Ice Hockey: DIG OUT THE WHISTLE-BLOWER

THE Belfast Giants will do their former coach Dave Whistle no favours tonight when they provide the opposition for his first home game as the new man at the helm with the Cardiff Devils.

Whistle was installed as Devils coach on Wednesday as successor to Glen Mulvenna who was relieved of his duties following a defeat by the Nottingham Panthers last Sunday night.

He spent three season's with the Giants winning the Superleague Championship and Play-off title in that time having set the team up from scratch.

He left at the end of last season to take up an opportunity with the Iserlohn Roosters in Germany and was succeeded in Belfast by his assistant Rob Stewart, but after a great start things went downhill and was relieved of his duties in October.

Given his proven credentials Whistle was never going to be out of work for long and that was proved when the offer came from Cardiff.

The Devils travelled to Nottingham for Whistle's debut game last night but it is this evening's game which has caught the imagination of Giants fans as coaches old and new do battle. Defenceman Todd Kelman was brought to the UK by Whistle when he was with the Bracknell Bees and then followed him to Belfast and he believes the element of surprise will be non-existent against his former coach.

Kelman said: "He knows a lot of our players pretty well and he and Rob Stewart have been friends for years.

"He spent some time in Belfast recently and watched us in games and in practice so he will have picked things up and know our strengths andweaknesses.

"I talked to him a little about how things had been going for us, never thinking it would come back on me and certainly not as soon as this.

"I kind of wish now I hadnit said so much but everyone talks about things like that to their friends."

The Giants got back to winning form against Manchester Phoenix at the Odyssey Arena on Thursday night with a high scoring 6-4 win over Rick Brebantis struggling side.

Having lost three of their five games before Thursday night the Giants have slipped off the top of the Elite League table.

With seven of their next nine games after tonight being at home they should begin to get some points in the bag again and put some pressure on Sheffield and Nottingham who will be their main rivals for the title.

Kelman added: "People are saying it is a three horse race, but outside the top three everyone else is beating each other.

"What we have to do is win our games and not worry about what anyone else is doing."

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