WEEK 6 of the 2025/26 Elite Ice Hockey League season and there are 4 league points up for grabs for the first time this term as the Flyers continue their, so far regular, diet of Giants games with a double header. They make consecutive road trips across the Irish Sea before hosting the defending league Champions at the Fife Ice Arena on Sunday.
SATURDAY OCTOBER 18th BELFAST GIANTS v FIFE FLYERS @ SSE ARENA – FACE OFF 7.00pm
Introducing the opposition – One to Watch!
One of the new faces on the Giants roster has taken very little time to make an impression having already picked up seven points (2+5) in the meetings with Flyers to-date. 29-year-old Canadian two-way centre Jake Gaudet arrived in Belfast from the Cleveland Monsters of the AHL, where he spent the majority of the 2024/25 season. A versatile, left-shot forward, Gaudet brings a strong two-way game, size, and playmaking ability to the Giants’ forward group. Before turning pro, Gaudet played NCAA Division I hockey with the University of Massachusetts (UMass), where he captained the team during its historic run to the 2021 NCAA National Championship. In addition to icing for the Cleveland Monsters, Gaudet also spent time with the Kalamazoo Wings, Cincinnati Cyclones, and Providence Bruins between 2021 and 2025. Head Coach Adam Keefe described his addition as “a solid two-way centre who has remained in the American Hockey League because of it. He skates well, has a strong hockey IQ, and can play in all situations.” Known for his work ethic and responsible play at both ends of the ice, Gaudet is expected to add depth and versatility to the Giants’ forward lines, with the ability to contribute offensively and take on key defensive assignments.
Last Elite League Visit to Giants
GALLERY
Pic Credits – Belfast Giants
Overall Away Elite League Record Against Giants
P 31 W 3 L 28 F 64 A 168
Number Crunching
The Flyers have lost their last four games on the road against the Giants in league play.
The last win for the Flyers in the league at the SSE was January 2024 when a double from Troy Lajeunesse and one from Kyle Osterberg took the game into a shootout with Osterberg getting the game winner for the visitors.
Last term the Giants swept the season series in the league against the Flyers and in their three wins at the SSE arena they outscored Fife 27-6.
The Flyers have of course been shutout in their last two visits to the SSE this term – they have never been shutout in three consecutive visits to an opponent.
This weekend will be the Giants first games in league play this season, the last team to enter the league schedule with their commitments to the Champions Hockey League now over.
The Giants with 8 powerplay goals so far at home this season lead all teams in that statistic.
The Giants have been ahead in their games for 51.38 percent of game play which is best of all teams.
SUNDAY OCTOBER 19th FIFE FLYERS v BELFAST GIANTS @ FIFE ICE ARENA – FACE OFF 5.00pm
Introducing the opposition & One to Watch!
The last time the Giants were in Kirkcaldy it was the first time that the Flyers fans had a chance a new recruit in nets for this season, former Chicago Blackhawks draft pick, Alexis Gravel. The 25-year-old German-born Canadian joined Jackson Whistle on the roster for the team’s double defence having moved from German side Adler Mannheim, giving head coach Adam Keefe a pair of outstanding goaltenders to select from. While Whistle has proven himself to be capable of carrying the team to an Elite League title, being named the Giants’ MVP last season in helping them win a League and Challenge Cup double thanks to a superb .928 save percentage, Gravel comes in with an excellent reputation. The Berlin-born netminder was not only drafted in the sixth round of the 2018 NHL Entry Draft by the Blackhawks but has won scores of individual awards during his career, including being named Outstanding Goaltender and to the First All-Star Team at the 2019 CHL Memorial Cup with the Halifax Mooseheads. Gravel also brings plenty of winning experience on the ice, too, having claimed gold with Canada at the 2018 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Cup and the 2022 University Cup with the University of Québec-Trois-Rivières. The latter of those achievements, coming in the first of three years with the Patriotes which saw him win silver in the University Cup in 2024, was accompanied by more individual recognition as Gravel was named the competition’s Most Valuable Player, and he would rack up two more Second All-Star Team awards in his following two seasons. He has since translated that into the professional sphere, returning to the full-time ranks last season – he had a brief stop with the Allen Americans in 2021 – with the ECHL’s Orlando Solar Bears and excelled, putting up a .927 save percentage in 23 games and earning himself a brief loan spell with the AHL’s Belleville Senators. His season would end in Mannheim, where he was signed to provide backup to now Dallas Stars goaltender Arno Tiefensee and veteran Felix Brückmann for the Deutsche Eishockey Liga Play-Offs, but he would make just two appearances for the Eagles.
Last Elite League Visit from Giants
GALLERY
Credits – Jillian McFarlane and Derek Young
Overall Elite League Home Record Against Giants
P 33 W 9 L 24 F 86 A 122
Number Crunching
The Belfast Giants have won on their last 3 visits to the Kingdom in league play.
The Flyers last win against the Giants on home ice in the league was 24th March 2024 when a Teemu Pulkkinen strike in overtime settled the contest.
Last term the Giants swept the season series in the league against the Flyers and in their three wins at Fife Ice Arena they outscored Fife 17-9.
This will be the 100th meeting between the team in all EIHL competitions – the Giants hold an 80-17-1 record over the Flyers.
The Giants with 1 powerplay goal on the road have fewest of all teams so far this season.
Click the image below for your downloadable gamesheet for Sunday’s game against Belfast Giants
