Flyers coach positive after opening games

Todd Dutiaume believes that the new-look Fife Flyers have the makings of a very strong team.

He added: “Once we start firing on all cylinders, we will be dangerous.”

The experienced Canadian made the assessment after sharing the weekend double-header with Danish touring side Herlev Eagles.

Fife lost Sunday’s clash 5-4 in overtime and won Saturday’s joust 4-3 in the extra period and the results were achieved without four key players who remain in Australia until next week to complete their competitive seasons there.

Fife complete their four-game, pre-season workouts against German outfit EV Landshut on Saturday (7.15) and Sunday (6.30) at the Fife Ice Arena.

Dutiaume believed his men looked tired at the start of Sunday’s game with Eagles and it took the team a while to get into the game.

He added: “Once we did I saw some positive signs.

“The other team had cranked up their skating and we struggled with the pace at times.

“That’s probably down to conditioning rather than ability, but the guys dug deep and fought themselves back into the game.

“It was probably a fitting end that the weekend was split.”

Dutiaume admitted that it was a tough decision to sign four players – Paul and Tim Crowder and Dylan Quaile who are playing with Sydney Ice Dogs in the Australian League, plus Danick Gauthier, who is with Sydney Bears – knowing they would miss the pre-season at Fife.

But he said: “Early on I knew the dates they would become available and we weighed up the options and decided we were prepared to wait for these guys.

“You like to bring the guys in and have these two weeks for the guys to get to know each other, get closer.

“They will be thrown into the deep end with a home game against Glasgow and then down to Dundee.

“Also, they will be flying in from Australia and, fortunately, for two of them, they know our systems.

“They will probably be suffering from some sort of jet-lag but they will have to grind out the weekend.”

Dutiaume added: “We played well this weekend (against Herlev). The young kids did well and we are going to push them hard.

“Some of them need to work on their conditioning and games will get a lot more physical than that was this weekend.

“Once we have them on the bench, ready to jump in and hungry to take spots they are going to get their opportunity. They have to take them and all players know that at certain points of their career.”

Todd Dutiaume: awaiting arrival of four key players.