Giants too hot for Storm

Photo: Mark Ferris

Belfast extended their unbeaten run to 11 games in all competitions with a dominant display against Manchester at the Storm Shelter.

The first period was played at an excellent pace and took only 29 minutes to complete as the teams went up and down with very few stoppages. Belfast took the lead with a lovely 2-on-1 interchange between Mark Cooper and Ben Lake allowing the latter to slot home into an open cage 2:44 into the game. The Storm responded under 30 seconds later however when Zach Sullivan wrist through traffic from the point with 3:11 gone.

The Giants took hold of the game with three goals in the middle period. Lake needed only 11 seconds of period two to put the Giants back ahead, pouncing on a loose puck in the Storm zone after Mark Cooper had snuck in down the win totally unmarked. The visitors made it 3-1 at 31:19 with the impressive Scott Conway doing it all himself on the breakaway, holding off the defenseman behind him and slotting home. Things got better for them, and worse for Storm, when JJ Piccinich made it four with 3:10 left in the period.

Jordan Boucher killed off any hopes of a Storm comeback with the Giants' fifth of the night at 48:54 going coast to coast, through the middle of the defense, and picking out a fine finish with arguably the goal of the game. He added his second of the night from close range at 58:34 to seal an excellent road win for the Giants.