Four-goal first period enough for Giants against Devils
Photo: Wiliam Cherry
A four-goal first period, including a hat trick from JJ Piccinich in just over 11 minutes, helped the Belfast Giants to a 5-3 win over the Cardiff Devils on Friday night at the SSE Arena.
Giants' Head Coach Adam Keefe could probably have not asked for a better start from his team who took the lead with just 15 seconds gone through Piccinich on the game's first shot. Not five minutes later the hosts doubled their lead when Ben Lake broke down the left wing and set up Lewis Hook for the one-timer to nicely finish off the 2-on-1 rush.
The Giants went three ahead at 6:19 shorthanded as Hook set Piccinich free down the middle of the ice and he beat Mac Carruth with a smart finish. Piccinich backhanded into the net off a loose puck to make it a hat trick with just 11:19 on the board, a goal which saw Carruth pulled from the net and replaced by Taran Kozun.
Kozun's arrival spurred on the Devils, who were much more in the game in the latter half of the period. Josh Batch pulled one back for the visitors with 12:10 of the clock as the period ended 4-1.
Both Kozun and Tyler Beskorowany were called upon on several occasions to keep the scores as they were during period two which ended goalless.
Beskorowany made an excellent glove save at the beginning of period three to keep the Giants three ahead, but the Devils cut the deficit to two 5:08 into the period on the powerplay thanks to Brandon McNally finishing in close. With 6:47 left in the period, an excellent deke from Justin Crandall got him around Hook and set up Jake Coughler for a nice one-timer from a tight angle.
Beskorowany made a fantastic pad save to keep the Giants in the lead as the game entered the final four minutes and the Devils pushed for an equaliser. Kozun was pulled for the extra skater with 1:47 to go, but the gamble backfired when McNulty turned the puck over in the offensive zone, allowing Slater Doggett to skate to the red line and hit the empty net with 74 seconds left.
The victory brings the Giants to within a point of the Devils having played three games fewer.
