Giants Denied with Shootout Loss in Cardiff

Mark Cooper, Pierre-Olivier Morin and Zak Galambos all struck in the final frame to keep the Giants one point clear at the top of the standings, but the Devils would score two in the shoot-out to take the extra point.

First period

Although the Giants controlled the early possession, the first chance of the game went to Kohen Olischefski, who tested Tom McCollum from the right circle but couldn’t get his shot through, and then Zach O’Brien came even closer when he hit the bar, but the first powerplay of the game as JJ Piccinich sat for tripping saw the Devils take the lead at 7:13 as Joey Martin snapped the puck in from the left circle (1-0).

The Giants, spurred into life by going behind, finally tested Ben Bowns when an awkward kick off the backboards allowed Scott Conway to get the shot in but the netminder saved, and Morin was the next to challenge the goaltender off a face-off but couldn’t make the breakthrough.

McCollum was called in to make another big save as the period wore down, reacting superbly to deny a redirected Gleason Fournier shot from the blue line, with the Giants ending the period on the powerplay as Evan Mosey was called for tripping.

Second period

The Giants couldn’t take advantage of the holdover from Mosey’s penalty before Bobo Carpenter saw a shot deflected over by the shoulder of Bowns, but the chances were few and far between for both sides even though the Giants continued to dominate the possession stats.

However, once again when the Devils went on the powerplay they were clinical, Bo Hanson called for checking to the head and O’Brien punishing them with a thunderous one-timer from the left circle at 33:16 (2-0), and McCollum had to make a couple of massive saves as the Devils ramped up the pressure again shortly after.

Push as they could at the end of the period, the Giants couldn’t get that first goal to take into the third period, but the frame did end with the Devils taking two late penalties as Martin (hooking) and Jarrod Gourley (cross-checking) both headed to the box.

Third period

With the 5-on-3 penalty to work with, it took 49 seconds of the final period for the Giants to strike as Cooper was the man to hammer in the one-timer from the left circle (2-1), but McCollum needed to come up big shortly after to make a big pad save on a shot from O’Brien alone in the slot.

But in the space of one shift the game shifted again, Bowns making a massive save on Ben Lake at one end and Martin finding the net at the other at 49:13 as a turnover in the Giants zone set him in for the finish (3-1), which looked to be all she wrote in terms of a contest.

However, two quick goals just 74 seconds apart saw the Giants tie the game and earn a point, Morin the first to get on the scoresheet as a face-off win fell kindly for the centre and he picked the top corner at 51:01 (3-2) and then Galambos grabbed the tying goal at 52:15 as he sniped home from the edge of the right circle to force overtime (3-3).

Overtime

The extra period was dominated by the Giants as Martin sat for hooking, putting them on the powerplay, but three outstanding saves from Bowns kept the Devils alive and took it to the shoot-out.

Shootout

It would be the Devils’ night as Josh MacDonald and Kohen Olischefski both found the net and Bowns stifled all four of the Giants’ shooters to earn the extra point (4-3).

Next up

Up next, the Belfast Giants return home to The SSE Arena this Sunday 23 March to take on the Guildford Flames in Elite Ice Hockey League action. Limited tickets remain and are available here.

Photos by Rebecca Brain / Cardiff Devils.