The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Francois Bouchard expecting ‘good game’ against Storm in league opener
ICE HOCKEY: Elite league beckons as Manchester Storm come visiting
The Dundee Stars face their first test of the regular season against the Manchester Storm on Sunday, with Omar Pacha’s side keen to build on their recent success.
Dundee claimed back-to-back wins against their biggest rivals Fife Flyers last weekend in the Challenge Cup but now play their first Elite League fixture when they host Ryan Finnerty’s Storm.
The Altrincham side come to Dundee with just one win in three games, having lost twice to the Nottingham Panthers, 2-1 on the road and 4-1 in Manchester.
However, in their last game they picked up the extra point in Sheffield against the Steelers after Rob Linsmayer’s winning penalty shot gave them a 3-2 victory.
Ex-Stars defencemen Fèlix-Antoine Poulin and Riley Stadel have joined the Storm for this season, although Poulin could not ice after missing last Saturday’s game with an injury.
Mike Hammond is yet to play a competitive game and is unlikely to feature on Sunday.
Dundee have no absentees at this time and look to be at full strength again.
Stars started their playoff comeback with a 5-3 win against the Storm last December as they went on a hot streak and won five home games in a row.
After an intense three-way battle between Stars, Braehead Clan and Coventry Blaze, Dundee were knocked out of the race with just two weeks left of the regular season.
Looking ahead to their only fixture of the weekend, François Bouchard added: “It is going to be a good game on Sunday.
“I think it is going to be a good challenge against Manchester.
“Obviously, we want to do well as it is a home game in front of our fans, so hopefully we can start with the win and kick on.”
With a few games under their belts, Bouchard explained how Pacha’s team is gelling.
He said: “There is a lot of new faces. It is a new team for everybody and we are getting to know each other a little better week after week.
“I like what I am seeing so far as we have a good mix of everything.
“Our goaltender is solid, our d-core is solid and up front, even though we have not scored a lot of goals lately, it is just a matter of time before things click.
“We need to keep playing like we did in the Challenge Cup. We are a fast team who shoot the puck well and score some goals.”
The two sides met four times in last year’s campaign, with them sharing two wins each.
Manchester claimed the first tie on home ice with a 4-3 shootout win before Stars claimed the points on Tayside after a 5-4 win on penalty shots.
Brian Hart scored one goal and assisted on another in that game, while Johan Andersson set up two of the other Dundee goals.
Stars then won their second home game against Manchester 5-3 before being shut out 4-0 on the road.
François Bouchard leads the Stars in points with two goals and four assists.
He is followed by Matt Marquardt who has netted three times, including two powerplay goals.
Jordan Cownie also sits on three points with two goals and one assist, while Shawn Boutin is the highest scoring defenceman for Dundee with three assists.
Sunday’s game faces-off at 5pm.