Players need downtime to perform at their highest says Giants’ Mike Lee

He said: “Ever since the Christmas break it seems like we haven’t stopped playing games.

“We have had weeks of playing three games but I think we are now getting over that stretch of games.

“Last week we had a game on the Wednesday and then one on Saturday and then on Sunday, and during that stretch of games if you look at our form we have been pretty good form.”

He added: “Obviously we love to play games. But it also nice to get a full week of practice without a game midweek.

“That allows you to focus on your preparations for the weekend without having to break for a game.

“Some guys are a little different. I am the kind of player who likes to get on with the games.

“But it is nice to get some downtime as it allows for rest and recovery which you need to have in a physical league as the one we are playing in.”

He added that getting rest this week is needed for players to perform at their highest.

He said: “Hockey can be quite taxing on the body. You definitely need to take care of yourself so that you can perform at your highest.

“So when you get those breaks it is always nice to take time to recover.”

Lee believes it is not realistic to think that the Giants will take every point available in the remaining games this season. But getting as many as they can to retain their place at the top is crucial, but there are still plenty of games yet to be played.

He said: “You always go into stretches of games hoping to big up all points available, but that sometimes doesn’t work out that way.

“It would be nice if we were going to win every game for the rest of the season but we need to be realistic. That is likely not to happen.”

He continued: “During those games we felt as a group, and also the coaching staff too, that we are capable of much more.

“We are going to push ourselves so that we play games the way that we do, we want to dominate games and not give anyone else any life at all.

“We felt that we had stopped doing that in a few games in a row and I think that came back to bite us in the game against Manchester.

“We need to get back to how we play games and not let anyone else play their game.”

Lee says being first in the league is a privilege

He explained: “Being at the top of the league right now means that everyone else is chasing us.

“We know that the other teams in the league are going to give us their best, so we need to be ready for that every night.

“It is a privilege to be sitting in first place and we are ready for the challenges that that brings us.”

Lee says the Giants will defend first place with all their might going forward.

He said: “When we arrive in Belfast in August we have three goals, to win the Challenge Cup, to win the league and then win the playoffs.

“We are all here to win and everyone in the dressing room wants to win.”

The Giants play the Coventry Blaze on Friday at the SSE Arena with a faceoff time of 7pm.