Captain Blair Riley scored twice for the Belfast Giants in a dramatic game
Patrick Dwyer scored an overtime winner and Blair Riley got a double as Belfast Giants clinched a thrilling 5-4 Elite League victory over Sheffield Steelers.
Kyle Baun and David Rutherford also scored as the Giants marked Colin Shields' record 585th cap with a win.
John Armstrong, Anthony Deluca, Jordan Owens and Robert Dowd all scored for Sheffield in an end-to-end contest.
The Giants held their nerve to clinch a vital win as Dwyer scored in the fourth minute of overtime at the SSE Arena.
Veteran forward Shields, returning from an eye injury he sustained against Milton Keynes in October, was recognised for his landmark appearance in a pre-match ceremony led by his former team-mate and previous record holder Graeme Walton.
A large contingent of Steelers fans, in Belfast for the weekend double-header, and the visiting college band of the Clarkson Golden Knights created a lively atmosphere at the SSE Arena where Clarkson had earlier played out an entertaining 3-3 tie with Northeastern University from Boston in the first women's NCAA match to be played outside North America.
Patrick Dwyer's winner means Belfast Giants remain just behind Cardiff Devils in the Elite League standings
The Steelers took the initiative when Armstrong slammed home the opening goal after fifteen minutes with a close-range shot that gave Tyler Beskorowany no chance in the Giants goal and they doubled their lead less than 90 seconds later when Deluca scored unassisted.
The home side hit back in the second period as captain Riley scored with a smart backdoor finish on the half-hour mark.
Former Belfast netminder Jackson Whistle was kept busy in the Sheffield goal as the home side laid siege in the minutes that followed and he was eventually beaten by Baun's equaliser but the visitors quickly responded during a frenetic middle period as Owens broke clear to restore their lead.
After a delay to the start of the third period, the Giants equalised once again when Rutherford scored from an assist by Baun and then took the lead for the first time when Riley fired past Whistle.
The home side attempted to defend their advantage but, with the Giants' Kevin Raine serving a two minute penalty for elbowing, the Steelers pulled their keeper and used their two-man advantage on the ice to set up an equaliser for Dowd with little over a minute to go, which forced an absorbing game into sudden death overtime.
The winner eventually came with just under two minutes of overtime remaining as Riley and Josh Roach combined to create the chance for Dwyer to seal what could prove to be a very important two points in the title race.