An enthralling Saturday night hockey game unfolded between Manchester Storm and Belfast Giants, with the visitors securing a 7-3 victory.

The opening period was fiercely competitive, reflecting the typical intensity between the Storm and Giants, with several incidents ensuring the spectators were treated to a lively contest. The ever-present Conway capitalised early, using his sharp puck-tracking abilities to score within the first two minutes. This lead was swiftly doubled when Cooper netted a rebound on the powerplay in the fifth minute. Carpenter then added to the Giants’ tally with a brilliant solo effort, leaving the hosts reeling as they found themselves three goals down within just nine minutes. However, a turning point came when Bast was ejected for unsportsmanlike conduct following a high check from Carpenter. This incident galvanised the Storm, and with a second opportunity on the powerplay, D’Aoust fired a shot past Whistle’s glove with just 30 seconds remaining in the first period.

The momentum the Storm had built towards the end of the first period was quickly extinguished by Belfast, as a face-off win allowed Lee to fire a shot from the point, restoring the Giants’ three-goal cushion. Yet, Manchester responded immediately, with Durflinger deflecting the puck into the Giants’ net just 13 seconds later.

As with the previous two periods, the Giants came out strong and netted their fifth goal through Barriaga, who capitalised on Manchester’s failure to clear the puck from danger. Belfast effectively sealed the result with Cooper’s second goal of the night in the 44th minute. Although Griffiths scored his first goal for the Storm, briefly unsettling the Giants, an empty-netter from Cooper completed his hat-trick and handed Manchester their first league loss of the season.

Words by: Callum Schora