Steve Thornton's Giants side lead the Elite League by two points

Belfast Giants player-coach Steve Thornton praised his players after they held on to beat Sheffield Steelers in Sunday's British Knockout Cup clash.

The Giants claimed a 6-5 win in Sheffield to secure a 9-8 aggregate success over the two weekend games.

"Getting a win, no matter how you get it, in this building is no mean feat," said Thornton.

"Guys were blocking shots with broken sticks. We were really emptying the tank at the end."

Thornton added:"We want to keep playing in this competition so I'm really happy with the weekend displays."

Despite winning nine of their 11 league games, the Giants are still only two points clear at the top of the table and Thornton says that it's shaping up to be a tough title race.

"Other teams are going to get better and that's what I keep telling the guys.

"After the run we've had, we think we should be getting some breathing space but we're not.

"Coventry are right on our tail as are Manchester and Sheffield and Nottingham are a few wins away from catching us."

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