Giants win league title with shootout victory!

Photo: Dean Woolley

Belfast Giants have been crowned 2021/22 Premier Sports Elite League champions after beating Sheffield Steelers 2-1 in a shootout at the Utilita Arena.

Mark Cooper put the Giants, who needed any sort of win to lift the title, into the lead just 92 seconds into the game with a powerplay goal in the slot. Tyler Beskorowany kept the visitors ahead late in the period with an excellent diving save. 

Sheffield started period two strong and were level 38 seconds in thanks to a snipe from Tanner Eberle that flew past Beskorowany into the top corner. Rok Stojanovič made the save of the period with a point-blank reaction to keep the game level.

Period three was a tense affair, but the best chance to take the game in regulation came inside the final two minutes when Mac-Olivier Vallerand just couldn't get his stick on a loose puck behind Beskorowany.

Both teams had chances to win the game in overtime, but the game was eventually decided in a shootout. No goals were scored through the opening five rounds, and after John Armstrongsaw his shot go into Beskorowany's glove it fell to Scott Conway to score the golden goal and deliver Belfast the league title!