The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Loss in Cardiff rounds off Flyers’ weekend to forget
Defeat by Devils comes after arch rivals Dundee make stunning comeback in Kirkcaldy
Fife Flyers completed a disappointing weekend when they went down 4-1 at long-time league pace-setters Cardiff Devils.
It came on the back of a 7-6 defeat at home to Dundee Stars on Saturday.
Patrick Asselin opened the scoring in Cardiff on the power play after six minutes, and Gleason Fournier added a second five minutes later.
Chase Schaber pulled one back unassisted after 31 minutes, but two third-period strikes kept the points in Wales.
Joey Martin scored after 44 minutes and Paul Crowder assisted by former Dundee Stars player Justin Faryna ended the scoring eight minutes later
Meanwhile, Dundee Stars’ 7-6 win in Kirkcaldy came after a sensational fightback.
The Flyers led 5-2 in the third session but Dundee hit four straight goals.
With penalty shots needed, Malcolm Gould kept his nerve to slot home.
Team-mates Marc-Oliver Mimar and Lukas Lundvald Nielsen had earlier missed, and Peter LeBlanc, Ian Young and Liam Heelis failed to score for Fife.
Omar Pacha described the win as “huge” but said his short-benched squad are still making “critical” mistakes.
“The boys found a way and we have been playing good hockey, but at times we’ve been making mistakes which have been punished,” he said.
Fife were 2-0 ahead inside the first three minutes, Charlie Mosey and Jim Jorgensen netting, before Jimmy Jensen on the power play pulled one back for the visitors after 15 minutes.
Carlo Finucci’s power-play score after 1:20 of the second and Russ Moyer’s goal five minutes later made it 4-1 before Brian Hart pulled one back with 40 seconds left of the session. Heelis slotted Fife’s fifth after 42 minutes.
Then came Stars’ goal blitz. Nielsen started the rush with a goal 42 seconds later, and Jordan Cownie slotted two after 47 and 50 minutes.
Mimar fired Stars ahead shorthanded after 55 minutes but Danick Gauthier levelled with 1:17 left to ensure overtime, then penalty shots. ● Omar Pacha’s play-off push success has continued as his side skated to a 4-1 victory over Braehead and their second win of the weekend, writes Kris Smith.
Danish forward Lundvald Nielsen picked off a pass in the Braehead end and faked a slapshot before dragging the puck around Ryan Nie and shooting Stars into the lead at 13:50.
Brian Hart won a battle on the boards to gain possession before he jammed the puck through the legs of Nie to double the lead just 37 seconds into the middle period.
A big rebound from the pads of Travis Fullerton was shot first time by Bari McKenzie and he got Braehead on the board at 31:32.
Emerson Hrynyk fired a wrist shot into the top corner over Nie’s glove at 42:35. The short-handed goal extended Stars’ lead to 3-1.
John Tripp pulled goaltender Ryan Nie as Clan tried to salvage a point, but Stars were creating turnover after turnover, before inevitably they found the net with 92 seconds remaining. Lundvald Nielsen collected a rebound before firing the puck into the empty net.
Bari McKenzie and Dundee’s Emerson Hrynyk won ‘Man of the Match’ prizes. Stars now sit just three points off of Braehead and the last play-off spot and still have two games in hand.