Elite League play-offs: Belfast Giants 6-0 Dundee Stars

The Belfast Giants are one win away from a Grand Slam after beating the Dundee Stars 6-0 in the Elite League Play-off semi-final in Nottingham.

They will face either Cardiff Devils or Guildford Flames in Sunday's showpiece.

While the pinnacle of the Elite League season is clinching the title there is something to be said about winning the final game at the end of season party known as the play-offs.

It's a colourful spectacle with fans from all over the country congregating at the National Ice Centre in Nottingham to celebrate the season.

This season two of the traditional semi-finalists weren't there with Nottingham and Sheffield missing. With Dundee in the building there was a raucous rendition of Flower of Scotland before the battle with the Giants began.

There is a different atmosphere to a Final Four game; the pace feels like double the speed of a regular contest and the intensity in the early stages is cranked up.

It looked like a few Giants weren't expecting what they found as the Stars got right in their faces from the opening puck drop. Tyler Beskorowany was the first of the two netminders called into action but it wasn't long before the Giants were forcing Adam Morrison into some saves as well.

It was an even match-up with the referees keeping their whistles in their pockets. The opening goal was all Mark Cooper. He intercepted a clearing attempt at centre ice, drove towards the net and beautifully delayed his shot to wrong foot Morrison before sliding the puck into the open net.

The Giants were in a dominant mood in Nottingham

The Stars goalie however produced the save of the period as he denied JJ Piccinich point blank to prevent his side going two down.

If the Giants struggled to assert themselves in the opening 20 minutes they had no problems seizing control of the game in the middle period.

Just 63 seconds after the restart a rush up ice saw Ben Lake drop the puck off to Cooper who blasted home his second goal of the game.

The big power forward's hat-trick came when he parked himself in front of Morrison and deflected in a blue line shot from Ciaran Long.

The final will take place on Sunday

A dominant 20 minutes, in which the Giants also killed two powerplays, was completed when Tyler Soy won a puck battle along the boards, found Jordan Boucher who returned the puck to Soy who tucked it home from close range.

It was about managing the game for the Giants in the third period and with the Stars' frustration building there were opportunities to get in some practice on the powerplay ahead of the final.

Both goals in the final period were with the man advantage as Lewis Hook capitalised on a scramble in front of the Stars net and Cooper turned provider for David Goodwin to score.

Beskorowany made 19 stops in his shutout including a triple save that defied belief. He was the goaltender three years ago - the last time the play-offs were held pre-Covid - when the Giants lost 2-1 to Cardiff in the final when they were chasing a Grand Slam.

"That defeat hurt for a long while," he said after this win.

"We don't want to let this chance slip again."