Jeff Mason expects no easy games ahead of Giants defence of Challenge Cup crown

Returning late on Sunday night from Switzerland after the game against EV Zug, the Giants wasted no time getting stuck into preparation for the games, first at the SSE Arena against the Dundee Stars on Saturday, before they travel to Scotland to play the Fife Flyers.

Associate coach Jeff Mason believes that the CHL games have been opportunity to learn, lessons which will be brought into the domestic campaigns.

He said: “The pace is very high in the CHL games. Getting a chance to play in the CHL will get us up to speed going into our season.

“Hopefully we can use that to our advantage, it will allow us to start fast and try to establish our game early on.”

Mason believes that the EIHL is looking stronger this season.

He explained: “Every team looks like they have improved on last season and that’s something we have seen happening year on year in the league.

“There doesn’t project to be any easy games in this league any more, there will be nights throughout the course of this season when we can expect upsets to be caused.”

He added: “For us as the Giants it is about getting out an establishing how we want to play and sticking to that, not letting any other team play the way that they want to play.”

Looking ahead to this weekend’s game, he said: “We expect Dundee to come into the SSE and play hard but we just need to stick to our process, putting in action the preparations that we have been working on this week.

“Dundee have some quality players on their roster for sure.”

Taking the fans out of the game as early against Fife will be key says Mason.

He said: “Fife is never been an easy place to play, we know that from past season’s games over there.

“Certainly, if you have never been, like the new guys on our roster, they won't have experienced a place like Fife.

“It their home opener, I expect their crowd to be very enthusiastic and will get behind their team.

“When the fans do that, it gives their team belief and energy, they will feed off in the same as the Giants do at the SSE with the energy of our fans.

“We are going to need to do our part of keeping them as quiet as possible and keep them out of the game.”

While the early season injuries are never welcome, that adversity helps to make a team stronger, says Mason.

He said: “Nobody in this sport is going to feel sorry for you because you have injuries. We wouldn’t. Why should we expect them to be same to us? It is about us finding a way to battle through.

“It has been said before but it is very true, adversity provides you with a number of things.

“It also gives opportunities for guys who get to fill those spots, it let’s them play more minutes and allows them to establish themselves.”

He concluded: “You always have to find the benefits and not focus on the negatives.

“Certainly all teams face adversity throughout the course of their seasons.

“We have fought a little bit of that early, hopefully it will make us that stronger.”