Belfast Giants: Midweek win against Clan edges Belfast closer to top seed goal in Challenge Cup

Another win would guarantee the Giants end the group stage as the top seeds, giving them the pick of their semi-final opponents, although the result of Sheffield versus Coventry this weekend could also decide it in their favour too.

Looking back at the midweek win head coach Adam Keefe said: “Overall I was pleased with how the game against Glasgow went.

“I would have liked to have controlled the game much more than we did, but at the same time Glasgow are a very good team.

“There top six are dangerous combination and are a threat that you can’t take lightly at all, they have a lot of speed.”

He added: “They are also pretty good defensively as well, so it took a lot to break them down. We had two big powerplay goals which were big factors in getting that win.

“It was also really nice to see Zak Galambos get his first professional goal, and our second of the night.

“At the end of the day taking two points from Glasgow is important, especially since they help us on our goal in the Challenge Cup.”

It was an encounter which really saw very little between both sides up until the second period.

Keefe said: “There were quite penalties early in the game which impacted on the flow of the game both for ourselves and Glasgow.

“Either team was either killing a penalty or on the powerplay, that can stop the flow of the game and I think that is what we saw on Wednesday night.

“It didn’t allow either team to get much of a momentum in the game.

“Having said that, the powerplay goal from Bobo Carpenter helped to give us so momentum

“Then the five-on-five goal from Galambos really did turn the game in our favour. It allowed us to build on our lead.

“When they got one back in the third period it was nice to get another powerplay goal to give us a bit more breathing room in the game.”

Keefe says that he is pleased with how the Giants powerplay has been working this season.

He said: “We have a lot of really good players on the team, so I am not surprised to see our powerplay working.

“Sometimes, the powerplays don’t go our way, so we need make sure that the guys don’t get too frustrated and stick with our game.

“I am sure, looking back, the two powerplays that we got in the first period, that they guys will have been pleased with how they went.

“They had to stick with it and keep trying break Glasgow down and we did and we were rewarded with two big powerplay goals.”

Keefe says that Corey Neilson has brought together a good team at Braehead.

He said: “If you look a little deeper into them as a squad statistically, their analytics every night are very good.

“They have an ability to control a game, we know that every time that we have to play them they are going to be tough opponents.

“We are just happy to have come out of that game on the right side and with the points.”

Keefe was happy to see Galambos on the scoresheet having recently returned from injury.

He said: “I think that Zak had a great game, he probably could have had two goals. Defensively he was also solid.

“It was nice to see him have a good game which will help boost his confidence.

“Hopefully he will continue to get better as he gets to play more games.

“It is really nice to know that he can add that firepower at the back end. That will be another threat that we can pose.”

The Giants wrap up the round-robin stage of the Challenge Cup on Saturday against the Fife Flyers.

In the last encounter between the two sides the Giants romped home to a comfortable 7-0 victory on the road in Kirkcaldy.

On Sunday, the Giants are back in league against the Glasgow Clan at the SSE Arena in a reversal of Wednesday match up in Scotland.