The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Stars beat Fife to clinch top spot in Challenge Cup group
ICE HOCKEY: Pair of 4-3 victories seal top spot for Dundee in Challenge Cup
Dundee Stars won their Challenge Cup group for the first time in franchise history after two weekend wins.
Belfast Giants came to Tayside on Saturday but were sent home with nothing as Dundee confirmed their first-place finish by beating the current champions and then crossed the River Tay and won on the road to eliminate Fife Flyers.
Stars’ two 4-3 wins mean they not only win Group A but advance to the next round as the number one seeded team and will have first choice when it comes to picking their opponents for the quarter-finals.
On Saturday night it was Colton Kroeker who netted the winner against Giants.
Jean Dupuy put Adam Keefe’s side ahead but the Elite League’s Player of the Month for September, Kevin Dufour, tied the game.
Ben Lake and Curtis Hamilton put the visitors ahead again twice either side of a Duncan Speirs equaliser.
Kroeker made it 3-3 in the 55th minute and then tipped in what proved be the game-winning goal.
Last night’s game at Kirkcaldy got off to a slow start, but with Fife’s Danick Gauthier off for a tripping foul, Stars wasted no time in taking advantage of the extra skater.
Captain Matt Marquardt turned a Jagger Dirk shot through the legs of Flyers goalie Adam Morrison to open the scoring in the ninth minute.
With Dundee scoring just 12 seconds into their powerplay, the goals continued to come thick and fast as the home side pulled one back 21 seconds after the opener.
Carlo Finucci finished off a quick passing move in the ninth minute, as Kyle Just sent the puck to Paul Crowder, who straight away sent it out to Finucci who had plenty of net to shoot at.
Another penalty followed Flyers’ equaliser and it was again against the home team as defenceman Scott Aarsen was penalised for hooking Dufour.
Stars’ in-form forward made Fife pay as he was played through on goal and calmly slotted the puck between the legs of Morrison in the 11th minute.
The Taysiders’ lead would be shortlived again as Mike Cazzola managed to flick the puck high into the roof of Stars’ net from a narrow angle in the 12th minute.
Once again Omar Pacha’s men took the lead as Dufour netted his second of the evening and third of the weekend after 14 minutes.
He was played in behind Flyers’ defence and this time tucked the puck over the left pad of Morrison as he whizzed past Flyers’ shot-stopper.
Dundee held on to the 3-2 lead until the first break and added to it in the second period as defenceman Drydn Dow drilled in the fourth goal in the 34th minute.
Stars took their 4-2 lead into the final session but, after killing off some penalties, they did concede.
Fife’s James Isaacs sent the puck deep into the Dundee end where it took a bounce off the glass and landed in front of Stars’ goal.
Dundee goalkeeper Alex Leclerc had skated behind his net to intercept the puck but the odd deflection left him out of place and Tim Crowder scored in the 43rd minute.
It all came down to the final two minutes and Flyers head coach Todd Dutiaume used his timeout and pulled Morrison for an extra attacker.
However, the final buzzer sounded to eliminate Fife from the cup and add to Dundee’s unmatchable points tally.
Flyers also suffered late disappointment in Saturday’s game with Glasgow Clan as they conceded the winner less than two minutes from time in a 3-2 Challenge Cup defeat.
Clan followed up last night by claiming another scalp with a 4-1 Elite League victory at Manchester Storm.