GUILDFORD, 23 NOV – Swedish forward Marcus Eriksson sealed the 5-2 victory for the Belfast Giants against the Guildford Flames on Sunday in an Elite Ice Hockey League campaign, slotting the puck into an empty net in the 57th minute.
The goal came seconds after the Flames made a change, pulling their goaltender Jake Kupsky for the substitution, leaving the net unattended for Eriksson to easily slot the puck and seal the win for the Giants.
Flames assistant coach Andy Hemmings expressed his disappointment after the heated battle, saying: “We got off to a great start so it is disappointing to end up on the wrong side of that one,” despite his side being the first to score.
Canadian Jordan Kawaguchi’s power-play goal at the 26th minute slotted into the bottom net for his seventh league score, giving the Belfast Giants a 2-1 lead.
Englishman Scott Conway, who returned to the Belfast Giants lineup after serving a one-game suspension for a dangerous trip five days earlier, extended just one minute later to 3-1 after getting around Tyler Busch for a slot-in goal off an assist from Reid Irwin.
Josh Waller cut the lead to 3-2, scoring with a shot into the bottom corner in the 35th minute. This occurred before the Flames changed their play from a heavy defensive style to significant pressure and a formation to create chances.
“We will have to take the positive stuff we did and use that as part of the re-group this week,” said Hemmings. “To see what we can do in Cardiff Friday, before Dundee comes to us on Sunday.”
Captain of the home team, Matt Alvaro, put the Flames in the lead in the game’s opening minutes, scoring his first goal of the league campaign in the fourth minute by finding the top corner over the shoulder of Giants keeper Jackson Whistle. But Giants captain, David Goodwin, was quick to retaliate just two minutes later, capitalising on a weak pass to equalise.
Furthering the gap, the away side’s summer signing Jake Gaudet slipped the puck past Kupsky, who had made crucial saves earlier in the game, to make the scoreline 4-2 to the Giants in the 52nd minute, with Mike Lee recording his second assist of the game.
The Flames now sit in seventh place in the EIHL table and look to prepare for their away game against Cardiff, ranked third on the table, on Friday.
