Giants within two points of league leaders

Photo: Phillip Magowan

Belfast Giants moved to within two points of Cardiff Devils at the top of the Elite League with a 5-2 win over Dundee Stars in front of a sold-out 6,627-strong crowd at the SSE Arena.

It was an opening 20 minutes in which the Giants were unlucky to not be more than one ahead after 20 minutes, but could easily have given up a tying goal with the final play of the period.

The Giants had sustained pressure in the Stars zone and while skating on a powerplay where the visitors failed to clear the puck, Elijiah Barriga worked the puck to Gabe Bast at the point, and he fed Scott Conway for an excellent one-timer from the circle to open the scoring with 14:39 played. Jake Elmer could have tied the game on a 1-on-0 as the seconds ticked down on the period, but a good back-check from Kyle Osterberg combined with a fumble on the puck saw the Stars forward fail to get a shot away. A quick period flew by in just 25 minutes.

Belfast doubled their advantage 2:08 into the second on an odd-man rush with a sublime wrist shot from Grant Mismash which sent Richard Sabol's water bottle flying.

Dundee, who killed off a 5-on-3 in the period, were back in things when a loose puck along the wall was fired past Tom McCollum by Zach Tsekos, and the Stars forward had one of two excellent chances to tie the game – the other falling to Cole MacDonald – only for McCollum to come up with the stop 1-on-0. An interference call on Ben Lake with just under seven minutes left in the period set the Stars up for another shot at an equaliser – but Bobo Carpenter broke and scored shorthanded a minute later with an excellent drag and shot past Sabol.

Dundee brought the game back to a one-goal differential at 46:19 through Jake Elmer on the powerplay as the SSE Arena became a little more nervy. The visitors had another powerplay sone two minutes later to try and tie the game, but couldn't beat McCollum third time. JJ Piccinich settled nerves among the Giants with an excellent finish at 57:34 to put the home side back two ahead with 2:26 to go, while Pierre-Olivier Morin slotted into the empty net in the closing seconds to make it 5-2 - that after Grant Mismash had missed the open cage twice on previous plays.