Jeremy Rebek can’t quite get his head around why the Belfast Giants are aiming to hit the Braehead Clan with a double whammy tonight.

More used to scenarios where everything hinges on the final few matches of the season from his time spent in north America and Austria, the 35-year-old is trying to alter his mindset now that he’s in Belfast.

Teaching an old dog new tricks isn’t easy, but Giants coach Doug Christiansen and team-mates who know their way around the Elite League are working on Rebek.

The Giants want to get their hands on all three trophies this season and while that means the Play-off title is on the agenda, winning the league and the Challenge Cup comes first — chronologically anyway.

And that’s why tonight’s battle with Braehead at the Odyssey is so important.

Points in the league and the Challenge Cup group are at stake and only a Giants win will be enough to give them top spot in the group and home ice advantage in the second leg of the semi-final.

And it would also help to at least maintain the current five-point lead over the Nottingham Panthers at the top of the Elite League.

“I was in Austria for eight years and I haven’t quite figured out yet how things work here,” admitted the Giants captain.

“There are a lot of different aspects here, a different style and it’s a different kind of league.

“We’re playing Braehead for first place in the Challenge Cup and the only time I’ve been involved in something like this in mid-season was when Salzberg were in the Continental Cup.

“It is nice that here you have a couple of chances to win something.

“All over the world you see teams finish first in the standings in the regular season and then lose in the first round of the Play-offs.

“At least here there is recognition for the team that finishes on top.”

Rebek only returned to the Giants line-up three weeks ago after being absent for two months.

He has made a decent impact with goals in the wins over the Fife Flyers and Dundee Stars last weekend.

And the exciting news is that there is more to come.

“I thought I was out of shape when I first came back,” admitted Rebek.

“Luckily we have a good team and I was able to hide as much as I could.

“I am slowly getting there. I am still a couple of weeks away from being at my best, but I’m working hard and there is still a lot of the season left.

“I am looking forward to hopefully playing in some pressure games when we get to the end of the season.”