A goal fest played out before a sizeable crowd in Altrincham, as the Giants dominated large parts of the match to secure a 7-2 victory.

Both sides used the opening exchanges to size each other up, with most shots kept to the outside by the defences of both the Storm and the Giants. However, a wrist shot from the prolific Kawaguchi broke open the game in the 12th minute. The visitors doubled their lead through Cooper just over a minute later, capitalising on poor marking by Manchester in their own zone. But a bar-down snipe from the returning Martin just 13 seconds later halved the deficit, evidently restoring belief within the Shelter.

The middle period saw five goals scored, though unfortunately for the Storm, four of these went to an increasingly rampant Belfast Giants side. A sharp, top-corner shot from Boudrias made it 3-1 after a fortuitous bounce put the puck in his path, which he swiftly directed into the net’s roof. Hebert’s deft deflection from a Morrow point shot on the powerplay brought the Storm back within one in the 28th minute. Yet, a three-goal blitz within five minutes effectively ended the contest a period early, with Roach, Bast, and Barriga adding to the Giants’ lead, which swelled to four goals.

A netminding change saw Oldale thrust into a challenging situation, but the young Brit performed admirably in relief. The final period was more balanced, with both sides striking the iron and creating fewer scoring opportunities. An outstanding save by Whistle somehow denied Griffiths in the match’s closing moments. A late seventh goal was added by the lively and impressive Barriga.

Words by: Callum Schora