Tedesco hat trick enough for Giants

Photo: Derek Black

Daniel Tedesco scored all three goals for Belfast Giants as they picked up a win over Dundee Stars on Tayside.

Period one, in which the teams combined for some 32 shots, ended with the sides tied at one each. Lucas Brine made a great double-save in close with the puck bobbling around early on, before flashing the glove for an excellent point-blank save later in the period. Daniel Tedesco did open the scoring for the Giants at 13:32, but they were pegged back by Anthony Rinaldi finishing the rebound from a Josh Brittian shot after the Giants' clearance up the middle went straight to the Stars defenseman. Both goals in the period were scored on the powerplay. Craig Garrigan had earlier called Tyler Beskorowany into an excellent save as he raced through and made a point-blank deflection that was stopped by the Giants goalie.

Tedesco was then the start of the middle period to separate the teams. He beat Brine across the face of the goal following a neat pass from Blake Speers, before making it a hat trick with a powerplay marker at 25:07. Dundee competed well in the period and would probably consider themselves unlucky to be two down, but they couldn't find a further way past Beskorowany despite some good chances in front of the Giants net.

It was going to need a dirty goal to beat Beskorowany again, and that's what the Stars got with just over 14 minutes to go. Ryan Valentini's shot deflected off Brendan Harms in front of the Giants goalie with make it a 3-2 game at 45:52, the Stars' second powerplay goal of the game. Marc LeFebvre called a timeout with 62 seconds left and pulled Brine for the extra attacker. Harms had a good look at the net in the final seconds, but Beskorowany stood tall and the Giants held on for the win.