The top three teams in the Elite League recorded comprehensive victories on Saturday night to move further clear of fourth-placed Cardiff.
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The Belfast Giants stayed third, two points adrift, courtesy of a 4-1 home win over the Cardiff Devils.
Player coach Steve Thornton said he is happy with the first win of 2010.
"We finished wrong in 2009, and that is what you have to do, you have to find a way to win your home games, they played really well I know they have been struggling lately on the road and I hoped they would have struggled more because they really pushed us," he said.
"We scored a few goals and then played really well with a lead, any time you beat a team like Cardiff it's a big win."
League leaders Coventry Blaze ran out 5-2 winners at the Sheffield Steelers to stay top of the pile, level on points with Nottingham.
The Panthers hammered bottom team Hull 4-1 to stay in the hunt, but have played four games more than the Blaze.
In Saturday night's other game, Edinburgh picked up only their 11th victory of the season with a 4-2 triumph at Newcastle which saw them climb to sixth.
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