Belfast Giants spook Fife Flyers to claim Halloween win
The Belfast Giants served up a Halloween treat for their fans, closing out their Challenge Cup group stage campaign with a 4-1 win over Fife Flyers.
The home side went into Saturday night’s game having already qualified comfortably for the quarter-finals.
But by the end of the first period of action, they had their opponents spooked again.
Scott Conway opened the scoring for the Giants, while Lewis Hook added a second goal before that first break.
In the second period, Hook had a chance to double his personal tally with a penalty shot, but Fife netminder Shane Owen stepped up with the save.
The Giants got their third goal in the end though and also finally saw a powerplay opportunity come good – something that had proved somewhat elusive to date – courtesy of Jordan Boucher.
And Mark Cooper wasted little time in adding a fourth, giving the Giants a comfortable lead going into the final 20 minutes of action.
In that third period, Fife got themselves on the scoreboard with a goal from James Anderson.
However, it was too little too late and the Giants skated off with the 4-1 win – and more ice-time under the belt of a young homegrown player in 17-year-old Kell Beattie.
The Giants – led by assistant coach Jeff Mason in the absence of head coach Adam Keefe who is self-isolating as a Covid-19 precaution - were coming off the back of an impressive 5-0 win in Friday night’s league game away to the Nottingham Panthers.
They continue their league campaign on the road next Saturday when they take on the Sheffield Steelers.
Video: Belfast Giants assistant coach Jeff Mason and player Jordan Boucher talk to UTV