It appears unusual to say after 4 straight wins to begin their Problem Cup title defence, however Belfast Giants captain David Goodwin believes their three-goal third interval towards the Dundee Stars on Sunday might actually spark their season into life.
The Giants are but to style defeat in home competitors, following up back-to-back wins over the Fife Flyers by doing likewise towards the Stars on the weekend, and with two video games to spare they've already ensured they can't be caught on the prime of Group A of the Cup and have residence benefit to look ahead to within the quarter-finals.
And but regardless of all that, together with a red-hot Scott Conway scoring six objectives in 4 video games and netminder Jackson Whistle turning away all however two of the 37 pictures he has confronted in his first two begins, it does really feel just like the Giants have heaps extra to supply.
They're but to win in regulation on the SSE Area, whereas they briefly trailed on the highway towards the Flyers and took till the 51st minute to lastly account for a dogged Stars facet on the Dundee Ice Area on Sunday. Regardless of netting twice on the powerplay in that recreation and working 4-for-19 general, their play on the person benefit has seemed moderately pedestrian as properly.
However a blistering ultimate body on Sunday noticed Goodwin seize the game-winner on the powerplay and that was adopted by two Conway finishes — one additionally on the powerplay — to safe a 4-1 win, and the skipper is hopeful that could possibly be the catalyst for an uptick in performances.
“You may argue if that recreation was 5 or 10 minutes longer (we might have scored extra),” says the winger, whose private tally reads one aim and 4 factors in 4 video games.
“We have been actually beginning to click on as that recreation went on. We’re actually shut.
“One of many massive variations between this yr and final yr is we've got these additional imports, so the line-up is totally different just about each night time. That has its benefits, however the actuality is it takes extra time to get chemistry since you could possibly be enjoying with somebody new each night time.
“However there’s iron sharpening iron in follow. There’s a bit extra depth, for positive, and hopefully that may assist us down the stretch.”
The important thing to discovering that chemistry, in response to Goodwin, is persistence. The Giants have the proof that what they're doing is getting them outcomes, and it additionally led to them pushing high quality opponents Davos and Oceláři Třinec all the way in which within the Champions League, even beating the latter in a shootout Belfast.
However there's a diploma of frustration that accompanies that. In a contest just like the Elite League the place each recreation issues as a lot as the subsequent, discovering chemistry shortly is paramount and when issues don’t click on as you’d like, rigidity builds.
“It's annoying,” concedes Goodwin, who's in his second season as Giants captain.
“We all know we’re enjoying properly and we’re not getting rewarded as a lot as we expect we possibly ought to. However all through my profession I’ve discovered there’s no different means about it than to maintain doing the suitable issues.
“There’s going to be many video games this season the place we’ll be the favourites to win and we’ll must go in and play the suitable means, so for the youthful guys that is hopefully a superb studying expertise.”