Elite League: Giants narrow gap at the top after four-point weekend

The Belfast Giants secured another four-point weekend in a wild Sunday encounter with the Fife Flyers at the SSE Arena winning 9-4.

The victory puts Adam Keeffe's side just two points behind league-leaders Guildford Flames with 38 games played and level on points with Nottingham Panthers and Cardiff Devils. However, Paul Dixon’s Flames hold a game in hand over all three.

Belfast laid siege to the Flyers' net in a strong start to Sunday afternoon’s encounter - and were richly rewarded.

Steve Owre continued a superb weekend with a rebound finish just 30 seconds in, before a shot from Henrik Eriksson after the restart struck a body in front and dropped into the path of Mark Cooper at 2:30 to double the lead.

Gabe Bast and Captain David Goodwin added further strikes to put the Giants 4-0 in front with just 13 minutes n the clock.

A Fife time out ahead of the restart was a brief reprieve, before a tripping call sent the home side back on the hunt, with Eriksson burying a fifth past an embattled Shane Owen towards the end o the opening period.

It was the Flyers who struck first in the second period when Liam MacDougall’s pass from the middle found Zack Phillips on the left for a clinical finish to reduce the deficit to 5-1.

Bari McKenzie won his battle in front of the net to add a second for the Flyers, before the Giants halted the comeback when Jeff Baum struck his first of the season to make it 6-2 going into the third period.

Bast grabbed his second and the Giants seventh of the tie on 42:46 with a breakaway strike, and although ack Phillips and Liam McDougall replied for the visitors to make it 7-4, it was the Giants who had the final say.

Eriksson fired an eighth at 57:44, before a bizarre goal from Scott Conway, which took a hefty deflection off a Flyers defender, rounded off proceedings a couple of minutes later.

UP NEXT

The Giants return to action after the international break on Tuesday February 14th, away to the Nottingham Panthers before a trip to Guildford Flames the following day.

They return home to the SSE on Saturday February 18th (Glasgow Clan 7pm) and Sunday February 19 (Nottingham Panthers 4pm).