As one of the veteran presences on this season’s Belfast Giants roster, Ben Lake knows better than most what it takes to win in the Elite League, including how to navigate the pressures placed upon the players.
So after three straight losses in all competitions, the latest a 7-0 hammering by Swiss side Bern in the Champions League, it is understandable that the experienced voices in the locker room carry more weight for the time being.
Lake is no stranger to just playing in Belfast but also winning.
Seven trophies in five seasons attests to how he has been at the centre of the dynasty and culture of success the Giants have created under Adam Keefe.
After four losses in their first eight Challenge Cup fixtures, however, Keefe admitted his side have to “get (their) s**t together” if they are to add to that haul this season, and Lake admits that they need to start showing more in order to impress the head coach.
“We’re obviously early into the year and it kind of looks like everyone’s beating everyone right now,” said the Great Britain international.
“But at the same time, you’re wanting to put your best performances forward. So every performance in the League and Challenge Cup and Champions League is going to be scrutinised, is going to be analysed and we’re going to learn from every game.
“Maybe at this time of the year, individuals and as a team, we may have a bit of a longer leash being so early. But I think that’s going to start to be tightened as we move into the next couple of weeks here.
“In the next four games, we need to have success to qualify in the next round of the Cup.
“So these next four games are extremely important for us and I think everyone’s aware of that.
“So I think we expect to have our best results moving forward.”
The Giants are in Glasgow on Saturday night knowing that a win over the Clan would move them top of Group B in the Challenge Cup, albeit having played one more game than current leaders the Dundee Stars, before returning to the SSE Arena on Sunday to take on the Fife Flyers.
With only the top side in Group B earning safe passage into the Semi-Finals and only four games remaining, the pressure is on for the Giants to lock down first place, otherwise they face having to play the third place side in Group A in order to make the last-four.
But for Lake, there is no shortage of motivation to try and add to his already glittering haul in Belfast — the chance to be throwing off the gloves and lifting another trophy.
“We’ve got a group of guys here that have won everything. So I think it’s just cementing that legacy and carrying on the dynasty we’ve built here over the last four or five years,” he explains.
“For the new guys, I think it’s important that they come in and they want to be a part of that and they want to get their hands on some silverware as well.
“We’re kind of in a lucky spot where we’re expected to win. Moving forward, I think you need to kind of embrace that pressure and kind of do whatever it takes to lift some silverware for the organisation and for ourselves and for the city and for the fans.
“All the early mornings, early ferries, winning trophies kind of makes it all worth it. And it just builds a special bond within the team that does it.
“Looking back on the years, you still have really close relationships with everyone you’ve won with. I’d like to do it with these guys again. Hopefully we’re able to do that.”
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