Giants extend lead at top

Photo: Flyers Images

Belfast Giants extended their lead at the top of the Elite League to eight points with a win in Fife over the Flyers, and taking advantages of results elsewhere.

Two goals in the opening period put Belfast Giants in complete control. JJ Piccinich opened the scoring under three minutes in, while Karl Boudrais made it two just shy of the 14-minute mark to give the Giants a comfortably lead by the end of the first period.

Jackson Whistle, who’d made an excellent sliding save in period one, came up with a fantastic right-pad save to stop the Flyers tying things up just minutes later. That save proved vital as the Giants went back ahead off a tip in front off Elijiah Barriga at 25:27. When JJ Piccinich made it 4-1 at 29:08 the visitors looked to have sewn things up, and seemed in cruise control when David Good win made it 5-1 1:37 into period three.

Massim Carozza scored off a play where Whistle was caught out of his netat 48:50, and then a Michael Cichy powerplay goal brought the Flyers back to within two. Kieran Craig made it 4-2 32 seconds later, before the roof almost came off the Auld Barn when Tyler Heidt tied the game with just 2:49 to play. 

Janis Voris in the Flyers net had made some excellent saves during the game, but was beaten by a soft shot to put the Giants back ahead through Piccinich with 50 seconds to go - his hat trick. Scott Conway scored on the empty net with 13 seconds to go to wrap up a win that the Giants almost threw away.