One trophy in the bag, two more to go for the Belfast Giants
Having claimed the first silverware of the season with a commanding 4-0 Challenge Cup victory over Cardiff Devils earlier this week, the Belfast Giants still have plenty of business to take care of, with two trophies still up for grabs.
Jackson Whistle posted a 37-save shutout for the Giants en-route to lifting the first trophy of the season.
He felt that he had played a solid 60 minutes in the final, he said: “Obviously I am very happy with the result. It was very exciting to big up the cup on home ice.
“I thought that Cardiff came out pretty hard in the first and we did well to contain them. In the second and third we pretty much took over that game.”
Whistle agreed the tempo of a cup final game is always at the different level.
He said: “We had a great crowd here at the SSE and the fans cheering us on will always be the boost the team needs. We’re just delighted to get the job done and pick up the cup.”
Home ice advantage is always a boost explained Whistle, he said: “Having home ice is always huge.
“At the start of the year we set a goal to make sure that we had home ice should we make it all the way to the final.
“We knew we had to do the job in the round-robin stage and then into the semi-final legs against Nottingham to get into the final with home ice.
“It took a lot of effort but we were all pretty pumped to have the home ice tonight that’s for sure.”
Going into the final against the Devils the Giants weren’t taking them lightly.
Whistle said: “They are a good team. They have been doing well all season and already have the Continental Cup.
“They have good players and they came out in the first with plenty of push, but we weathered that.
“I think the guys played a really good 60 minutes and it has paid off for us.”
One trophy in the bag another two up for grabs before the end of the season, Whistle remarked: “We know that the rest of the season is going to be a battle.
“Winning any trophy is huge and we will certainly enjoy it tonight. Then it will be back to business this weekend with the road-trip to Scotland.”
Forward Elijiah Barriga was pleased to have collect his first silverware with the Giants.
He said: “The goal was always there right from the beginning. It was the top priority this year to win the Challenge Cup.”
Barriga agreed that getting the early goals in the first period helped to settle any Giants’ nerves, he explained: “Coming out strong was always our game-plan.
“We are a team that wants to control a game. In order to do that you need to start on time, which is what we did tonight in the first.
“Yes, there was pressure in the opening five minutes but ultimately we didn’t give up to many chances, if we had it might have been a different game.
“The two goals were a great boost for the team and helped set the tempo going into the middle period.”
Barriga was impressed by the performance that Whistle but admitted that it wasn’t too much of a surprise.
“Jackson has been great us all season season. He is very much the backbone of our team right now,” he said.
“We always try and help him out the best we can, so to help get the shutout in the final was great.”
He believes that the cup win at the SSE was a great reward for the fans in the stands.
“They have always been behind us not matter what happens,” he said.
“They have stuck with us throughout the year, so its nice to give them something to cheer about.”
With the cup out of the way the focus turns to the remainder of the year said Barriga: “We will enjoy this win tonight but we still have other trophies that we need to take care off.”