Giants Fall Short to Stars at Home

FIRST PERIOD

Dundee Stars made a rapid start, forcing Jackson Whistle to make three saves during the opening exchanges of the game. The Giants started to get a foothold in the game with JJ Piccinich forcing a good for the visitor’s netminder Jarrett Fiske.

The Giants were called for a penalty for having too many men on the ice, and Dundee Stars broke the deadlock with a powerplay goal as 47 seconds later, Spencer Naas slammed the puck into the Giants net (0-1).

Dundee Stars doubled their advantage in the eighth minute, as Naas broke out of defence and staked into the offensive zone before beating Whistle with a powerful shot (0-2).

Kyle Pouncy made it 3-0 to the Scottish side with a goal in the 13th minute (0-3). It was Dundee’s turn to be called for too many men on the ice in the 18th minute, and the Giants made the powerplay count as Gabe Bast put the men in teal on the board with a goal assisted by David Goodwin and Scott Conway (1-3).

SECOND PERIOD

The Giants were called again for having too many men on the ice two minutes into the second period, but some resolute defence and a good save from Jackson Whistle shut down the Stars’ powerplay.

Soon after, Whistle was called into action again, making a smart stop from Kameron Kielly. The Giants reduced the visitor’s lead with a second goal in the 28th minute, as Fiske gave up a rebound from Scott Conway’s shot and Gabe Bast swept the puck into the empty net for his second goal of the evening (2-3).

The Giants finished the period a single goal down, with Dundee having a lucky escape following a scramble in the crease which resulted in Fiske denying Elijiah Barriga with a smart save (2-3).

THIRD PERIOD

The final period started with a Giants’ powerplay as Dundee’s Alex Robert was given four minutes in the penalty box for high sticking. The home side led siege to the Dundee net with Mark Cooper, Bobo Carpenter and Ciaran Long all coming close to scoring, however none converted.

Mike Lee was called for delaying the game, entering another powerplay for the visiting team – however the Stars were denied any further goals.

With under two minutes on the clock, Giants’ netminder Jackson Whistle left the net, giving the home side an extra player on the attack, however Fiske denied a number of offensive attempts and the whistle sounded to finalise the scoring (2-3).

NEXT UP

The Belfast Giants take to the road on Sunday 9 March to face Guildford Flames in Elite Ice Hockey League action, before returning to home ice on Wednesday 12 March to compete in the 2024/25 Challenge Cup Final vs Cardiff Devils. Limited tickets remain and are available here.