Belfast Giants revel in drama in search for historic Grand Slam
- Published
JJ Piccinich netted a winner in the 10th roud of the shootout
Drama has followed the Belfast Giants throughout their incredible season so far.
It seemed fitting that JJ Piccinich should score the winning penalty shot, in the tenth round, to send the Giants to the Play-off Finals in Nottingham in search of a historic Grand Slam.
After already beating Cardiff in overtime to win the Challenge Cup and clinching the Elite League title in a shootout over Sheffield, it was Coventry Blaze that stood between the Giants and the Final Four.
After a 2-2 draw in the first leg on Saturday a cagey, nervous second leg ended 1-1 with Tyler Soy's second period goal almost immediately cancelled out by Conner Chaulk.
Five minutes of 3-on-3 overtime couldn't find a winner and so the initial five shots of the shootout began.
Everyone missed until Giants captain David Goodwin scored in the fifth round. Surely that would be enough. But Johnny Curran equalised sending it to sudden death and with the order reversed Janne Kivilahti put the Blaze ahead in the sixth round.
Scott Conway had secured the league by scoring the winning penalty in Sheffield two weeks ago. This time he had to find the net to keep the season alive and he produced the most audacious finish to prolong the drama.
None of the 4,500 crowd had left as they watched save matched by save from the two netminders - Tyler Beskorowany and CJ Motte - until Piccinich, with shot number ten, roofed the puck over the shoulder of Motte to cue another on ice celebration.
Giants to face Dundee in semi-finals
The drama wasn't reserved for Belfast however. In a shocking round of quarter-finals the teams that finished second and fourth in the league - Sheffield and Nottingham - were dumped out by Dundee and Guildford respectively.
It means the semi-final line up will see Belfast face Dundee and Guildford will take on Cardiff who scored a late winner to knock out Glasgow
Eleven of the previous sixteen Elite League play-off finals have been between two of the big four teams and the other five have involved at least one.
While fans of Sheffield and Nottingham will disagree, this is a massive boost to the Elite League and shows the depth that exists. Even though the title race very quickly involved just three teams there was great parity with only four points separating fourth to eighth place.
No one will under-estimate Dundee or Guildford but the Giants, who lost 2-1 to Cardiff in the last Play-off final played three years ago before Covid struck while chasing the Grand Slam, know they may not have a better chance of achieving something only Coventry in 2005 and Nottingham in 2013 have done before.