the Giants, as they travel to Wales hoping to bring the Challenge Cup back to Belfast.