Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Stars ready for of season’ with
KITMART Dundee Stars need to win another crucial play-off battle at home this weekend to boost their odds of making it to April’s post-season.
Stars again take on a team above them as Glasgow Clan visit the Dundee Ice Arena tomorrow, followed by a road trip for their final regular season clash with Coventry Blaze on Sunday.
The Elite League table currently has Stars sitting in ninth place, just a single point outside the play-off spots.
Clan occupy eighth, with 39 points, but they have played one more game than Dundee, so a win tomorrow can move Omar Pacha’s men up into the top eight, while still retaining their game in hand.
However, that fixture will be used on Sunday as Stars are the only team in the bottom four to play twice this weekend.
Pacha’s men go into the games off the back of a 6-2 defeat in Cardiff, which followed a big win over Manchester Storm the night before.
Both Anthony Beauregard and Egils Kalns scored against the Devils, with the latter’s goal being picked as the league’s Play of the Week.
Stars were missing two players in their last game as forward Alex Schoenborn and defenceman Reilly O’Connor were injured. Unfortunately, the pair are likely to both miss this weekend’s action.
Glasgow beat Manchester 2-0 in Altrincham last week to snap a six-game losing streak. Marcus Jonsson and Nolan LaPorte provided their goals.
Clan were missing
Jordan
Heywood, Jack Musil and Matt Stanisz for that one and it is most likely that they will be short on bodies again for their trip to Dundee.
Pacha’s men have yet to lose at home to Glasgow this season and have out-scored them 17-8.
Tomorrow’s’s fixture will be a critical moment in each side’s play-off push and Pacha is hoping his men will come out with the two points to put themselves in the ascendency.
He said: “It is a huge game. There are eight games left and we are only one point behind them with a game i n hand, so we can put ourselves in the driving seat.
“I don’t think it is game over if we lose but, for me, it is a massive, massive game and it is definitely the biggest game of the season so far.
“So, we have to make sure we are ready from the get go.
“They have had an up-and-down year but they are still close enough to make the play-offs and they want to make a run.
“So it is important for us to realise that and make sure we execute properly and be the better team tomorrow.”