Viaplay Challenge Cup Final: Belfast Giants 9, Fife Flyers 3 (in Belfast)
Fife’s dreams of winning the Viaplay Challenge Cup were snuffed out by clinical Belfast Giants who successfully defended the silverware by blowing underdogs Flyers away 9-3 before a sell-out crowd in the SSE Arena in Northern Ireland.
The home side, sponsored by Stenna Line, were 3-0 up after the first session and Fife were up against it and Belfast were only under pressure early in the third when the Scots pulled the scoreline back to 5-3, but their hopes were quickly snuffed out.
It was a tough 60 minutes for the men from the Kingdom, who are sponsored by Wolseley, and their travelling support of around 700, who were looking for a fast start against the current Viaplay Elite League pace-setters.
But it was Belfast who drew first blood when skipper David Goodwin netted from the left after being set up by Scott Conway and Steven Owre. Time 3min 25sec.
They never looked back and Flyers coach Todd Dutiaume (pictured courtesy of the Viaplay Elite League) must now lift his men ahead of the run-in to the end-of-season play-offs.
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