The Stena Line Belfast Giants made it a four point weekend thanks to a 4-3 shootout win on the road against the Cardiff Devils. David Rutherford scored the game winning goal in this Erhardt Conference tie with Jackson Whistle performing heroics in net during the shootout after Sebastien Sylvestre’s equaliser with only 5 seconds remaining.
Sunday’s win in Wales follows Saturday’s 5-4 road win against the Blaze and sees the Giants move into first place in the Elite League standings.
Frantic First Period Serves Up Four Goals
Sebastien Sylvestre opened the scoring for the Giants at 2:36 with a powerplay strike, following up on Blair Riley’s shot. Layne Ulmer equalised at 5:46 as the Devils posted a powerplay goal of their own.
Patrick Asselin grabbed a go-ahead goal for the home side at 8:01 as the Devils doubled their lead with a second powerplay effort.
John Kurtz and Justin Faryna tangled up in front of the visitors bench and dropped the gloves at 8:11.
Ryan Martinelli’s well placed shot at 10:48 brought the visitors back onto level terms after Sebastien Sylvestre found the defenceman wide open in the Cardiff zone.
Devils Powerplay Edges Hosts Ahead
With Referee Hicks sending both Sebastien Sylvestre and Matt Towe to the penalty box, the home side capitalised on the two man advantage. Joey Martin, assisted by Paris and Morissette, squeezed the puck past Whistle at 30:44 to edge the Devils in front.
Sylvestre Strikes Late
The final period was filled with end to end action as both Whistle and Bowns were called into action on multiple occasions. Then, with only five seconds to go and the netminder pulled, the Giants struck through Sebastien Sylvestre, assisted by Brandon Benedict, to equalise in the most dramatic fashion.
Rutherford Clinches The Win
With a scoreless overtime period, the game finished with penalty shots. Jackson Whistle saved all five of the Devils’ attempts with David Rutherford scoring the all important winner, giving the Giants two valuable Elite League points on the road.
Final Score:
Cardiff Devils 3-4 Stena Line Belfast Giants (Shootout)
Giants Man of the Match:
#1 Jackson Whistle
Next Up?
The Giants play #3 and #4 of their 10 game road swing next weekend against Milton Keynes and Guildford on Saturday and Sunday respectively.
The Giants next home games are against the Edinburgh Capitals and Braehead Clan on Friday 29th December and Saturday 30th December respectively. Tickets are now on sale online at ticketmaster.ie as well as from the Arena Box Office either in person or by calling (028) 9073 9074.
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