The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Crowder hits treble as Flyers destroy Cardiff
ICE HOCKEY: Fife stick five past Devils as Dutiaume hails home performance
FIFE FLYERS 5 CARDIFF DEVILS 1
Paul Crowder netted a treble against his former club as Fife Flyers returned to form with a 5-1 victory over Cardiff Devils on Saturday.
Coach Todd Dutiaume said: “The dressing-room and the ice rink needed that feelgood factor.”
Crowder opened the home side’s account after only 58 seconds and Kyle Just made it 2-0 on the powerplay after seven minutes.
Joey Haddad pulled one back for the visitors on the powerplay after 14 minutes but Fife responded three minutes later when James Livingston scored.
A powerplay stroke from Crowder after 38 minutes was followed by a third from the same player 11 minutes later to complete the scoring.
Dutiaume said: “There has been a lot of soul searching over the last couple of weeks and we have struggled to put a full game together.
“Part of that can be confidence. “There are times when winning and losing can become a mentality and an attitude and I think it helped that things were working for us.
“I am very pleased for the guys. We have a wonderful bunch and they have come under a lot of pressure.
“I don’t think people understand the pressure that they have felt.
“Sometimes performing under those circumstances can be difficult but they fought their way out of it against an excellent hockey club.”
He continued: “The first goal was huge. We have been chasing a lot of the games in October and I would not say it was for a lack of offensive chances but, for whatever reason, the guys were tightening up and they were not going in.
“We were fortunate that we scored early (against Cardiff) and we saw them as a group starting exuding confidence and converting a couple of powerplay goals which had been stone cold up to this point.
“We made a few small adjustments, they were tiny, and it is amazing when you enter the zone with a bit of confidence. Instead of waiting for something bad to happen good things happen.”
Dutiaume added: “It was their night offensively and I thought they competed all night long.”
DUNDEE STARS 2 CARDIFF DEVILS 4
A moment of madness cost Dundee Stars dearly on home ice last night to cap a miserable 24 hours for Omar Pacha’s side.
Stars’ woes continued as they crashed to a 4-2 defeat at the hands of reigning play-off champions Cardiff Devils, who were thrashed by Fife Flyers on Saturday.
Pacha’s men have now lost eight of their nine Elite League games, including a 3-2 reverse against Glasgow Clan on Saturday.
Stars got off to the worst possible start against Cardiff when Matthew Myers found space in front of the Dundee goal and sent a low shot past Dundee goaltender Alex Leclerc after three minutes. Devils scored a second right before the first break as Sean McMonagle’s shot hit Leclerc and somehow slipped behind him.
Stars missed two huge chances to score on a five-on-three powerplay. Just when the visitors thought they had cleared the danger Colton Kroeker got the Stars off the mark on 26 minutes.
Dryden Dow’s shot was saved by Ben Bowns but Kroeker twice hit the puck into the leg pads of the Cardiff keeper before his third attempt sailed through the five-hole.
However, 72 seconds later Stephen Dixon restored Devils’ two-goal lead.
Dixon won the puck after a Dundee defensive error before producing a top finish above the reach of Leclerc.
Stars reduced the leeway on 35 minutes when Dow bagged a second goal after scoring with a penalty shot – awarded after Gleason Fournier hooked Dow on the hip with his stick as he homed in on goal.
Cardiff sealed the victory after Joey Haddad sent a shot off the crossbar and down into the net with two minutes left to play.