Eriksson keeps Giants rolling

Photo: William Cherry

Belfast Giants stayed two points clear at the top of the Elite League with a 3-1 win over Dundee Stars on Pride Night, in front of 7,315 fans at the SSE Arena.

The Giants opened the scoring inside the first three minutes through Marcus Eriksson. Ben Lake laid the puck into Eriksson’s path, and he drove into the left circle before firing past Jarrett Fiske and into the roof of the net at 02:14.

Belfast doubled their advantage later in the period thanks to an excellent finish from David Goodwin. Karl Boudrias found Goodwin in the slot, where he struck a one-timer past Fiske at 15:49.

“I think we started the game pretty well,” began Giants forward Marcus Eriksson. “The first period especially, then as the game kept going I think we dropped our performance. The second period was a bit worse than the first, then in the third I didn’t think we played well at all, but we got away with the two points which is good.”

Dundee ended the opening period on the powerplay after a too-many-men call against the Giants, but were unable to convert. The first period also featured a feisty exchange, with Bo Hanson and Matthew Boudens both receiving five-minute fighting penalties.

There was little to separate the sides in a scoreless second period, with neither team able to make their powerplay opportunities count, leaving Belfast with a two-goal cushion heading into the final frame.

Nicolas Guay extended the Giants’ lead just 100 seconds into the third period, giving the hosts some breathing room. Morten Jürgens pulled one back for the Stars with 6:27 remaining, but the result was never in doubt.

“Recently when we played Nottingham, Manchester and Sheffield, we played really well. I don’t think we did as well this game,” added Eriksson, whose side have now won seven straight. “It’s a tough league so we have to try and play a bit better going for another two points tomorrow.”