Belfast Giants handed Nottingham Panthers their first league defeat of the season, winning 6-1 at the Motorpoint Arena on Friday. Scott Conway opened the scoring at 14:31 of the first period, finishing from close range after JJ Piccinich intercepted a clearing pass and set him up.
Joe Hazeldine equalised for Nottingham 6:03 into the second period, converting Miika Pitkänen’s pass on a two-on-one. Belfast responded with three goals before the break: Piccinich restored the lead from Conway’s pass, then Logan Cockerill made it 3-1 after Kaleb Pearson set him up. Jake Gaudet redirected Ty Prefontaine’s shot with 21 seconds left in the period to extend the advantage.
Patrick Guay scored Belfast’s fifth at 42:47 on the powerplay, becoming the Giants’ fifth different goalscorer. Conway completed the scoring in the closing minute, putting away the rebound after Mat Robson’s initial save. Giants’ Mike Lee said his side had moved away from its game early in the second, but praised its timely scoring and strong finish.