Belfast Giants wrapped up an emphatic home weekend on Sunday, 20 September 2026, defeating the Fife Flyers 6-0 to follow up a commanding 8-1 victory over the Dundee Stars on the Saturday evening. The back-to-back results completed two convincing home wins for the Giants and showcased both the clinical edge of their forwards and the composure of their defensive unit.
Sunday shutout: Giants 6-0 Fife Flyers
Goalkeeper Jake Kupsky was the outstanding individual on Sunday, recording what the Belfast Giants described as the first Giants shutout of the season. The netminder was tested throughout — most notably by Michael Drabek on a breakaway in the first period and by Reece Kelly early in the second — but he turned away every effort the Flyers could muster and kept a clean sheet through all three periods.
The hosts opened the scoring at 04:10 when Scott Conway finished a combination involving JJ Piccinich and Mike Lee to give Belfast an early lead. Piccinich then added to his own account at 07:11, knocking the water bottle clean off Dominik Groh’s net with a clinical finish to make it 2-0. Fife applied some pressure through Victor Bjorkung and Chase Dubois during that first period, but Kupsky was equal to everything thrown at him.
Conway’s influence continued in the second period. He touched a net-bound shot from David Goodwin over the line at 30:03 — his second of the match and fourth of the season according to the Giants’ match report — to make it 3-0. Jaeden Martin then fired home into the roof of the net from a loose puck at 38:30, giving the Giants a four-goal cushion heading into the second intermission. The Giants described that goal as Martin’s first in teal; the Florida-born defenceman was making an early statement in Belfast colours.
The third period was disrupted by penalties on both sides but the Giants continued to add to their tally. A Conway shot was redirected past Groh by Gaudet at 54:59 on the powerplay to make it 5-0. Fife came close to ending the shutout when Mika Partanen rattled the upright, but Cole Shudra sealed the scoring at 58:29, adding to a goal he had scored the previous day and continuing what the Giants said has been a positive start to his time at the club.
Saturday: Giants 8-1 Dundee Stars
The weekend had opened with a similarly one-sided contest on the Saturday. According to a match report published by the Dundee Stars, the visitors made the ideal start when Maxim Eliseev scored just seventeen seconds into the first period with a wrist shot from above the high slot. That lead proved short-lived. Piccinich equalised at 05:20 and then put Belfast ahead with a powerplay goal at 09:04, completing a tic-tac-toe move to make it 2-1 after one period.
The second period dismantled Dundee’s resistance entirely. Cole Shudra capitalised on a neutral-zone turnover at 22:17 to score from the left circle, and Logan Cockerill added a fourth at 26:29, backhanding the puck past Vladislav Pestov. Ciaran Long then scored shorthanded on a three-on-one rush at 29:02 before Kaleb Pearson made it 6-1 from the high slot at 30:42, a scoreline that prompted the Stars to make a change in net. Piccinich completed his hat-trick on the powerplay at 33:18 past the replacement netminder Dominick Jaglar.
Tensions rose in the third period, with Dundee’s Powell Connor dropping the gloves towards Long, though the Giants’ alternate captain did not engage according to the Dundee Stars report, resulting in a powerplay opportunity for Belfast. Pearson converted it for his second goal of the match and the final score of 8-1.
Key performers across the weekend
- JJ Piccinich — hat-trick and an assist on Saturday; one goal and one assist on Sunday
- Scott Conway — two goals on Sunday, taking him to four goals for the season according to the Giants
- Cole Shudra — scored in both matches
- Kaleb Pearson — two goals on Saturday
- Jake Kupsky — shutout on Sunday, the first of the Giants’ season
- Jaeden Martin — first goal for the club on Sunday
Competitive picture
Six goals without reply on Sunday and eight on Saturday represent the kind of weekend that builds both confidence and goal difference. The Giants, coached by Adam Keefe, demonstrated that their strength is not confined to one line: the Sunday win saw five different players find the net, and the defensive structure was disciplined enough to keep Fife — who mustered a post and several Kupsky saves — scoreless throughout. The Flyers’ next scheduled visit to Belfast is on Saturday 26 September for a 7pm face-off, according to the Giants, meaning the two sides will meet again within a week of Sunday’s result.