Motorpoint Arena, Nottingham — The Belfast Giants punched their ticket to the Elite League Playoff Final with fifty minutes to spare, such was the extent of their dominance over the Nottingham Panthers in the final four.
Adam Keefe’s squad stuttered in the quarter finals, but were back to their ruthless best in time for puck drop at Motorpoint Arena, breaking the deadlock within two minutes of play thanks to Steven Owre.
While the Panthers forced three early saves from Tyler Beskorowany in response, they were always vulnerable on the backcheck and immediately made to pay for their defensive mistakes by the Giants.
Sean Norris doubled Belfast’s advantaged shortly after the five-minute mark, winning a puck battle above the blue paint before knocking the puck beyond former teammate Peyton Jones.
Ben Lake added a third to his team’s tally five minutes later, sneaking into the offensive zone while his linemates changed and lasering a shot into the top left corner to end any hopes of a Panthers revival.
Jack Hopkins reduced the deficit on the powerplay before first intermission – but his goal, albeit well-taken from the low slot, was a gift from the Giants and not evidence of a potential comeback.
“It’s not something I’m bothered about right now,” Hopkins told British Ice Hockey shortly after he was named player of the match. “I think we showed the team that we could be [in the playoffs]. It obviously hasn’t been an amazing year but we showed what we have today.”
The Giants and Panthers traded goals in periods two and three – with David Goodwin, Stephen Anderson, and Jakub Izacky adding their names to the scoresheet– but the outcome was already set.
Belfast advance to another final with braces from Norris and Lake, while the Panthers crash out of black hole season.
Belfast Giants advance, Nottingham Panthers head home
“I wasn’t surprised by the start,” said Keefe, “once our practice ended yesterday, the focus shifted to the game and they’ve looked ready and locked in all day. It doesn’t always mean that you’re going to come in with a three-nothing lead, but we looked comfortable to start the game.
“Sometimes a three-goal lead that early can come back to haunt you because you change the way you play once you feel comfortable, but that wasn’t the case tonight [because] Nottingham made us work for it.”
While the Giants were punished for the mistakes by the Panthers, their tempo control was never called into question by an opponent unable to create chances on the cycle. Belfast, by contrast, were neat in possession and dominated the territory battle as a result.
Keefe’s top-six often steals the headlines, but it was his third-line centreman who made the difference.
“I’m pretty happy to be playing in another final,” Lake told British Ice Hockey.
“We spoke all week about how we maybe let off the gas a little bit last weekend, there was a little exhale from the whole group after winning the league, but we rose to the occasion once we made it here. It was massive for us to start the game on the front foot and we’re really happy to get the win.”
Corey Neilson, Nottingham Panthers (Image: Andy Burnham)
After the final buzzer sounded, Panthers head coach Corey Neilson was quick to heap praise on the squad that ended his season.
“Congratulations to the Belfast Giants, they’re a fantastic hockey team, and I’ll be cheering for them tomorrow,” Neilson told reporters in Nottingham.
“When there are bounces to be had, championship-level teams like Belfast find and deserve them. We haven’t had the bounces fall in our favour all season, but I was really proud of the dedication and effort from my group tonight.”
Whoever advances on the other side of the bracket, the Giants enter the final as clear favourites
