Hot-stop Tyler Beskorowany warned his Stenna Line Belfast Giants team-mates to beware of underdogs Dundee Stars in their play-off semi-final at Nottingham on Saturday (15.00).
The Canadian is one of five players Giants stars who were in the squad which lost 2-1 to Cardiff Devils in the Grand Final three years ago and the 32-year-old Canadian, who had 12 games with now defunct Edinburgh Capitals, admitted: “We let it slip away.”
The treble-chasing Northern Irish side have won the Elite League and Challenge Cup and finished the regular season with 88 points from 54 games. Stars ere seventh with 53 points from 54 games.
Giants scored 224 goals and let in 108, the best goal scoring record in the league and also the top goals against stats.
Stars scored 160 and conceded 185 but the highly-rated netminder stressed: “Stars are going to come out with intensity, we must stick to our game plan. We have shown we can beat anybody in this league.”
Meanwhile, Canadian defenseman, Drydn Dow and Finnish forward, Timi Lahtinen are targeting back to back titles.
The Kitmart Dundee Stars duo won the Slovakian Second Division play-offs with HK Spisska Nova Ves and Lahtinen said: “It is important that we play as a unit.
“We must also play tight defence especially against a big team like Belfast, but we have the right players and we are playing well right now.”
Stars captain Dow: “It was actually a very similar situation where, in the regular season, we did not finish as high as we thought we were going to.
“Then we ended up making a big push and it is the same feeling here, we are streaking at the right time. We beat Cardiff, we beat Sheffield and we beat Belfast this year, so we know we can compete.” Guildford Flames meet Cardiff Devils in the other semi-final also at Nottingham at 19.00.
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