Match Night Live

Good evening and welcome to MNL as we bring you coverage of the Devils visit to Belfast to take on the Giants

I believe we need to win tonight to even up the season with the Giants, its the tenth meeting between the teams and the score is %-4 in favour of the Giants

That 5th victory being due to the Giants gaining a win on penalties on Welsh soil in October last.

With a hour to go before face off my merry band of texters are making their way to the O

Score predictions as usual to matchnightlive@gmail.com

Both teams are on the ice for warm up.

Before we start it would be amiss of me not to give special thanks to our team of texters in Belfast. They are all first timers and I know that at least two of them are Giants supporters

So thank you in advance to Kerrie, Helen, Carl-Jester and David Mercer

Dean Smith has the whistle tonight

Derek you of little faith we are going to win tonight

Warm up ends

Game time getting closer

Swez icing after his match penalty got downgraded

Latest count of Devils fans at the O - FIVE

Gary has joined by gang of texters, hes trying to find other Devils fans to sit with

Kerrie says the Devils fan count is now a massive 12

Will the 12 be heard in a crowd of 4,000 I ask myself

Where is Tonsils when we need him?

Geraint ses a 4-3 win for the Devils

Ice needs a repair says Marc

Score predictions to matchnightlive@gmail.com

More importantly hot tips for Cheltenham next week will be appreciated

No Gary I can't see you out singing the Giants fans

Reports that the game is a sell out

I was given duff information on referee, it looks as if it is Moray Hanson

Devils take to the ice, met by booeing from Giants faithful

I meant to ask Chris S what the viewing figures were on Tuesday night, forgot.

No Steve Thorton or Sean McMorrow

Or Faubert

Devils start with Birbraer, Smith & Latulippe

Stevie Lyle in net

Richardson & Jarvis on D

Puck is dropped

Giants penalty @ 1:32 - Walsh - illegal equipment

Murphy save on Devils pp

Walsh's helmet fell off and he continued to play - hence penalty

Devils penalty @ 2:43 - Michel - tripping

Giants return to full strength

Giants Goal

Giants ppg @ 4:35 - scored by Swez, assists Cheverie & Shields

Puck out of play @ 5:19

Giants icing @ 5:48

Glynne thinks it will be a 3-2 for Devils, Angela calls it 5-3 Devils

Towe, Hill & Michel is the 3rd line

Lots of turnovers from both teams

Any Devils fans in Angelsey or Liverpool or further north on the west coast shout for the Devils, the 15 in the O are struggling

Good save by Lyle @ 9:57

Awesome save by Lyle I'm told

Stevie has kept us in game after game this season

Shot by Michel deflected out of play @ 10:38

Good save by Murphy from Voth @ 12:02

Very scrappy game being played at half pace

Nothing much happenning - is that good use of a text

Richardson throws a good hip check

Kerrie says Devils passing is awful

Lots of pressure from Giants

Devils cannot get into Giants zone

Big save from Lyle

The O looks full

Comments are made that MNL texters tend to be too critical of the team, well tonights texters are MNL virgins

Gametime 17:00

Referee is not calling anything, he might have a flight or ferry to catch

An obvious slash on Devils goes un penalised

Lyle as usual keeping Devils in game, save after save

End of 1st period Giants 1 DEVILS 0

Helen texts - Devils passing woeful and they can't clear their zone

SoG Giants 8 Devils 5

Ice in almost done play will re-commence in 4 minutes

Not much sign of Davies & Hayes so far

Symmonds taking a regular shift

Teams are out for 2nd period

2nd period underway

Come on you Devils get us a goal

Murphy save from Smith

Gametime 20:55

Devils icing @ 21:34

Bateman offers Richardson, declined by Devils Captain

Peacock misses

Lots of Giants pressure

Yes Stephen, Kalahari King is going to win, I backed him ante post last November

Lyle saves from Bateman @ 24:56

Lyle recues Devils after Bateman beats D

Mikker denied by Murphy

Lyle saves from Shields

Devils have upped their game this period

Gametime 29:11

Giants very quick across the ice when breaking out

Good work by Michel but he is denied by Murphy

Lyle now save fron Szwez. I hope that those of you watching the webcast see these saves by Lyle

Voth misses on a great opportunity in front of Giants net

Giants icing @ 30:31

Giants shot goes wide & high

Benedict is wearing a full face cage

Finally from pressure from the SMith, Birbraer & Latulippe line

Another save from Lyle @ 33:00

Gametime 33:41

Voth throws a Shannon type elbow - no call

Now its Murphy's turn to keep the biscuit out

Towe & Romfo combine well

Another good save by Lyle @ 36:24

That last Lyle save was from Shields

Devils are playing much better this period

Giants icing @ 37:14

Hartwick struggling again

It very much looks as this game will come down to who wants it in the 3rd period

Lyle saves a Shields slapshot @ 38:45

End of 2nd period Giants 1 DEVILS 0

A much better period for the Devils

SoG for 2nd period Giants 16 Devils 12

They look a bit odd to me but who am I to query the Goal Judges

The Devils fans in my texters team are very much heatened by the improvement shown by the Devils in that 2nd period

But as one said they couldn't have played any worse that the woeful performance in opening period

Lets come out in the 3rd and claim this game & victory & 2 points

All credit to our virgin texters they are doing a great job

Maybe we should have an NVQ in MNL Texting

Zamboni off the ice and gone for a pint of the black stuff

He'll probably meet Jester in the bar

This game is there for the taking

Three gents with white sticks take to the ice

Hanson has let the game flow but with no penalties it can get boring and dull which is the case in this game

Both teams back on the ice

We are underway for 3rd period

Devils penalty

Latulippe 2+2 - high sticks @ 40:48

Accidental high sticks drawing 2+2

Lets kill these penalties Devils

Save Lyle @ 41:16

Giants piling on the pressure on pp

First penalty killed with ease

Devils back to full strength

Gametime 47:30

Lets have a Goal u Devils

Theres chanting for a Devils goal all over S Wales

Giants have stepped up the pace - not what we wanted

Lyle save from Cheverie

Lyle called on to repeat the save

Another Lyle save @ 50:08

Birbraer shot saved @ 50:45

Gametime 51:02

The game is still there to be won

Devils offside @ 52:33

7 minutes left in game

Devils offside @ 54:14

5 minutes left

Giants icing : 55:11

Gametime 55:49

Devils call a Time Out

Time out @ 55:23

Giants penalty @ 55:23 - Awada - tripping

That penalty was for interference not tripping

Get the pp in overdrive Devils

Plenty of passing on pp but no shots

Giants kill penalty

Final 2 minutes

Game time 58:36

Lyle still in net

Giants Goal

Giants 2nd goal @ 58:53

Scored by Swez

Assist Bateman

Final minute

Final score Giants 2 DEVILS 0

SoG Giants 8 Devils 9 making 32 -26 in total

Devils MoM - Stevie Lyle

Giants MoM - Stephen Murphy

A big thank you to Kerrie, Helen, Carl, Gary and David Murphy for their sterling efforts tonight, al least some of them will be happy

Thats all from me OJ until the next one