Manchester Storm stayed in the top three of the Elite Ice Hockey League standings with a home win over defending champions Belfast Giants on Sunday night in front of 1,820 fans at the Storm Shelter.

The hosts were in a hole after Mark Cooper and Mat tMcLeod scored either side of the first intermission to put the Giants two up, but a Cam Critchlow goal at 22:17 and then Dallas Ehrhardt equaliser some 14 minutes later made things all square heading into the third.

Captain Critchlow put Storm ahead 17 seconds into period three after Stephen Johnson dug the puck out of the corner and sent it towards the front of Tyler Beskorowany’s net. Will Merchant fired into the empty net with 74 seconds remaining to confirm the win, handing the Giants their fourth straight loss.