The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Steelers blank Flyers in final home league game
ICE HOCKEY: Single strike enough to dent Fife’s bid for top-three finish
FIFE FLYERS 0 SHEFFIELD STEELERS 1
Flyers’ bid to finish in the top three in the Elite League suffered another jolt last night.
The Kirkcaldy team lost 1-0 at home to fifth-placed Sheffield Steelers in their final regular season home clash.
Colton Fretter netted the gamewinner after 53 minutes with Eric Neiley supplying the pass.
Fife netminder Jordan Marr had 19 shots to deal with during the 60 minutes while his opposite number Ervins Mustukovs faced 13.
Steelers now have 67 points from 54 games while Fife remain locked on 68 with Belfast Giants – who have two games to go – from 55 starts.
Todd Dutiaume’s men have one remaining fixture in the regular season, a trip to Milton Keynes Lightning on Saturday.
Dundee Stars were beaten 3-0 at Guildford in their third last game of the season.
Stars had already been eliminated from the race for the final play-off spot and could not find a way past Flames goaltender Brian Stewart, who dealt with all 17 shots he faced.
● Edinburgh Capitals last night confirmed a major reshuffle in a bid to build a team fans can be proud of.
The Murrayfield-based club, which props up the Elite League with only 11 points and five wins this season from 54 fixtures, will now be managed by a board with investors and representatives from business areas and professionals.
They admitted that mistakes have been made and that the new structure should have been in place some time ago.
And the board have committed “to a significant level of investment”.
A statement on the club’s website said the new board are ready to implement a robust business plan and they promise a stronger squad for next season.
Former owner Scott Neil will be the head of hockey operations and will also attend Elite League board meetings.
The statement said: “The club has spent the last few months working on a major change in structure which will help it develop and create a stronger future.
“This new structure is something that should have been put in place some time ago. There is no hiding the fact that mistakes have been made.”
The board will also include a member of the Edinburgh Capitals Supporters Club as well as a fan representative.
The statement added: “This new access will allow the Capitals to have far greater transparency in the way in which the club is run. It is the first step in earning back trust from Edinburgh Capitals fans.”
Initial board members are Ross McKay, a chartered accountant, Douglas Jaap, a solicitor, Alex Robertson, George Ferdinando, Kris Grabowski, a fan representative, and Blyth Crawford, a supporters club representative.
The statement ended: “The Edinburgh Capitals board are committed to bringing the fans competitive Elite League hockey next year with a strong roster of players and a club they can be proud of once again.”