Giant welcome home for Challenge Cup champions

Belfast Giants captain Blair Riley brings the Challenge Cup home. Credit: UTV

Hundreds of Belfast Giants fans have turned out to welcome their team home from Wales as Challenge Cup champions.

The Belfast side earned themselves their first trophy under head coach Adam Keefe when they beat the reigning Elite League champions in their own home rink.

The Cardiff Devils gave up the early lead, to ultimately fall 6-3 to the Giants at Ice Arena Wales on Sunday.

The Teal Army had braved weather-related travel challenges to get to Cardiff and cheer their team on to a convincing win.

Now, the Giants will be preparing to raise another championship banner at their home rink.

And, after the celebrations, it will be back to business as usual in the hope of capitalising on the confidence boost for the rest of the league campaign and the playoffs run.

“We want to win trophies. It’s not one, two, three, four, which one’s more important …” Keefer said, as his team touched down at Belfast City Airport on Monday night.

“We want to win trophies. And, right now, we have another two available – it’s up to us to enjoy this one and then come back to work and compose ourselves and go again.”