BELFAST GIANTS 3 TRADE-MART DUNDEE STARS 2 OT

The Trade-Mart Dundee Stars won a point on the road in Belfast on Saturday but could have taken both after leading the Giants 2-0.

By Kris Smith

The Stars made no changes to their roster from Friday’s defeat in Glasgow and they got off to a much better start as Lucas Brine and the Dundee defence denied a lot of shots from the Giants through the opening minutes.

Belfast then went on the powerplay in the 10th minute as Carter Johnson was called for tripping up Giants forward, Kohei Sato but the home team were unable to capitalise on their man advantage and the Stars punished them for by taking the lead on 14 minutes.

Anthony Rinaldi led the Dundee attack as he burst down the left wing before sticking a shot on net and Belfast goalie, Jackson Whistle could only make a pad save that played the puck out to the right and into the path of James Phelan, who fired home the rebound.

Phelan would then add his name to the game sheet again two minutes later as tensions rose and he and Ciaran Long dropped the gloves and went toe-to-toe in a short bout before both players fell to the ice.

Marc LeFebvre’s men still led 1-0 at the first break but would double their lead in the second period as Xavier Pouliot’s shot from the left wing was deflected past Whistle by his own defender, in the 30th minute.

The Giants called a timeout after the goal as Adam Keefe tried to re-organise his side but they were finding no joy as Brine was able to make save after save and the Stars were clearing their lines well.

However, Belfast soon got the break they were looking for as Will Cullen’s long-range effort was deflected by the stick of Greg Printz on its way to the net and that knocked the puck under Brine, to make it 2-1 after 37 minutes.

The third period saw the Giants make a big push for an equaliser but as they leaned into their attack, it also created more chances for the Stars going the other way but neither team was having much luck finding their way past the goalies.

With the two sides exchanging chance for chance, Brine and Whistle were keeping the score unchanged but the crucial next goal would eventually be scored with less than three minutes to play in regulation time and it went to Belfast after long picked out Ara Nazarian at the back post.

That then forced overtime to be played in order to decide a winner and whilst there was an early chance for Dundee’s Ryan Valentini to convert on a breakaway, his shot would slip just wide and moments later, Nazarian bagged his second and the game-winner, after firing through a Stars defender and past Brine, after only 92 seconds of extra time.

A much-deserved point has kept the Stars tightly packed in the race for a playoff spot, with only five games left in their regular season and their next outing sees them return to Glasgow with revenge on their mind against the Clan.