Giants’ add Besko to their coaching lineup

Rob Stewart and Jeff Mason will be behind the bench with Adam Keefe, as Beskorowany takes on an important supporting role as player/assistant coach.

The man known to the Teal Army as ‘Besko’ backstopped the Giants to a scintillating League and Cup double in 2018/19, posting a 2.09 goals against average, a .924 save percentage and eight shutouts in 71 games.

An EIHL Goaltender of the Year award followed, before a move to HC Banska Bystrica in Slovakia.

The announcement of his return earlier this summer was met with a rapturous reception from the Giants’ faithful.

Commenting on the announcement, Belfast Giants head coach said: “Tyler brings strong leadership skills to the coaching staff. Well respected in the locker room and with the experience of having played and tasted Championship success in Belfast, he knows what it takes and what it means to win here.

“He will also bring a fresh and valued perspective to the coaching team; as a goalie, he sees the game from a different angle and I’m looking forward to seeing what he will bring to the table.”

Commenting on the announcement, Tyler Beskorowany said: “I’m excited. There’s a lot of experience behind the bench right now. I’m looking forward to getting the opportunity to getting to learn from Keefer, Jeff Mason and Rob Stewart and maybe teaching them a thing or two too!

“I’ve always been a leader wherever I’ve been; I try to help other people wherever I can. The more I can make other people comfortable, the better off the whole team will be in the long run. I’ll do what I can, try to listen and help out where I can.

“The guys are looking great and I’m feeling really good out there too – everybody’s excited to get playing, getting back into the games, and getting that competitive edge again.”

Tyler added: I’m excited. We’ve got big shoes to fill from the last time I was here; I think we have a good group of guys here and we have a great opportunity to put a couple more trophies in the trophy case for the Giants.”

Tomorrow night, the Belfast Giants will host their first in-person season ticket holder event at The SSE Arena, Belfast.

The #GiantsReborn fan event will herald a brand new era for the club after 18 months off the ice. Fans in attendance will be the first to see the new Belfast Giants 2021/22 squad skate out in the team’s new jerseys, ahead of this weekend’s first away games, on the road to Dundee and Fife.

Tickets for Giants’ long-awaited first home games in October are now on sale at SSEArenaBelfast.com or Ticketmaster.ie