Challenge Cup: Belfast Giants rout Fife Flyers 7-0 to make semi-finals

Jonathan Ferland receives congratulations after scoring the Giants' fourth goal

The Belfast Giants hammered Fife Flyers 7-0 in Tuesday's Challenge Cup quarter-final second leg at the SSE Arena to secure a 10-3 aggregate victory.

Goals from Steve Saviano and Brendan Connolly gave them a 2-0 first-period lead, with Blair Riley and Jonathan Ferland adding second-period goals.

Colin Shields, David Rutherford and Darcy Murphy got their names on the scoresheet in the third period.

Belfast will face Nottingham Panthers in the semi-finals.

Forward Saviano got the home side off to the perfect start as he unleashed a powerful shot to give the Giants the lead in the sixth minute.

Netminder Jackson Whistle pulled off a great double save to deny Fife an equaliser before Brendan Connolly skated through the Flyers defence and blasted the puck past Andy Iles to make it 2-0 to the home team.

Captain Riley added a power play goal to make it 3-0 early in the second period, assisted by Rutherford and Connolly, while 'keeper Whistle and a resolute defence managed to keep Fife scoreless through the second period.

Ferland finished off a flowing move by the hosts with just over five minutes left in the middle period to make it 4-0 and put the home team in a commanding position.

In the third period, the Giants' all-time leading scorer Shields added a fifth goal of the night, shortly before Rutherford and Murphy found the net to round off the scoring.

Belfast's last appearance in the Challenge Cup final was in 2014 when they lost to the Nottingham Panthers in a penalty shootout after the two-legged final finished 6-6 on aggregate.