Clan win fourth straight game

Photo: Al Goold

Glasgow Clan picked up their fourth straight win, inflicting Belfast Giants' first Cup defeat of the season, with a 3-1 win at a near sold-out Braehead Arena.

Mark Cooper gave Belfast an ideal fast start on the road with the opening goal inside a minute. After Landon Bow made two excellent saves, Mark Cooper banked a puck in off the back of Bow's pads to put the Giants one ahead after 58 seconds.

Tom McCollum was crucial to keeping the Giants ahead in the opening stages. Belfast goalie made an excellent pad save as Clan looked to take the lead early. The Giants were a danger on the powerplay in the opening period without extending their lead, while Clan were left frustrated by a string of McCollum stops, including on Mitchell Heard.

McCollum stopped one breakaway early in period two, and was then able to prevent Heard scoring on another 1-on-0 – however, Devon Sideroff picked up the rebound behind the net and wrapped the puck around to level the game less than five minutes into the second. The Giants goalie prevented Clan taking the lead with a breakaway stop on Mike Pelech with a little under five minutes to go in the period.

Pelech did, however, put the Clan ahead in period three. Darien Kielb's shot was stopped by McCollum but Pelech, in front of the net, batted in the rebound to put his team into the lead at 45:41.

A late penalty on Cooper made the Giants' task of levelling things up harder, and with McCollum pulled they could only watch on as Deven Sideroff slotted into the empty net with 34 seconds to go.