Giants into cup final after narrow win over Panthers

Photo: Darren Kidd

Belfast Giants are into the 2022 Premier Sports Challenge Cup Final thanks to a 2-1 win over the Nottingham Panthers.

As the highest seed from the Group Stage, the Giants will host the final at the SSE Arena in Belfast.

It was a tight game throughout in front of 3,581 fans in Belfast. Kevin Carr was the difference for large parts of the opening period until the home side eventually broke the deadlock with 17:14 played - the Giants won the puck in the neutral zone, and David Goodwin skated to the top of the circle and beat Carr high to put the Giants 1-0 ahead.

5:47 into period two, the Panthers made full use of a Mark Garside interference minor and tied the game through Jeremy Welsh who won the puck on the offensive blueline and skated in to shoot past Jackson Whistle.

The Panthers, ideally, needed to come out of the period on level terms but were undone with 91 seconds left in the middle frame - Goodwin against the scorer for the Giants, and from an almost identical spot on the ice.

That goal proved to be the game-winner. The Panthers pushed for a way back to tie things in the final period but didn't manage to carve out any Grade-A opportunities to really worry Whistle. Carr was pulled inside the final minute of the game, but the Giants were twice able to clear the puck and held on to reach their first Challenge Cup Final since winning it in 2019.