Belfast Giants secured first place in Challenge Cup Group B and the number one overall seed for the semi-finals with a 2-1 overtime win over Glasgow Clan at The SSE Arena on Sunday. No other team can now overtake Belfast in the group standings, regardless of the Giants’ remaining fixtures.
Glasgow opened the scoring on the powerplay at 13:52, when Mick Messner finished at the far post. Belfast responded just 26 seconds into the second period: JJ Piccinich set up David Goodwin at the far post to make it 1-1.
Neither side could find another goal in regulation, despite powerplay opportunities for both teams in the second period. The game went to overtime, where Morten Jensen scored the winner at 61:24, just 84 seconds into the extra period. He used a Glasgow defenceman as a screen before beating Rasmus Tirronen with an accurate shot.
The victory guarantees Belfast the top Group B position and the overall number one seed for the Challenge Cup semi-finals.