Playoffs title for Cardiff sends Giants into Europe
The Belfast Giants will be playing European hockey in the Continental Cup next season, after the Cardiff Devils beat the Sheffield Steelers to claim the Playoffs title.
The Welsh side will already be playing in the Champions Hockey League as a result of winning the Elite League title.
And when they added a 3-1 win over the Steelers in Sunday’s Playoffs final, that meant the Continental Cup place on offer would go to the winners of the Challenge Cup.
Adam Keefe’s Giants lifted that trophy when they beat the Devils in Cardiff in the final in early March to break a four-year silverware drought.
The Giants have played in the Continental Cup three times previously – most recently in the 2014/15 season in Bremerhaven in Germany, when they advanced to the third round in Angers in France.