The Stena Line Belfast Giants completed two wins in-a-row in the Continental Cup with a professional performance against CSKA Sofia from Bulgaria on Saturday afternoon. The 6-2 win was to the delight of the large contingent of travelling fans and they will be looking forward to Sunday night’s big game against host team Bremerhaven that will surely decide the outcome of this Group.

The Giants started the first period well and immediately piled the pressure on CSKA Sofia, indeed they outshot their Bulgarian opponents 24-7 in the first 20 minutes of action. Both teams had powerplay opportunities, but found their net minders in top form with Stephen Murphy making a fine save from Oleg Kvasha – a former NHLer with over 500 games experience in that league. However the Giants finally found a way past Sofia with Darryl Lloyd firing home at 15:10 while Igor Kaikl sat in the penalty box for Hooking. Little over three minutes later and it was 2-0 to the Elite League champions – this time it was Mark Garside, assisted by Adam Keefe, at 18:41. The period ended on a sour note for the Giants with Vladimir Antipov shooting high and into the Giants goal. with only ten seconds remaining on the clock.

The CSKA Sofia team matched the Belfast Giants throughout the second period, upping their game from the first period and after having already lost their first game of the tournament – 6-2 on Friday night against the host team, Bremerhaven. However, at the halfway point of the game, it was the Giants who extended their lead – Darryl Lloyd tapping home on the powerplay after Craig Peacock picked him out well at 30:16. A fourth Giants goal soon followed, with Jeff Mason hammering the puck into the net at 32:05 – also on the powerplay and again, following a nice pass by Mike Kompon. Although, just like the first period, the second 20 minutes ended with a Sofia goal – this time with three seconds to go by Stanislav Muhachev while left one-on-one with Giants netminder Stephen Murphy.

The third and final period was an even battle – with Sofia looking for a way back into the game and the Giants searching for a fifth goal to kill off the game and it was Belfast who struck first. With 46:07 on the clock, Mike Kompon skated out from behind the Bulgarian goal and fired an unstoppable wrist shot into the net to give the Giants a three goal advantage. The Giants scoring on Saturday afternoon was rounded off by Calvin Elfring, posting an impressive sixth goal with 55:11 on the clock.

Final Score:

Stena Line Belfast Giants 6-2 CSKA Sofia

Photo: Dennis Schwalm

The hooter sounds in Bremerhaven and it's a win for the Stena Line Belfast Giants!!!!!! Final Score: Giants 6-2 Sofia — Belfast Giants (@BelfastGiants) October 18, 2014