Elite League: Shoot-out hero Cheverie clinches play-off title for Giants

Evan Cheverie was the hero for the regular season league runners-up, scoring the decisive sudden death penalty shot, after three 20-minute periods and 10 minutes of overtime couldn't separate the sides.

A goalless first period was followed by an explosive second when all four goals were scored. Brandon Benedict broke the deadlock at 21.21 before a powerplay strike from George Awada 10 minutes later saw Belfast double their lead.

But Cardiff – who beat regular season league champions Coventry Blaze 6-3 in Saturday's semi-final – quickly hit back at 32.04 through Max Birbraer, who grabbed a second five minutes later to bring his side level.

Despite several chances in the third period and overtime, neither side could find the breakthrough enabling Cheverie to make a name for himself in the shoot-out.

Giants player-coach Steve Thornton, whose side lost the league title to Coventry by one point, said: "It feels pretty good.

"It's not a good feeling when you go into a Championship game knowing it's going into a shoot-out when you won one out of four in the league this year which probably cost us the title.

"But when you win the last game you are the team who enjoys the summer the most."

Cardiff coach Gerad Adams added: "It's such an awful way to lose, especially when I felt we deserved to win the game.

"We had a number of chances and did everything we needed to do to win. Unfortunately when a team game breaks down into an individual thing, it's a roll of the dice, it's anyone's game.

"But I am very proud of all the guys."

On Saturday, coach Gerad Adams saw his Cardiff team deservedly beat Coventry in Saturday's opening semi-final at Nottingham's National Ice Centre.

Cardiff raced into a two-goal lead after powerplay strikes from

Phil Hill 10.03 and another 53 seconds later from Birbraer.

Blaze responded quickly to make it a one-goal game through Luke Fulghum but Devils came into their own by the end of the second when a 27th-minute strike from Matt Miller, again on the powerplay and Hill's second at 35.36 gave them a 4-1 advantage.at 26.04.

But a tired and injury-hit Coventry found another gear in the early part of the third when Fulghum's second, at 41.16 and Brad Cruikshank's 46th-minute strike saw some nerves enter Cardiff's game.

They were eased at 50.55 however when Jay Latulippe scrambled the puck home and, as Coventry pulled goaltender Peter Hirsch, Birbraer grabbed made it 6-3 with an empty net strike at 59.34.

Belfast took an early lead against Nottingham in Saturday's second semi-final, when Michael Jacobsen scored on the powerplay at 3.20.

And it wasn't until the 58th minute that Panthers were able to pull level when a long pass from Corey Neilson set Jade Galbraith through one on one to beat Stephen Murphy to take the game into overtime.

After a goal-less overtime period of 4-on-4, it went to a shoot-out with Craig Peacock the first to net for Belfast, before Galbraith levelled.

Panthers' Sean McAslan and Giants' Jeff Szwez also found a way through, before Szwez scored the all-important game-winner in sudden death to send Belfast through to their first Elite League play-off final against a Cardiff side who were beaten finalists in 2007.