Dundee Stars at full strength for tough weekend

Challenge Cup clash with Braehead gets busy weekend under way as Lefebvre looks to maintain momentum

DUNDEE STARS coach Marc Lefebvre reported a clean bill of health ahead of tonight’s Challenge Cup Group A clash at Scottish rivals Braehead Clan (7.30pm).

Stars go into the game on the back of a four-point weekend with a crucial 4-3 overtime victory at Belfast Giants, followed by a 2-0 home win over Fife Flyers.

Clan are also on the up having secured a 5-3 Elite League road victory at Manchester Storm, followed by a point in a 3-2 penalty shots defeat at home to Belfast on Sunday.

Lefebvre said: “We’re coming into this on a four-point weekend and they come in after a three-point weekend.

“We’ve played them in pre-season at Dundee and won 5-3 and we’ve watched the video.

“Ryan (Finnerty, Clan’s coach) also knows about us and what we can do and he will have done his homework.

“But this game is not about what they do. It is about what we do, and we’ll be focused and ready for Friday, which is the start of a big weekend for us,” he said.

The game kick-starts a tough weekend as Stars entertain Edinburgh Capitals in the Challenge Cup tomorrow (7pm) and travel to Coventry Blaze in the Elite League on Sunday (5.15pm).

DUNDEE TIGERS will be minus captain Paul Guilcher when they entertain Edinburgh Capitals in the Scottish National League on Sunday (face-off 6.30pm).

The experienced player is injured but the mood in the dressing-room is positive after a come-from-behind draw with North Ayrshire Wild last weekend.

Ian Carstairs, one of Tigers’ senior players, said the squad showed real character to level the game with 20 seconds left. He warned the players not to read anything into results so far this season which have seen the Murrayfield side lose three and draw one of their opening four games.

Carstairs added: “On paper, Capitals look to be the same squad that has finished in the top two of the table for the past three seasons.

“Early results have been poor by their standards, including a heavy loss (14-1 away at Aberdeen Lynx) in the Scottish Cup last weekend.

“We’ve got to prepare to face the slick, fast-paced team we’ve seen prevously, and can’t read too much into the scores we’ve seen.”

This game is not about what they do. It is about what we do… MARC LEFEBVRE