An overtime winner from Patrick Watling settled this game, probably the best seen at the SSE Arena in Belfast this season.

The crowd of 7347 weren’t shortchanged in any way with the last two champions going head-to-head.

After Mark Simpson gave the Steelers the lead the Giants came back to lead 2-1 thanks to goals from Josh Roach and Cameron Pound.

The Giants played one of their best games of the season and they had plenty of chances while leading 2-1 to increase that advantage but the Steelers are the Elite League champions for a reason and back they came to lead 3-2 with strikes from Kevin Tansey and Mitchell Balmas.

David Goodwin’s late equaliser sent the game to overtime but Watling’s winner 44 seconds into the extra period was enough to win the game.

The two sides will do it all again tomorrow night at 7pm.

We’ll be back then, thanks for joining in in the fun tonight

Epic finish to the game and now with a point each in the bag off we go to 5-minutes of sudden death 3-on-3 overtime

Back come the Giants and it’s David Goodwin who equalises with less than two minutes to go.

What a finish!

Last minute….

I did say the Steelers powerplay might make the difference and on cue Mitchell Balmas scores to put them in front

But hang on a second….

It’s a new game as Kevin Tansey’s blast from the blueline beats Jackson Whistle who was screened on the shot

6 minutes to go

Steelers finally get a powerplay and some excellent passing sets up an open net and somehow Brett Neumann hit the post.

No let up to the tempo in this game.

Both sides going at each other, physical play picking up as well.

13 minutes remaining…

Here we go…20 minutes to decide this game.

Will the Giants hold on or can the Steelers mount a comeback?

Giants still ahead but went 0-for-3 on the powerplay in the second period and the Steelers have yet to have a man advantage of their own. That could be crucial.

That being said the Giants are worthy of their lead but it still took two great saves from Jackson Whistle to preserve the one-goal advantage

The home side are carrying the play in the second period and have had a couple of really good chances to increase the lead.

The fact that they haven’t and knowing how good this Steelers side is will be of some concern

Daniel Tedesco hits the post for the Giants who now get the first powerplay of the game

What’s in store for the second period? Hopefully it’s as good as the first

Best period of hockey seen all season. Frenetic pace, some big hits, lots of chances and some super play from both sides.

Three great goals as well.

Giants ahead…but only just

What a first period this is….Giants take the lead as Kohei Sato sets up Cameron Pound who rifles the puck past Anthony Morrone

It’s a raucous crowd tonight and the turn of the home fans to celebrate as Josh Roach leads the charge, lays the puck of for David Goodwin who returns it for Roach to tap into the net.

Super goal from the Giants.

Somehow on the opening shift the Giants give up a 3-on-1 rush on Jackson Whistle and after just 38 seconds the champions are ahead as Mark Simpson goes top-shelf

Once again it’s Jackson Whistle between the pipes for the Giants tonight and at the other end of the ice it’s Anthony Morrone for the Steelers.

There are a huge number of travelling fans in Belfast for the weekend.

The puck is dropped and we are underway.

It’s the final weekend of the regular season and a doubleheader between last season’s champions, Belfast Giants and the side who have dethronthed them, Sheffield Steelers.

The Steelers can break the 90 point mark for the season with at least a point in this game - something that no team has done since the Giants in 2018 when they played six more games. Two wins this weekend would see the Steelers equal Belfast's points total form that season.

Belfast's defeat in Cardiff last Sunday ended their hopes of finishing second, and they go into this final weekend locked into third.

The biggest news of the weekend for Giants fans will be finding out who they face in the play-off quarter-finals. Indeed, both teams could face any one of five others.

Image source, BBC Sport