Elite League play-offs: Cardiff Devils win final to deny Belfast Giants treble

Once again, the Elite League play-off final proved one game too far for the Belfast Giants in their quest for a Grand Slam.

As it was in 2019, they lost out to the Cardiff Devils although the 6-3 scoreline was not a fair reflection of the game with two empty net goals padding it out in the Welsh team's favour.

For the Giants, there was no hanging their heads in disappointment afterwards. Far from it, in fact.

"The guys are in the locker room celebrating the season we've had. We are the champions, the best team in this league and anyone who knows hockey, knows that," explained captain David Goodwin.

"Credit to Cardiff, they played us tough, but it won't take us 24 hours to get over this, more like 24 minutes."

Losing the last game in Nottingham does leave a sour taste in the mouth of fans especially, but nothing that happened this weekend takes away from the past nine months. One bad result does not make a season.

After losing an entire campaign to Covid-19, the Giants returned to the ice with a new-look team, one that entertained throughout the season, scoring more goals and conceding fewer than any other team.

Tyler Beskorowany, Griffin Reinhart, JJ Piccinich and Scott Conway all made the Elite League All-Star team while Piccinich was the league's most valuable player.

There was the comeback for the ages against Cardiff in the Challenge Cup Final in front of 7,300 fans at a sold-out SSE Arena and the ultimate prize of winning the Elite League, the best team over the grind of 54 games.

Attendances averaged out at almost 4,500 at home as the Giants cemented their place in the sporting fabric of Northern Ireland as the highest-attended indoor sport.

Like in 2019, the Giants were beaten by the Cardiff Devils in the play-off final

It wasn't to be in the final as Cardiff skated into an early 2-0 lead with goals from Cole Sanford and Jake Coughler.

However, five minutes into the second period, Scott Conway and Ben Lake struck back for the Giants to level the game.

It then became a match-up of Giants puck possession against the physicality of Cardiff as they sought to use their numerical advantage and wear the Giants down. Injuries to Kevin Raine and Jordan Boucher in Saturday's semi-final win over Dundee proved crucial as Cardiff were able to roll four lines to the Giants three.

Stephen Dixon's goal with 20 seconds remaining in the second period was a gut-punch and Brodie Reid's powerplay marker early in the final 20 minutes would prove a mountain too high to climb but the Giants tried with Tyler Soy's goal giving them the chance to force overtime.

It wasn't to be, though, as the empty netters from Trevor Cox and Josh Lammon rounded off the scoring.

"You can't be upset at this group of players after the season they've had," summed up coach Adam Keefe.

Two trophies to celebrate, not a bad return