Stars hoping to make home advantage pay

ICE HOCKEY: Dundee go into tonight’s Challenge Cup quarter-final first leg boosted by back-to-back wins over rivals Flyers

Dundee Stars aim to capitalise on their home advantage when they host league leaders Belfast Giants in the first leg of the League Cup quarter-finals tonight.

The top-seeded Giants picked the Kitmart Stars in the Challenge Cup draw and chose to play the away leg first.

Belfast won Group B and finished five points clear of runners-up Stars.

Giants were the only team that Dundee did not beat in the group stage after they lost 4-1 in Belfast and 4-2 at home.

Adam Keefe’s men have won their last nine league games and two weeks ago they qualified for the Continental Cup Super Final.

After learning his side would play Belfast, Stars head coach Omar Pacha said: “I like our chances against Belfast and I am actually happy they picked us.

“To be honest, out of all the teams, I thought we matched-up well against them.”

After a huge pair of weekend victories against Fife Flyers, Pacha added: “It was a big four-point weekend that we had and hopefully we build on that momentum and go into Wednesday with the same mindset.

“We are going to have a game plan, in the sense where we want to play our game and do what we have been doing in the past few weeks but we need to minimise the mistakes.

“Obviously, Belfast are top of the table and they are one of the best teams – if not the best team in the league – for a reason.

“So, we have to play sharp defensively, limit their chances and essentially give ourselves a chance to win the series away.

“We want to keep it tight but we want to get that lead.

“We worked hard to get here.

“It was a good step forward for the club and now we just have to be smart.

“We are going to see it as an opportunity to win a championship and that is a great way forward.”

Stars’ starting netminder Pontus Sjögren left the ice with an injury during the penalty shoot-out in Fife on Sunday night and if he is unavailable for the first leg, Pacha has confidence in his back-up, Craig Holland, who came in and won the game for Dundee on Sunday.

He said: “If Pontus is not able to play then we will have to go with Sheep (Craig Holland), who we are confident in, especially the way he finished the game on Sunday.

“But if Pontus is 100% then we will obviously play him.”

Face-off is at 7.30pm and the second leg takes place on Tuesday December 11.

We want to keep it tight but we want to get that lead. OMAR PACHA

Picture: Derek Black. Stars’ netminder Pontus Sjogren, in action against Milton Keynes, is a doubt for tonight’s game after picking up an injury in Sunday’s shoot-out win at Kirkcaldy.