Elite League: Giants take another step closer towards the title

The Belfast Giants hit their offensive stride to swat aside the Fife Flyers by hitting ten goals at The SSE Arena to extend their lead at the top of the Elite League with four games remaining.

Winger JJ Piccinich struck a hat-trick, Bobo Carpenter and Jordan Kawaguchi added doubles and Gabe Bast, Scott Conway and Grant Mismash all found the net on a dominant night for Adam Keefe’s side.

An early opportunity saw Mark Cooper nearly put in the rebound off Ben Lake’s shot before Janis Voris made a big save as Carpenter’s reverse into the slot found Pierre-Olivier Morin for the one-timer.

But it was Fife who opened the scoring on the powerplay at 4:47 as Ben Lake’s slashing penalty allowed Michael Cichy to snap in the one-timer off Jordy Stallard’s initial feed.

Josh Roach nearly had an immediate response when his one-timer flashed just wide from the right circle, but the Flyers continued to threaten and, even though Whistle made an incredible save, the visitors would double their lead at 7:57 as Phelix Martineau drove down the right wing and managed to stuff the puck in from close range.

Still the Giants dominated possession and Kawaguchi was inches away from getting the home side on the board as he flashed an effort over. Morin then hit the crossbar after some nice play from the second line and Piccinich hit the helmet of Voris.

They finally got on the board at 12:23 when a Patrick Kyte slashing penalty allowed Bast to roof the puck from the right circle on the powerplay.

The game would be tied at 14:32, as Roach found Conway in the slot and he buried the chance for the tying goal, with Voris producing another big save to deny Piccinich and Conway on the same shift to prevent the home side from pulling ahead and the crossbar denying Kawaguchi from the left circle.

The Giants then took the lead at the break as Piccinich was afforded all the time he wanted to skate into the slot and pick the top corner at 18:14 and make it 3-2.

It took just ten seconds of the second period for the Giants to extend their lead, Piccinich grabbing his second as he fired in from distance, and they would continue that scoring run as Carpenter struck from the half-wall at 21:17.

Piccinich completed his hat-trick on the powerplay - Kieran Craig called for delay of game - as he tapped in off David Goodwin’s rebound at 22:52 to make it 6-2 and then Mismash snapped in the one-timer in the slot for the seventh at 24:22.

Voris was still coming up with big saves as denied Ciaran Long on the rebound from Bast’s shot and Fife were having fleeting chances as Austin Farley flicked an effort just wide, with Bast hitting the Giants’ third bar of the game midway through.

The period ended with three quick goals, Carpenter’s second of the game seeing him stuff in Jeff Baum’s pass to the crease at 36:07, before Craig pulled one back for the Flyers on the breakaway at 37:33 and then Kawaguchi restored the Giants’ six-goal lead when he tipped in Long’s shot from the blue-line at 39:13 for 9-3.

Kawaguchi took the Giants into double-figures in the third period at 43:28, when he produced a sumptuous solo finish, dragging the puck around Voris and then finishing underneath him. But still Whistle had to be called into action to deny first Stallard and then Tyler Heidt from getting another consolation for the Flyers.

The Giants did well to kill off a penalty to Lake as he sat for slashing and Morin for tripping, and Carpenter was inches from making his a hat-trick as he found the shoulder of Voris from a tight angle.

However, when the winger was boxed for kneeing, it allowed the Flyers to add a fourth as Martineau grabbed his second in close at 56:32 as late consolation .

Next up, the Giants complete back-to-back games against the Flyers when they welcome the Scottish side to the SSE Arena this Saturday 29 March, with the Manchester Storm coming to Belfast on Sunday.