The Flyers returned to Belfast following their midweek defeat at the SSE to meet the Giants for the final time this season. The visitors were along similar lines although Ben Brown was also scratched along with those missing 4 days earlier, Shane Owen, Olivier LeBlanc, Aiden Wilson, James Spence and Joe Lynch. The home side started Tom McCollum in net and Elijiah Barrigia retuned in place of Grant Mismash with long term injury victim Joe Cassetti still out and Karl Boudrais and Kyle Osterberg also scratched.

The Giants were first to threaten with two good chances inside the opening minute for Mike Lee. His first was from a down low position that Jānis Voris snuffed out and then he beat the Flyers keeper but was denied by the crossbar. The Flyers responded and McCollum was in the game moments later with a solid save when Michael Cichy drove the Giants zone to set up Lucas Chiodo from an angle. The visitors had the lead inside the second minute when a quick up through the neutral zone by Austin Farley sprung Charles-Antoine Paiement who drove the net and went forehand backhand to lift the puck over McCollum. The lead was short lived as the Giants leveled 35 seconds later when JJ Piccinich skated into the zone and showed great patience to outwait Voris before slipping the puck to Scott Conway to find the wide open net. 45 seconds later and the Giants took the lead as Mark Cooper came round behind the net and tried to beat Voris short side only for the puck to roll off his stick but fortunately land on Ben Lake’s stick who found the net from the low slot. In the 4^th minute the Flyers threatened again when they once more got in behind the Giants defence and Evan MacKinnon had his shot turned away by McCollum’s left pad. Voris made a fine pad save in the 7^th minute from Jordan Kawaguchi and then got his shoulder on a drive from the blueline. Chiodo broke into the Giants zone in the 8^th minute and as he tried to get his shot away he was hooked by Josh Roach to send the Flyers on the first powerplay of the game. The Giants almost added a third with a short handed bid as Piccinich set up Conway but Voris flashed the glove. Flyers did have a couple of chances that both fell to Cichy with his first from tight in on goal blocked by McCollum before he missed the goal with a one timer with some net showing as the Giants completed the kill. In the 12^th minute the Flyers were denied again by McCollum as MacKinnon picked up a big rebound from the Belfast keeper but was thwarted with a great recovery save. The Giants went the other way and stretched their lead when Bobo Carpenter picked the top corner over the glove of Voris from the high slot. Just over 30 seconds later and the Giants struck again as Barriga made the pass across ice to Jeff Baum who had Voris out of position to fire into the net. In the 14^th minute Ciaran Long almost scored from the red line when Voris anticipated a hard around the boards and had to scramble back into his crease to make a desperation save. Tenacious work by Phélix Martineau in the 17^th minute set up a half chance for Kieran Craig but the bobbling puck was smothered by McCollum. Martineau was called for a slash in the final minute of the period to put the Giants on their first power play.

The Giants made their man advantage count at the start of the second period when Lee from down low found Pierre-Olivier Morin in the circles and he had lots of time to beat Voris with a wrister. In the 25^th minute Giants added another two goals. The puck for the first came from the corner and bounced off the pads of Voris before being swatted into the net by Carpenter from the edge of the crease. Carpenter was then  involved in the set up along with Morin who found Barriga streaking into the slot to give Voris no chance. The Flyers were in penalty trouble in the 27^th minute when Martineau was binned for hooking as the Giants went back on the power play. Voris held a hard shot by Gabe Bast but was beaten again as the Giants zipped the puck around the Fife zone and with the Fife keeper being dragged out of position Conway shelfed the puck. McCollum had to look sharp in the 29^th minute to stop Chiodo on a rare Flyers foray into the Giants zone. Voris made a solid save in the 33^rd minute when he tracked Kawaguchi who skated through the slot. In the 36^th minute Voris did well again as he got across to deny David Goodwin who had been set up by Piccinich. The final goal action of the period saw the Fife keeper make a double save to stop Lee than Morin adding to the home sides tally.

The third period stared with Voris making a couple of routine saves inside the opening minute. The Giants had lots of possession in the Flyers zone but the puck was kept to the perimeter for much of the opening 8 minutes. Voris was then called upon to make a shoulder save on Piccinich before he then stopped Barriga with a blocker save who went to the net after picking up a loose puck in the neutral zone. In the 51^st minute Kawaguchi went round the back of the net and came out front but Voris did well to hold his rising shot. Cooper was clean through on goal in the 55^th minute but tried to pull a move on Voris who stayed with him to freeze the puck. The final goal came in the 58^th minute when Barriga had a chance in the slot but saw Carpenter wide open and slipped the puck to him for his hattrick goal. In the final minute Morin snapped a shot from the slot that Voris gloved whilst falling backwards.

Pic Credits – Belfast Giants

Fife Flyers are next at home on Sunday 30th March when they entertain the Sheffield Steelers – tickets can be bought online here:  Tickets – Fife Flyers or look out on social media channels for box office opening times.