The Belfast Giants marked their first home game of 2026 in style with a dominant 4–1 victory over the Nottingham Panthers in front of a sell-out crowd at the SSE Arena Belfast 🔥
First Period
The Giants flew out of the blocks, with JJ Piccinich and Ryan Smith testing Kevin Carr early. The breakthrough came when Smith blasted home straight off the draw to give the hosts a deserved 1–0 lead. At the other end, Jackson Whistle was immense, including a huge one-on-one save late in the period to keep the Giants ahead.
Second Period
End-to-end hockey followed, with both goalies shining. The game swung decisively late in the period as Reid Irwin smashed in a one-timer after great work from Ben Lake, before Carr’s misjudged clearance gifted Marcus Eriksson an easy finish just 36 seconds later. Suddenly it was 3–0 Giants and the Arena was rocking.
Third Period
Nottingham pushed hard and eventually pulled one back through Jordan Kelsall, but the Giants stayed composed. With the Panthers net empty, Ryan Smith sealed the win with his second of the night, firing home from deep to cap a superb all-round performance.
Final score: Belfast Giants 4–1 Nottingham Panthers ✅
Up Next
The Giants are straight back on the ice tomorrow (Sunday) as the Manchester Storm visit Belfast for a 4pm face-off. Big atmosphere loading… 👀
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