A departure from what has become the norm for the Belfast Giants in recent years as they head to Nottingham for the Elite League’s Play-Off Finals Weekend. The last two years they have travelled trying to complete a treble of trophies — this year they head there looking just to try and finish the season with one.
It has been a lean season for the organisation, inconsistency in the League seeing them finish well adrift of the champion Sheffield Steelers in third, while a disastrous 10-minute spell in the second leg of their Quarter-Final against the Coventry Blaze cost them the Challenge Cup.
Under head coach Adam Keefe, who took over in 2017, the Giants have never finished a full season trophyless. Now they have two games remaining to try and maintain that record and go into the off-season on a high after what has been a disappointing campaign overall.
They do so as the team in the best form out of the final four, boasting the League’s best record in the final 20 games of the regular season — 14-3-3 — and having gained revenge on Coventry by winning their Play-Off Quarter-Final 3-2 to book a meeting with the Cardiff Devils in Saturday’s Semi-Final (7.00pm).
Win and that would set up a Grand Final clash on Sunday (5.00pm) with either the Steelers or Guildford Flames, who meet in Saturday’s first Semi-Final, and would give them a one-off clash at claiming silverware.
“It would make all the struggles of this season worthwhile and make sense,” admits Keefe.
Whether we’re aiming to win a Cup, League, or Play-Offs, you’re constantly trying to get through the grind of the season. Sometimes you do it in the League, and sometimes you don’t because another team is superior or more consistent. Sometimes a 10-minute span can cost you, as it did for us in the Cup Quarter-Final.
“This does not define you as a group. If you keep conquering those obstacles, there may be a reward at the end, and that is what we are working toward.
In my opinion, they’ve been developing into the team we’ve always desired. Are we perfect now? No. But there’s one weekend left when, if we keep making progress, we can overcome a difficult season and come away with something to show for it.”
Captain Mark Cooper’s first year wearing the ‘C’ has been a difficult personal season for him, not just because of the team’s deficiencies, but also because he has spent the majority of it on the bench due to a foot ailment.
But now that he’s returned to the lineup and has a goal and two points in his previous three games, the Canadian winger is salivating at the idea of winning a trophy.
My opinion is they’ve been becoming the team we’ve wanted all along. Are we perfect right now? No. But there’s one weekend left where, if we keep making those strides, we can overcome a tough season and end it with something to take home.”
For captain Mark Cooper, his first year wearing the ‘C’, it has been a difficult personal season not just because of the team’s shortcomings but because he has spent the majority of it on the sidelines with a foot injury.
But now back in the line-up and having recorded a goal and two points in his last three games, the Canadian winger is salivating at the prospect of lifting silverware.
We weren’t great at forgetting about the downs and moving on but, as the season went on, we grew and matured and learned how to build and not let a bad play or bad goal affect us.
“The Play-Off format here allows the hottest teams to get into the Final and win. Right now we’re rolling on a high so we want to keep that.”
It wouldn’t be a Finals Weekend without the Giants taking on the Devils. The last three Grand Finals have seen the two sides face-off, with the Welsh side winning two of them, but the Giants finally got one over on them in last year’s Final to do the treble.
This season the pair meet in the last-four instead but that shouldn’t change what will be a fantastic tie, particularly given in their last two games of the campaign they split the results by claiming a win each.
