New Season
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Giants off to a flyer
Blog from door 19!!!
Season ticket £330, new Giant's shirt £60, pint of ropey arena lager £3.40, the look on Thommo's face conceding an empty netter seven seconds after he called a time out: PRICELESS! Seriously though... it was a dream weekend for the season's favourites, my team, the home team, the Aer Lingus Belfast Giants. After picking up my newly re-printed season ticket and ordering by brand, spanking new home jersey, after a long while of thinking and debating with myself I finally decided upon Mason number 3, what's not to like there, a stay at home defence man from Massachusetts, very reminiscent of last year's choice Tommy Walsh. So I bought my shirt of the back tickets, I really, really wanted to win Brandon Benedict's jersey, but as usual I came up short! Settling down in my seat with a luke-warm glass of Budweiser, I surveyed the arena, I hadn't been there since March and I finally felt as if I had returned home.
The NHL challenge emblem in the centre of the ice and the NHL corporate sponsors lined the boards, it was a new look arena to home a new look team. In our temporary seats I pondered how the new Giant's side would shape up against last year's league winners at home. My seat was positioned over the Away team's tunnel so I would get a good look at Thommo's side for 2010-2011 leaning over the railing I waited for the clock to tick down and for the first period to start. Todd Kelman had a surprise for the crowd announcing the arrival of 'a new Giant' that made me sit up and pay attention! I mean, I knew we had a full roster and there were no injuries announced so that was a bit of a shock. And Todd was telling no word of a lie, out onto the ice stepped a brand new mascot, a relevant mascot, Finn Mac Cool (http://www.ballycastle.free-online.co.uk/info/finnmaccool.htm) the man behind the legend and the emblem on the Belfast Giant's jerseys. I liked the gorilla but it was a bit confusing what that had to do with the Giants. The new opening video was pretty impressive, a lot better than that monotonous video from last season that was good the first time it was shown but the weekly shouts of, 'look there's me on the TV' did tend to grate on one's nerves. The Blaze and the Giants hit the ice, a clash of the proverbial titans.
After the defeat of Coventry in the Charity Shield, beating the Devils in their 'wee tent' and getting a point from the Panthers away in Nottingham, Belfast had a definite psychological edge. The new Giants side skated out, proud and confident the crowd were pumped and the tussle began. I was excited to see the more than impressive side that Doug Christiansen had put together. Okay I admit I groaned when Russ Cowley lifted the puck over Murph's arm and the Blaze went one up. From my seat I could see the sheer delight on Thommo's face as he patted the players on the back, barking out orders to his bench. The sweetest moment I have experienced at a Coventry match, Mike Hoffman, who has been written off by many of the Elite League sides as the new 'Macmorrow,' helped home a shot set up by Josh Prudden, Doug Christiansen knew that he had vindicated his signing and the delight was visible as the Giant's bench errupted. The pressure was kept on the Giants until the clock ran down and the period ended, the new side were more than impressive and were getting screwed over with the usual mediocre refereeing that accompanies a Blaze match.
The second period started pretty much as it meant to go on with a beautiful shot by Tim Cook, from Benny and Shieldsy. It was nice to sit at a Chav's match and not have to watch it through your fingers so you don't have to see Thommo's big smug face. Prudden set Peaks up with the Giant's third goal of the match to put some distance between the Giants and the Chavs, an assist also to the Hoff, proving to be a wise purchase. Greg Owen in the third pulled back a goal but it seemed almost futile, I mean the Blaze were playing as if their hearts weren't in it and they were completely out classed and out played by the Giants. Then Thommo panicked, his beloved League winners were looking as if they were beatable, they would leave Belfast with a bad memory and not the two points on offer, so he did the most predictable thing, he put all his eggs in the six player basket and benched his goalie.
I personally hate the 'pulling the goalie' tactic, it never works and it mostly results in the concession of a goal. Bayrack found an opening, negotiated the Blaze stragglers and placed the puck in the empty net. It was a fantastic result and I hadn't enjoyed a match as much since 2008/2009 when I was new to following the Giants and not stuck in the seats from hell. I learned a few things from Saturday night's match:
1. Greg Chambers has no class, I realise that he has to have a 'us and them' mentality but he ignored the little kids trying to high five him in the tunnel. Its not as if he would become weak and not be able to play as mediocre as usual if he interacted with the children in the crowd.
2.It was a good weekend for the Brits; a hat trick for David 'Dave Clarke 5' Clarke, Craig Peacock scored as did Phil Hill, and Coventry's first goal at the Odyssey was from Russ Cowley with assists from Aaron Nell and Ross Venus.
3.There must be a virus on the Coventry website!....Either that or it's sour grapes that prevents game reports from the Giant's matches! Apparently the Blaze ENL is more important to have coverage.
4.Also the Coventry video highlights has stupid commentary (almost as bad as Nigel Ringland for the Giant's webcasts and DVDs) the commentator made one mis informed observation: "Thank god that puck fell to Hoffman, any one else would have scored." Correct me if I'm wrong but Hoffman scored the Giant's first goal on Saturday night and got an assist, he also got an assist on Sunday in Coventry. He's also a hell of a lot more effective than their 'hard man' Smith.
Sooooo.....Its looking good for Saturday against the Caps! I'm getting inked at 3pm and I no longer work for the hell demon that restricted my attendance last year so this season is looking rosy!
GO GIANTS!
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| 12th March 2006 19:00 | ||
5-3 |
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| 12th March 2006 19:00 | ||
4-5 |
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| 12th March 2006 19:00 | ||
1-4 |
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| 12th March 2006 19:00 | ||
4-4 |
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| 11th March 2006 19:00 | ||
2-4 |
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| 11th March 2006 19:00 | ||
| Club | GP | W | L | OL | GF | GA | Pts |
|---|
5-8 |
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| 19th March 2006 19:00 | ||
5-1 |
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| 19th March 2006 19:00 | ||
4-1 |
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| 19th March 2006 19:00 | ||
5-2 |
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| 19th March 2006 19:00 | ||
3-7 |
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| 19th March 2006 19:00 | ||
1-1 |
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| 19th March 2006 19:00 | ||
| Club | GP | W | L | OL | GF | GA | Pts |
|---|
- Adam Walker
- Alex Birch
- Andy Pierce
- Chris Gent
- Christopher Beal
- Craig Simpson
- Dave Simms
- Elliott Stanley
- Gareth Chalmers
- James Broughton
- James Gordon
- Katy Madgwick
- Luke Catterson
- Mark Briggs
- Mark Duell
- Mat Young
- Patrick Smyth
- Promotion
- Russ Morrell
- Seanna Murdock
- Stephen Dowson
- Stewart Roberts
- Tom Forster
- Vicki Smart
- William Lyon
