Elijiah Barriga endured the worst possible start to his career with the Belfast Giants, suffering a season-ending knee injury in his fourth appearance for the Northern Irish outfit.
Twelve months on, Barriga’s injury feels like a distant memory, with the American leading the Elite League in goals and points in mid-November.
On Friday, the former Dundee Star spoke exclusively with britishicehockey.co.uk – here is every word he said.
You’re off to a hot start to the season, with nine goals in nine Elite League appearances – how do you rate your start to the season?
Yeah – so far, so good. I’m just excited to be back playing again after a long, rough year. I was excited to play for Belfast in my first year, but injuries happen and that’s part of the game. I just tried to recover the best I could and stuck with it to make sure that I was able to play this year.
Elijiah Barriga, Belfast Giants (Image: William Cherry)
How beneficial was it for you to return for fitness in time for preseason?
I would say that it’s definitely been helpful, having a couple of preseason games to get back into it was good. I’m just really excited to play again and have fun out there as we try to win. It sucks, the injury I had, but I’m happy to be back.
It’s a double-header for the Giants this weekend, what are your expectations ahead of your games against the Fife Flyers and Glasgow Clan?
It’s our last Challenge Cup game for a while, so we want to win that one and then get the ball rolling again in our league campaign.
Elijiah Barriga on Belfast Giants’ championship credentials
Elijiah Barriga, Belfast Giants (Image: William Cherry)
Looking further ahead, what are you hoping to get out of this season?
I mean, the ultimate goal is obviously to bring home the trophies. Personally, I want to do anything I can to help the team, whatever the case may be. I also want to stay healthy and be able to play as much as possible this year. Hopefully, we can string together some wins and keep the ball rolling towards bringing home some championships.
