The Teal Notebook & Podcast

A quick note: the audio version of this is chattier and doesn’t match the written text word for word. The tables and stats are in this one.Welcome to the first of what’s going to be a weekly look back at everything happening in the Land of the Giants and across the league. Every result, every table wobble and the odd bit of club news you’d want to know before somebody mentions it at the bar. It’s also a look forward at the rest of the month, from the Continental Cup trip and Cardiff’s big weekend (at home to Nottingham, then away at Coventry), to Nottingham’s double header at The O2 and Friendship Four. Pull up a chair, because week one has plenty in it.The short version: two games, two wins, four points, 14 goals scored, a new D-man who has already scored a belter, and a Player of the Week award that has Scott Conway’s name on it and nobody arguing.The Giants: two games, four pointsWe hadn’t played since the cup loss at Fife on 1 November, so the first five days of the week were all talk and no hockey. Then Guildford came to The O2 for the weekend and we got a proper double header.Saturday: Giants 5, Flames 3. We were level after the first and scrapped our way to 2-1 after two, with Scott Conway scoring on the power play and Mike Lee getting one at five-on-five. Early in the third Lee scored again on the power play, 3-1 and breathing room. Guildford pulled one back, it got tense, and then David Goodwin and Conway scored 23 seconds apart to put it out of reach. Guildford got one late, but the points were ours. Special teams were the difference: we went two from four on the power play and they went none from two. Guildford’s own head coach said as much afterwards, which is a nice bit of honesty from the other bench. The club’s own report was headed “Lee Double Helps Giants Douse Flames”, which is fair, because he was brilliant.Sunday: Giants 4, Flames 2. This was the one where we made life hard for ourselves, and then made it very good. Conway gave us the lead, Guildford levelled in the second, and then they went 2-1 up early in the third. It lasted 76 seconds. Morten Jensen got us level (credited to him, and I still think it went in off the back of the netminder, but a goal’s a goal), Jason Fram scored the belter from the blue line to put us in front, and with three seconds left Conway finished it into the empty net after the Flames pulled their netminder. We outshot them 53 to 28, and put 34 on target to their 10. Their netminder made 29 saves and earned every one of them. Jake Kupsky had a quieter night, which is how we like it.Over the weekend we scored 9 goals to their 5, outshot them 109 to 67, and had 4.26 expected goals to their 2.86. If anyone fancies a lazy summary: we were the better team both nights and the scoreboard agreed both nights.The power play, glass half full. We scored two on the power play on Saturday, and on Sunday we went none from four, but we hit the post and the underside of the crossbar, and the chances were there. Our penalty kill, meanwhile, was perfect on Sunday, three from three. On the season, the Elite League stats have the Giants’ power play at 25.0% (fourth in the league, and above the league average of 23.4%), and our penalty kill at 80.0% (third best, and well clear of the 74.8% league average). Head coach Adam Keefe will have a bit of tinkering to do, but that’s a good problem.Adam Keefe’s view, and mine. Keefe said we could have defended better across the weekend, but that we were better at stopping their odd-man rushes, and that he thought we gave a full 60 minutes in the second game. I’d put the second part slightly differently. I thought we managed both games sensibly, and when we went 2-1 behind on Sunday, we stepped up and took it back. That’s what good teams do, and that’s what we did. Whatever the right way of putting it, it’s four points, which is the part that matters, and I’m sure the group is already looking at the next challenge: three games in three days at the Continental Cup.Respect to Guildford. After the game on Saturday, their players went over to thank the fans who’d travelled all the way to Belfast, and they did it again on Sunday. They also recognised Kupsky, who used to play for them. That’s a classy club, and a good bunch of fans.The O2 was rocking. 7,211 on Saturday and 7,008 on Sunday. The league average is 3,712, so we were pulling in nearly double. Across the league, the weekly average attendance on the app’s season chart hit 4,228, the highest point on the chart, and I like to think we had something to do with that.Fram: five minutes in and already a belterJason Fram signed on 29 October from Glasgow, a 31-year-old D-man who’d put up 28 points in 67 games last season. Keefe talked up his mobility and hockey IQ at the time, and that is exactly what we saw. He made his debut on Saturday with three shots on goal, and then on Sunday he scored his first Giants goal: unassisted, from the blue line, the type of shot that makes the net bulge and the crowd roar. He was our player of the match on Sunday, and he led the Causeway Clap for the first time. Not a bad weekend for a man who’s only just unpacked.Glasgow’s loss, Belfast’s gain.Player of the Week: Scott ConwayShould The Elite League name Scott Conway Player of the Week? I’m going to save everybody some time by saying: yes, correct, obviously.He scored four goals across the weekend: two on Saturday (plus an assist on Goodwin’s goal) and two on Sunday, the last of them the empty-netter with three seconds to go. That’s five points in two games. And the numbers go well beyond the weekend:* Seven goals and ten points in eight league games, plus-four, with no penalty minutes and 19:44 a game of ice time.* 14 goals in 20 games in all competitions, which is the most in the league, four clear of Josh MacDonald at Cardiff.* Seven goals in eight games is 0.88 goals a game, the best goals-per-game rate of any season on his profile, better even than 2022/23 when he got 95 points.* The shot map says it’s no fluke. The tracking model has him at 14 goals from about 8.4 expected, which the app says is 5.6 more than an average Elite League skater would get from the same chances.He’s also a Challenge Cup player: 13 points in 12 games this season, and 75 points in 61 Challenge Cup games for the Giants. Two quieter seasons have been followed by a comeback, and it’s a good one.The rest of the Giants’ roomScott Conway isn’t the only one on the leaderboards. Across all competitions:* JJ Piccinich leads the league in points with 29 (nine goals, 20 assists in 20 games), five clear of Olivier Archambault at Sheffield. His 20 assists lead the league too.* Jake Kupsky is first in goals against average at 1.55, with Jackson Whistle second at 1.80. The two best goals-against averages in the league are both ours. Kupsky’s save percentage is .933, third in the league.* David Goodwin has 23 points in 18 games, the second-best points per game in the top ten at 1.28, behind only JJ.* Mike Lee is tenth in the scoring list with 20 points (three goals, 17 assists). A D-man in the top ten.* Four of the league’s top ten scorers wear teal: JJ, Conway, Goodwin and Lee.* As a team, we’re first in both goals for (3.60 a game) and goals against (1.75 a game). Best attack and best defence in the league, in all competitions.Other Giants news* Jerseys, jerseys, jerseys. The Christmas jersey is available to pre-order, and it’s a lot: teal and dark green, nutcracker style, with gold trim, snowflakes, holly, red-and-white cuffs and candy-cane stripes down the sleeves. £50 for the replica and £60 if you want it custom. The rest of the range is out too: the Children’s Cancer Unit, Suicide Prevention Ireland, Halloween and Friendship Four jerseys are all available, along with the standard 2026/27 jerseys. Plenty to choose from before the Christmas fixtures.* Friendship Four is on the wa… This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thetealnotebook.substack.com

A note on the audio: the podcast version of this review is a chattier retelling and doesn’t match the text word for word. You can listen on Apple Podcasts first or Spotify, and the tables below are only in the written version.The Giants beat Guildford 4-2 at The O2 on Sunday, a day after the 5-3 win, to finish the weekend with nine goals to Guildford’s five, 109 shots to 67, and a power play that is knocking on the door.Sunday wasn’t pretty. It was a game the Giants managed, and when they needed to, they stepped up again.How it happenedPeriod one: all pressure. The Giants were on the front foot from the start, with Jaden Martin in on the blue line for Prefontaine, who was a scratch. A first power play early on, after Gosselin’s hooking penalty, produced six shots to none by the power break. The period finished 22-9 on shots and 14-2 on goal, and Cons gave us the lead late on, with Mike Lee setting him up. Racine’s holding penalty right at the end meant a power play carried over into the second.Period two: the middle of the game wobbles. Three more power plays, from Racine’s penalty, Jacome’s roughing on Cockerill and Busch’s tripping, kept the Giants pressing, and Morten Jensen hit the post on the last of them. The finish wouldn’t come. Guildford had three shots on goal, goal included, before Alvaro levelled midway through the period. Then there was a stretch where the Giants lost their way, and the expected goals show it: 0.41 for Guildford to the Giants’ 0.19. A Fram interference penalty brought a Guildford power play with a shot off the underside of the bar. We killed it.Period three: the Giants take over. Gosselin put Guildford 2-1 up almost straight away. We answered immediately, as Jensen levelled it, and I think it went in off the back of the keeper, though it’s credited to him, unassisted. Pearson’s cross-checking penalty (I thought he didn’t touch the bloke) was killed, and Guildford finished 0 from 3 on the power play. Then Jason Fram stepped up and fired in a belter from the blue line to make it 3-2. Cockerill had a one-on-one with just minutes left, and Arvanitis made a great save. Guildford pulled their netminder, and with seconds on the clock Cons found the empty net. The third period finished 18-8 on shots and 0.81 to 0.07 on expected goals.The power play: pressure buildingThe Giants were 0 from 4 on the power play on Sunday, and 2 from 4 on Saturday. That’s two from eight across the weekend, which looks thin, but the chances are being created: six shots to none at the first power break, a post from Jensen, and constant pressure. The penalty kill, by contrast, was perfect: five from five across the weekend, three from three on Sunday. We also didn’t get a power play in the third period, because Guildford didn’t take a penalty. All of the comeback came at even strength.The playersJason Fram was the Giants’ man of the match, scored the goal that put us 3-2 up and led the Causeway Clap for the first time. I wrote last time about his hockey brain and positioning, and he has been doing the basics well all weekend. Cons scored twice and had four shots on goal. Jensen hit the post, then scored the equaliser, and Mike Lee had four shots on goal and the assist. Pearson had six shots on goal and nothing to show for it, and he’s close. Kupper faced only ten shots on goal and stopped eight.For Guildford, Alvaro was man of the match, and Gosselin led their shots on goal with three. As on Saturday, the Flames players went off to thank their travelling fans.What Keefer saidKeefer said we could have defended better, but that we did better at stopping their odd-man rushes. He also said he thought the lads gave a full 60 minutes on Sunday. I don’t quite agree, though I understand it, because you want your players going into the next one confident.My own view is that we managed both games. When we went 2-1 down on Sunday, we stepped up. I wouldn’t call it fifth gear, but we got the goals we needed. We did the same on Saturday, moving from almost second gear into fifth to take the win. We did enough to get it done, and I’m sure they have half an eye on the Continental Cup, with three games in three days. You want fresh legs for that.(These are paraphrased from my notes, not direct quotes.)Standings (Monday morning)The Giants are one point behind Cardiff with a game in hand, and top on points percentage (0.88 against 0.83).What’s nextMy call before the game was Giants 5, Guildford 2. We got one goal fewer than I called, but the margin was right. Next up is the Continental Cup weekend in Rouen, three games in three days. Four points, nine goals, and a D-man leading the Causeway Clap: that’s the weekend done. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thetealnotebook.substack.com

A quick note: I record an audio version of each article in a more conversational style, so the podcast won’t match this text word for word.We beat Guildford 5-3 at The O2 on Saturday night in front of 7,211, and the game had everything. Here’s how it went, and what I took from watching it on the stream.The game in numbers(Giants first in each pair. Power play: 2 from 4 for us, 0 from 2 for Guildford.)How it happenedWe were relentless in the first period: 25 shots to 7, with Jason Fram finding gaps all period and getting good shots away. But Justin Fazio made 15 saves and it finished 0-0.The second period was where we got too open. Guildford out-chanced us (0.96 expected goals to 0.65), and I said at the time that we didn’t look good. We were playing an open, attacking game and hadn’t realised how hard they’d come at us.Mike Lee then scored his second on the power play, after a hit on Fram that I thought was terrible. Jake Gaudet was in front of the netminder doing what he does every night. Lee hit the post a few minutes later and followed through so hard he knocked the net off its moorings.Then came the twenty-three seconds. Gosselin made it 3-2 with a great backhand finish. Cons used his body to hold off two Guildford players and get the puck to Goody, who made it 4-2. Twenty-three seconds later Cons scored top shelf, unassisted. Right where Mama hides the cookies.Fifth gear, or not?It felt like fifth gear to me, like Nottingham and Cardiff. But the third-period numbers say it was tight, with Guildford ahead on shots on goal and expected goals. We scored three on eight shots, and that’s what decided it.Jeff Mason called it “a pretty close game”, with “some timely goals, some timely saves”, and said it was “fairly even most of the night” but we “did enough to get the job done”. Guildford’s Paul Dixon said they lost the special teams battle, 0 for 2 against our 2 for 4, and gave up “two or three soft goals” by switching off and getting away from the spots they needed to be in.The players* Cons: two goals, an assist, six shots on goal.* Mike Lee: two goals and an assist from the back end, and our player of the game.* Goody: the finish that started the burst.* Gaudet: on the ice for three of our goals and none against.* Kupper: 26 saves at 89.66%, including a big one with just over two minutes left to deny Gosselin a hat-trick. He’s also our October Player of the Month. I keep hearing he’s only playing because Whistle’s out. I don’t buy it. I think he deserves the spot either way.* Gosselin: Guildford player of the match, with two goals, an assist and seven shots on goal. I’ve always rated him.After the final buzzer, Guildford’s players saluted their travelling fans, and they also recognised Kupper, who used to play for them. Respect.My predictionsI said 5-2 and it finished 5-3, so one out. Cockerill, Pearson and Patrick Guay didn’t get the points I predicted, but the third line was on the ice for none of the eight goals either way.Around the leagueCoventry beat Nottingham 4-3 in regulation, and Manchester beat Sheffield 3-1 in regulation (the scores are from my arithmetic on the table). No consolation points for two of our rivals.Table as of Sunday morning, before today’s games.TodayGuildford are back at The O2 at 5pm. Three things I’m watching:* The physical side. I expect Guildford to come harder, so Prefontaine, Klee and the bigger D-men need to stand up for the lads.* Discipline. We took two hooking penalties on Saturday and teams know we don’t drop the gloves. My view, and it’s only my take, is that’s Keefer’s plan: play hockey. Don’t take the bait.* Tighter defensively. We can’t play that open again.My call: Giants 5, Guildford 2. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thetealnotebook.substack.com

Tonight is our first home league game of the season, against the same Guildford side who beat us 6-2 at this arena on 4 April, in our final home league game of last season. Face-off is 7pm at The O2, with the second game tomorrow at 5pm.Standings as of 7 November, from the Elite League table.Where we are. We’re third on 10 points from six, level with Coventry, and joint top on points percentage. Cardiff and Sheffield are on 13, but they’ve played eight and nine games.The matchup. Guildford score nearly four a game and let in more than four, so their games are fireworks. Ours aren’t. We’ve let in 11 goals in six games, under two a game. Something has to give, and I don’t think it’s us.Respect where it’s due. They can hurt you. Josh Waller got a hat-trick against us on 4 April, including an empty-netter, and Tyler Busch scored twice. If we keep Waller quiet, the whole Guildford attack looks ordinary.The one to watch. Logan Cockerill has three goals in six league games, on a third line that has doubled its output since the Challenge Cup. If Guildford’s best D-men chase JJ’s line all night, that leaves room for the line behind it. [Read the full piece: One to watch: Logan Cockerill and the third line.]A welcome back. Karl Boudrias returns to the O2 in a Flames jersey after two seasons in teal. Give him the loudest welcome you can, then hope he doesn’t score.Three things to watch.* The start. First home league game, with the O2 loud. We want a goal in the first period and Guildford on the back foot.* Waller against our blue line. Quieten him, and we’re in business.* The penalty kill. The Flames are dangerous on the power play, so keep it clean.My prediction: Giants 5, Flames 2. They’ll score, but we’ll score more.So that’s tonight: home at last, a score to settle from last season, and a third line I can’t wait to watch. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thetealnotebook.substack.com

This is the full written version, with the table and every stat. The audio is the chattier version and doesn’t match it word for word, but the facts are the same. You can listen on Apple Podcasts first and Spotify second, or right here.Guildford let in over four goals a game, and this weekend we’re at home against them twice. Speed and an eye for goal punish a leaky defence, so it’s a good weekend to watch Logan Cockerill. He plays on our third line with Kaleb Pearson and Patrick Guay. All three are new this summer, and all three are now coming good.Stats from Elite Prospects, taken on 4 November.Who he is. Cockerill is 27, from Brighton, Michigan, and listed at 5’9”. He gets by on speed. He spent five years at Boston University, winning a Hockey East championship in 2018 and captaining the team for his last two seasons. He wasn’t a big scorer there (57 points in 134 games), but his teammates trusted him enough to make him captain twice. In my opinion, that fits a pattern with Keefer, who doesn’t just recruit good skaters to suit the system. He looks for leaders. Cockerill also has U18 World Championship gold with the USA. After university he played a season in Sweden with BK Karlskoga (7 goals and 7 assists in 31 games), then three with the Jacksonville Icemen in the ECHL. His first Jacksonville season was 37 points in 63 games, and the three together came to 96 points in 143 games.The brother. In Jacksonville he played alongside his older brother Garret, a D-man. Garret was thinking about retiring until the club offered Logan a contract, which kept them together. They shared an apartment, and as boys they dreamed of playing on the same team. Garret says Logan helped his skating, and he taught Logan to fight.Back in Belfast. He has played here before. His Boston University side reached the final of the 2018 Friendship Four, and Keefer said the speed he showed that week would be a major asset.The line. Cockerill plays on our third line with Kaleb Pearson and Patrick Guay, and all three are first-season Giants. Pearson (26) arrived from Idaho after a 52-point season. Guay (24) is the younger brother of Nicolas and a fifth-round Vegas draft pick. On paper they’re three different players:* Pearson makes things happen. Seven of his eight league points are assists, even though Keefer calls him a pure goalscorer.* Cockerill finishes. He has three league goals and the speed to get in behind a defence.* Guay does a bit of both. He has three goals in the league and seven assists in the cup.How the line has changed. In the 12 Challenge Cup games, the three of them had 16 points between them, a point and a third per game. In the six league games they have 16 points again, which is 2.67 per game. That’s double the output. Cockerill has gone from a point every four games to two in every three. Pearson has gone from about a point every two and a half games to over one a game. Guay has stayed steady at two-thirds of a point a game.In my view, that makes the league numbers more impressive. All six league games have been away from home, against Cardiff (twice), Nottingham, Coventry, Manchester Storm and Glasgow. That’s a step up from the Challenge Cup, and this line has stepped up with it.You can see it in the wins:* Glasgow, 1-0: Pearson’s stretch pass set up Cockerill’s goal after 89 seconds, the only goal of the night.* Cardiff, 4-1: Cockerill scored on a breakaway and Pearson sealed it with a penalty shot, two of our four goals. It was Cardiff’s first home defeat of the season.* Nottingham, 6-1: Cockerill scored from a Mike Lee pass, and Guay scored on the power play, set up by Pearson.What I’ve seen. I’ve said this before, so I won’t labour it. Earlier in the season, I think these three were still getting used to how Keefer wants us to play. It wasn’t the physical side of the league, because they’ve grown up playing physical hockey. It was learning to play together, with the D-men they’re out there with: how each other moves, where the other will be, where he’ll go next. Slowly but surely they’ve got used to it, and I think that has let them express themselves more. It’s more of a feeling than a stat, but I’ve watched them away a lot, and I’ll be at the Nottingham double-header in Belfast this month. I think they’ll build the kind of relationship JJ, Goody and Cons have, and could end up as our second power play line by default, with the same sort of mercurial talent the first line has.Why it matters. A third line should keep the game tidy. This one has been winning them. Opposing coaches can plan for JJ, Cons and Goody, but their best D-men can’t look after every line. Pick JJ’s line and the third line gets room, pick the third line and the top line does.It matters for us too. If this line keeps improving, Keefer doesn’t have to lean on the top line as hard. In a three-game week, or three games in three days in Rouen, JJ, Cons and Goody don’t need crazy minutes, and fresher legs on day three help a lot. We haven’t even mentioned the second line, the Kawaguchi line. That’s next.The weekend. A back end that leaks over four goals a game is a gift to fast forwards. If Guildford’s best D-men chase JJ’s line, there’s room for this one.Three things to watch.* Does Cockerill get an early chance on Saturday?* Does he finish it?* Does Keefer keep the line together on Sunday?My prediction: Cockerill scores at least once across the weekend, Pearson gets at least two points, and Guay gets at least one. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thetealnotebook.substack.com

A quick note before you start: the audio version of this piece is chattier than the text and doesn’t match it word for word, but the facts and stats are the same. You can find the audio on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.Six league games so far, and all six on the road. This weekend the Giants finally play an Elite League game at the O2. Then, because once isn’t enough, we do it again the next day. Guildford Flames are the visitors both nights: Saturday 7 November at 7pm and Sunday 8 November at 5pm.Standings from the Elite League site and Guildford stats from Elite Prospects, both taken on 4 November. The Giants’ scoring is from Elite Prospects on 4 November, and Kupper’s figures are from 2 November. The two netminders’ numbers cover league games only.Where we are. We’re third on 10 points, but we’ve played fewer games than almost everyone. Cardiff and Sheffield have 11, from seven and eight games. On points percentage we sit joint top with Coventry at .83. Five wins from six, and the only defeat came back at the start.Where they are. Guildford are fifth on 9 points, and their latest result was a 3-2 overtime loss at Glasgow, who are bottom of the table with 2 points. That’s not the form of a team that fancies a trip to Belfast. But the Flames are strange: they score more per game than anyone in the league (27 in 7, about 3.9) and only Dundee let in more (30 in 7, about 4.3). Every Guildford game is a goal fest. Our job is to make it a one-sided one.The Flames to watch.* Josh Waller, their top league scorer on 9 points, plays on the left wing and has 6 assists.* Brett Neumann, Justin Ducharme and Cole Sanford all have 7 points, and each has 3 goals.* Mathieu Gosselin has 5 assists in the league and leads their Challenge Cup scoring with 12 points.A word for Karl Boudrias. Two seasons in teal, a Challenge Cup winner in 2024-25, and part of two title-winning sides, by Guildford’s own count. Keefer called him a “dependable defenceman”, a great skater who could also play forward, and his 2025-26 was 23 points from 48 league games. This year he has 3 goals and 4 assists in seven games for the Flames, after five goals in his whole first season with us. He’ll get a very warm reception this weekend, and he’s earned it. Then we’d like him to stop scoring.Our key to the weekend. The Flames score a lot, but we don’t concede much: 11 goals in six games, and Kupper’s .950 is the reason. If JJ, Cons and Goody get going against a back end that leaks over four goals a game, we should win both nights.What to watch each night.* Saturday: the first home league game of the season. The crowd will be loud, and we’ll want to start fast against the league’s best attack.* Sunday: a 5pm start, with Guildford having seen us once already. Night two of a double header is where tired legs and tight games turn up.My prediction: two wins out of two.* Saturday: Giants 5, Flames 2.* Sunday: Giants 3, Flames 2.Write your own scorelines on your ticket before Saturday’s puck drop, and see who’s closest on Sunday night. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thetealnotebook.substack.com

A quick note before you start: the audio version of this piece is chattier than the text and doesn’t match it word for word, but the facts and stats are the same.Right. Pack your passport, because on 13 to 15 November the Giants are off to Rouen for round two of the Continental Cup. We’re in a group of four with the Dragons de Rouen, GKS Katowice and HK Mogo. The top three go through to the Final on 14 to 17 January, so the only thing we have to do is not finish bottom.Thanks for reading! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.That’s the good news. The bad news is that I’ve been scouting all three teams from my sofa with a laptop, a spreadsheet and an alarming number of screenshots. Please don’t tell Keefer I’m doing his job. His spreadsheet is better than mine.The four at a glanceStats from Elite Prospects, taken on 2 November, so they may not include the most recent games. The Giants figures are league and Challenge Cup combined (18 games). The other three are their own domestic league only, and Mogo’s don’t include their Group A games. So it’s a guide to who’s dangerous, not a like-for-like ranking.Now look at that table and tell me we don’t belong here. We’re the oldest of the four, which I’m choosing to call “experienced”. JJ has 25 points in 18 games, Kupper’s goaltending is right up there with anyone’s, and Whistle has a .939 in the Challenge Cup if Keefer wants a change. Our six league games were all away, so don’t read too much into those on their own, but I like where we are.And a quick one from the table. JJ leads our points with 25, but Cons is our top goalscorer with 11 in 18 games. So who’s the first name on your team sheet when we need a goal: JJ or Cons? Settle it in the comments.The schedule (French time, so the UK is one hour behind)* Friday 13th: Giants v Mogo, 3pm (2pm UK). Katowice v Dragons, 8pm.* Saturday 14th: Katowice v Mogo, 3pm. Dragons v Giants, 8pm (7pm UK).* Sunday 15th: Giants v Katowice, 1pm (noon UK). Mogo v Dragons, 6pm.Take a good look at our weekend. Afternoon start, a night game against the host in front of their own crowd, then lunchtime on Sunday against the Polish champions. That Saturday-night-to-Sunday-lunch turnaround is going to be a real test of the legs, so somebody pack the energy drinks.Game one: HK MogoThe facts: an all-Latvian side with a young squad. They won Group A with three wins (6-1, 8-1 and a 4-3 overtime win over Sokil Kyiv). Last season they reached their first Final and lost both games, so they’re not exactly the finished article.Players to watch: Ricards Grinbergs (8 goals and 9 assists in 11 games) and Rudolfs Polcs (9 goals in 9). Kaspars Daugavins and Elviss Zelubovskis bring the experience, and defenceman Renarts Berzins is +19.Goalie: Karlis Mezsargs, born in 2003, with a .947 save percentage. It’s a weaker league, so I’m not shaking yet.The danger: they’re quick, they score plenty and the youngsters will have something to prove. The weakness: the penalties. Grinbergs has 33 penalty minutes in 11 games, which is three a game, and that’s a lot of time to spend watching your team from a box. Our power play will be delighted.Game two: Dragons de RouenThe facts: top of the Ligue Magnus on 32 points from 15 games, with Grenoble level on points from two fewer games, and a long list of French titles. They beat Chamonix on 30 October and Marseille, then the league leaders, on 15 October. And they play us at home, on a Saturday night, in front of their own crowd. Lovely.Players to watch: Tomas Simonsen (8 goals, 8 assists), Simon Lafrance, Pier-Olivier Roy (a defenceman with 11 assists) and veteran American Ryan Lasch.Goalie: American Mac Carruth, 1.62 goals against and a .944 save percentage. It’s an impressive line, but he hasn’t faced us yet. Test him early.The danger: depth. Seven players have 10 or more points, so there’s no single player to shut down, and the penalty minutes suggest they’re physical on defence. Our view: stay disciplined, don’t let the crowd into it, and don’t give them a reason to enjoy themselves.Game three: GKS KatowiceThe facts: Polish champions, fourth in last season’s Continental Cup Final, and a team we’ve met before. The Elite League says we played them twice in the 2019 campaign, including the final, and I’d like a better ending this time.Players to watch: Patryk Krezolek (16 goals, 24 points), Patryk Wronka (19 assists), Canadian centre Stephen Anderson, Finn Joona Monto and Swedish defenceman Jacob Lundegård.Goalies: Connor LaCouvee (.909) and Michal Kieler (.915), the lowest of the four on paper.The danger: an import-heavy team with real depth and Final experience, and honestly the one I’m most nervous about. The weakness: goaltending and discipline, because Pontus Englund has 37 penalty minutes in 18 games.What do we need?Simple. Top three of four go through, so we just need not to finish bottom. Win two of the three and I think we’re very likely safe. Lose two and I’ll be pacing the living room. Mogo on Friday should set the tone, and Sunday against Katowice might decide where we finish.I haven’t found the points system or tie-breakers yet, so I’m not doing the maths. When I do, you’ll be the first to know, and you can tell me I’ve got it wrong.Your turnMy prediction: three wins out of three. Mogo and the Dragons are the ones I’m confident about, and Katowice on Sunday lunchtime is the fitness test. If the legs are still there after the Saturday night game, I think we get it done. If they aren’t, it could get tight. Here are the scores:* Friday, Mogo: Giants 5, Mogo 2. Young, fast and too many penalties, and our power play takes advantage.* Saturday, Dragons: Giants 4, Dragons 2. The crowd will be loud and the goalie is hot, but we’re the better team by a distance.* Sunday, Katowice: Giants 3, Katowice 2. The tightest of the three, with tired legs on both sides and a late winner to settle it.Take it with a pinch of salt, because my record this week isn’t one to put on the wall. If you think I’m wrong, tell me in the comments. Put your own scores underneath and we’ll see who’s closest.And who scores first against the Dragons on Saturday night? Put your guess in the comments.Thanks for reading The Teal Notebook. If you enjoyed it, share it with a fellow Giants fan, drop your predictions in the comments, and subscribe so you don’t miss the next one. The audio version is there if you’d rather listen.Tom Davies, Giants POVThanks for reading! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thetealnotebook.substack.com

Before you dive in: this article has an audio version, which you’ll find above this paragraph. I record it as a conversation, not a reading, so it won’t match the written piece word for word. The facts and stats are identical, but the audio has more of my reactions and asides, and the article has the tidier version of the story. Whichever you choose, I’d love to hear what you think in the comments.Cardiff, penalty shot, a home crowd booing his every touch. Kaleb Pearson scored, turned to the crowd and put a finger to his lips. It was his first league goal of the season, and we'd been waiting a while for it. Almost three weeks into the league campaign, which in goalscorer years is roughly a decade. But it's not the whole story, so let's go back to the start.When we signed him, Keefer called him a pure goalscorer who loves to win and hates to lose. That's quite a billing to live up to. He arrived from the ECHL with 28 goals in 56 games for Idaho last season, after four years at UPEI in Canadian university hockey and a World University Games gold medal. He also came recommended by Jeff Baum, who'd played with him in Idaho, and when Baum vouches for someone, we listen.He didn't take long to show it. On 28 August, Jake Gaudet put a perfect pass on his stick on the doorstep and Pearson scored on his debut against Herlev. Two days later, Gaudet set him up again (he's clearly decided he's a playmaker) and Pearson finished high into the roof of the net in a 2-1 overtime win, our first win of the season. Then came the Warrior Cup in Germany, where he scored twice against Swiss side HC Ambrì-Piotta in a 6-3 win, the first after just 90 seconds. That's four goals in his first three games in teal. We all thought we'd signed a sniper.Where were you when you first thought "this lad can play"? Tell me in the comments.The Challenge Cup began with two games and no points, and then the sniper woke up. He scored twice in the 8-1 win over Dundee on 19 September, and a week later he scored again in the 5-2 win over Fife, restoring a two-goal lead after Fife cut it to 3-2. That's three goals in the first five competitive games. We were getting exactly what was on the tin.And then the goals stopped. From 27 September to 25 October, ten games, he scored once, on the power play against Glasgow on 17 October. His first four league games gave us four assists and no goals, which is a polite way of saying the pure goalscorer was setting everyone else up. At least he was doing it well. He set up Patrick Guay's overtime winner at Manchester, which is the sort of thing that gets a round bought, and he had five assists across those ten games. He also picked up ten penalty minutes at Fife on 21 October, so he wasn't hiding.Did you notice? When did you start to wonder if the goals would come? Be honest. I did, and I kept my mouth shut, which was the sensible thing, given my record at predictions.Then came Cardiff. Wednesday night, a penalty shot, the home crowd on his back, and he buried it. The finger went to his lips. Cardiff fans, you were warned. He also set up Cockerill's goal that night, because he's generous like that. Two nights later at Nottingham he set up two more, including Cockerill's again. He now has 8 points in six league games, one goal and seven assists, which makes him the league's most generous sniper.What's changed isn't just the numbers. He looks like a real player now. A few weeks ago he looked like a talented newcomer finding his feet, and now he looks like he belongs. The biggest difference is how at home he is in the physical way Belfast and Keefer want us to play. That's not easy for a newcomer to adapt to, and it's come quickly.Was it the Manchester assist, the Cardiff penalty shot or the Nottingham pass that turned it for him? Vote in the comments.Pearson, Patrick Guay and Logan Cockerill were together on the third line at Cardiff, and between them they've been involved in a big share of the best moments of the last week. Cockerill, who's scored at Cardiff and at Nottingham, is impressing too, and he's next in the spotlight. We always talk about the top line, and Cons, Goody and Piccinich can spare us a minute of airtime for once.Who has impressed you most on that third line, Pearson, Guay or Cockerill? Tell me in the comments.Fife at five today, and he knows the place: a goal against them on 26 September, ten penalty minutes and an assist on 21 October. Fife, you've been warned. Then two against Guildford at The O2, and then Rouen.In all competitions he's on 5 goals and 8 assists in 17 games. How many league goals will he have by Christmas? He has one. Put your number in the comments, and I'll tally them in a follow-up. Closest wins glory, and given my record this season, I'd rather you did the predicting.This is the first Ones to Watch, and the next one is already decided: Logan Cockerill. So tell me what you've noticed about him, and which other player deserves the spotlight after that. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thetealnotebook.substack.com

Sunday at 5pm at the Fife Ice Arena is our last Challenge Cup group game, and our sixth in twelve days. Fife away, Glasgow away, Glasgow at home, Cardiff away, Nottingham away, and now Fife away again, so five of the six on the road. We've won four of the first five, and the last two were 4-1 at Cardiff and 6-1 at Nottingham.Group B is already ours, and so is the number one seed for the semi-finals, so there's nothing left to win in the group. But Fife beat us 3-2 last time, and I'd like that one back. Consider it a polite request.We go into it top of the league on 10 points from six, which is a nice view, and I'd quite like to keep it.This season against Fife* Sun 20 Sep: Giants 6-0 Fife (home)* Sat 26 Sep: Giants 5-2 Fife (home)* Wed 21 Oct: Fife 3-2 Giants (away)That's two wins and a defeat, 13 goals for and 5 against. The one that went wrong was the one at Fife, and Sunday is the same place, so it's a chance to put it right. I'd rather not have to write a third "we were poor at Fife" paragraph.Fife right nowIn the Cup they're second in Group B on 11 points from 9 games, with Glasgow third on 10 from 10. Second place means the elimination game against Guildford, so they have plenty to play for. They play Dundee tonight before they get to us, so at least they'll have had some exercise.In the league they're 7th on 6 points from 7 games, with 22 goals for and 22 against. Their power play is 45%, the second best in the league behind Cardiff, and their penalty kill is 78%.The thing to watch is the same as all week: don't give them a power play. At Cardiff we did take 22 penalty minutes, but it came to four incidents, and every one was matched by a Cardiff penalty. There were two fights, five minutes each, and late on one of our players and Cardiff's Barrow took a cross-check and a ten-minute misconduct apiece. None of it left us short-handed, so Cardiff never had a power play, and their 50% power play, the best in the league, never played a minute. At Nottingham we took no penalty minutes at all, and their 40% power play never got going. Fife's is 45%, and it's the next one we'll have to shut out.Ones to watch: Pearson and CockerillWe always talk about the top line, so this week I want to talk about two who don't get as much airtime, because I think they're both starting to look like proper players. Don't worry, Cons, you'll get your turn.Kaleb Pearson arrived from the ECHL and AHL with a goalscorer's reputation, and Keefer called him a pure goalscorer who loves to win and hates to lose. It took him a while to get going in the league, with four assists and no goals from his first four games, but he now has 8 points in 6. He scored on a penalty shot at Cardiff, set up Cockerill's goal at Nottingham, and set up Guay's overtime winner at Manchester. He's started to look at home in the physical side of the game the way Belfast and Keefer are trying to play it, which I think is the biggest change.He's also scored against Fife already. In the 5-2 win on 26 September, after Fife cut it to 3-2, he restored the two-goal lead with a sharp finish from a narrow angle. Fife, you've been warned.Logan Cockerill came from Jacksonville in the ECHL, and he's scored at Cardiff and at Nottingham, both after a pass from Pearson. He now has three league goals. With Patrick Guay in the middle, they were the third line on Wednesday's lineup sheet, and they've been one of the best stories of the week.Between the pipesMy expectation is Whistle in goal on Sunday, with Kupper having played at Nottingham, but that's Keefer's call.Looking aheadAfter Fife it's back home for two against Guildford, on Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 November at The O2. They've scored 24 goals in five league games, so that's a proper test of our defence. Then it's off to Rouen for the Continental Cup, Group C, from 13 to 15 November, with Rouen on the Friday, Mogo on the Saturday and Katowice on the Sunday, and a place in January's final round at stake. After a fortnight like this one, a few days at home before the trip will be very welcome.My callA Giants win. Keep on rolling.I've had a go at predicting losses this week and I'm 0 for 2, so I've retired from that.Tom This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thetealnotebook.substack.com

We handed Nottingham their first league defeat of the season, 6-1 at the Motorpoint Arena, and it never felt like we had to get out of second gear. It's two away games in three days, two big wins, and the Giants are top of the league.First period: Cardiff all over againWe came out hot, much as we did on Wednesday. The passing was sharp, and we were doing it at 5-on-5 while looking like we were on the power play again. It felt like we'd picked up exactly where we left off against the Devils. The expected-goals chart has it 0.89 to 0.56 to us in the period, so it wasn't just me.Cons got the opener at 14:31, and it was a lovely bit of work. Piccinich intercepted a Panthers clearance and found him, and Cons showed quick hands to beat Mat Robson from close range. Right place, right time, and a good goal.It was a super-comfortable period, and the second and third lines are really gelling. They look a lot better than they did three or four weeks ago.Second period: the wobble, then the avalanchePanthers came out and had a real go at us, and for eight or nine minutes they were probably the better team. They scored at 26:03, when Joe Hazeldine finished a two-on-one after a pass from Miika Pitkänen. From where I was standing, both officials got in the way of the play and we couldn't defend it properly, which felt ridiculous. But it is what it is. Mike Lee admitted afterwards that we got away from our game early in the period.Then came three goals before the break.* Piccinich put us back in front with a fine finish into the top corner, set up by Cons. It's his first league goal of the season. I said he was saving it for something special.* Thirty-seven seconds later, Pearson set up Cockerill for a one-timer to make it 3-1. The Panthers had been caught trying to clear their zone again.* With 21 seconds left in the period, Gaudet got the slightest touch on Ty Prefontaine's point shot to make it 4-1.That was a thoroughly nasty finish for Nottingham, and a proper response to their good start to the period.Third period: managed, not pushedThe game was won, and I thought we managed it well. Patrick Guay made it 5-1 on the power play at 42:47, our fifth different scorer of the night. Cons added his second in the final minute, bundling the puck over the line after a rebound hit a Panthers player in front.Lee said we learned a lesson from Manchester, where a three-goal lead slipped away in the third. Tonight we stuck to our process and stayed tight.By the numbers* Shots: 49-27 to us, with 33 on goal to their 19.* Finishing: we scored six from 33 shots on goal (18%), and the expected-goals model had us on 2.57. After all my moaning about finishing, that's the good kind of problem.* Discipline: this was my big question going in, and the answer was zero penalty minutes for us. Nottingham, with a 40% power play, never got to use it. We had three power plays and scored on one.* Kupper: 18 saves from 19 shots, and he's now 5-0.* Expected win: 66% for us, 34% for them. The Panthers did create some chances, with 13 mid-danger shots, but only one went in.Two games, one messageCardiff 4-1, Nottingham 6-1. That's 10 goals for and 2 against across two away games against two of the league's best sides, and the Panthers went into the night as the only unbeaten team in the league.It gets better when you look at the schedule. We've played five games in less than two weeks, away at Fife, away at Glasgow, home to Glasgow, away at Cardiff and away at Nottingham, and Sunday means a sixth, away at Fife. That's five of six on the road.And the results have been incredible. We're top of the league on 10 points from six, ahead of Cardiff on nine and Manchester on nine. I think the rest of the league will start to feel uneasy about how easily we swept both teams aside, away from home.Fife on Sunday at five. They beat us 3-2 last time, so consider it a polite request for a rematch.Tom This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thetealnotebook.substack.com