Belfast Giants fail in Grand Slam bid and Dundee Stars skid to defeat in Premier Sports play-offs

Elite League play-off, grand Final: Belfast Giants 3, Cardiff Devils 6 (in Nottingham)

Stenna Line sponsored Belfast Giants bid for ice hockey’s Grand Slam fell at the final hurdle when they skidded to a 6-3 defeat to Cardiff Devils in the play-off final in Nottingham.

A 3-1 final period secured the win and earned revenge for Devils, who finished third in the ten-strong Elite League, after their defeat by Giants in the Challenge Cup Final.

Kitmart Dundee Stars finished in fourth place in the Elite League play-offs after letting slip a slender 5-4 lead over Guildford Flames with less than seven minutes left at Nottingham.

Michael Poirier fired the Tayside team into the lead for the first time at 5-4 after 53min 40sec but the Surrey side hit back through Levi Cable 61 seconds later.

Brett Ferguson slotted the go-ahead goal with Imin 53sec remaining to make it 6-5 and Owen Griffiths made sure with an empty net strike with 35seconds left after desperate Stars withdrew their netminder.

Earlier, former Stars player Jordan Cownie scored a double for Flames who were outshot 32-29 in the game.