Elite League: Belfast Giants complete weekend double over Manchester Storm
- Published
The Belfast Giants beat the Manchester Storm 6-2 to sweep the weekend doubleheader and extend their winning streak to four games.
The Giants outscored Manchester 13-4 over the two nights to move into the top half of the Elite League for the first time this season.
Lewis Hook scored twice with Mark Cooper, Scott Conway, Cam Knight and David Goodwin adding to the tally.
The Giants will be next be in action away to Cardiff Devils next Saturday.
The Giants expected some push back from Manchester after they embarrassed the Storm on Saturday in the 7-2 win and they duly got it with the visitors capitalising with the man advantage when Taylor Thompson scored.
The home side were behind for less than two minutes when at the second attempt Ciaran Long found Hook who tucked home the equaliser.
Manchester were only looking dangerous on the powerplay but the Giants penalty killers were up to the task before the end of the first period as they saw off 50 seconds of a 5-on-3 for the Storm to send the game into the middle period tied at 1-1.
The game was turning into a tight physical contest with plenty of penalties and it was the Giants' special teams that were making the difference with a pair of powerplay goals while killing two Storm penalties in the second period.
Conway's slap pass found the deflection from Cooper's stick to give the Giants the lead and then the talented centre fired home himself from the slot to make it 3-1 while at the other end of the ice Giants goalie Jackson Whistle held the Storm at bay including a four-minute powerplay for the Storm to begin the final 20 minutes.
And the Giants punished the Storm once again when Knight's blast on the powerplay made it 4-1 and Adam Keefe's side weren't about to take the foot off the accelerator.
Within minutes of each other Hook deflected in his second of the game while Goodwin smuggled in the sixth.
Adam Brady's late goal was merely a consolation for the Storm.