The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Fifers failing to fly high as coach rues lost leads
ICE HOCKEY: Todd Dutiaume’s side have suffered two defeats in a row and sit eighth
Gutted Todd Dutiaume saw his Fife Flyers slip down to eighth position in the Elite League and admitted: “We don’t have the killer instinct.”
Back-to-back weekend defeats at league pace-setters Sheffield Steelers and at home to Guildford Flames mean Flyers have 22 points from 25 games.
They are now only two points ahead of ninth-placed Manchester Storm who have a game in hand.
And only the top eight qualify for the end-of-season play-offs.
Worryingly, 11 goals hit Fife’s net in 120 minutes of hockey at the weekend with only four in reply.
On Saturday, Fife are at Manchester, a critical game given the league positions, and they then host the Belfast Giants, who are third with 30 points from 24 starts, on Sunday.
Dutiaume said: “We were susceptible to our Achilles heel again, not being able to see out games that we are competing in. I am tired of losing track of games that we have been ahead by one goal in two periods and find a way of throwing it away.
“To be fair to my players I think the effort they put in at Sheffield was substantial considering we were short of three key players in our line-up, they put up a hell of a fight. The fatigue that came in from being short of three imports caught up with us (against Guildford).”
Dutiaume admitted that the team have not learned as a group and continue to turn over the puck in key areas.
He added: “I make excuses for these guys all the time but I feel, at times, that we lack that killer instinct that I see teams put us away with.”
Meanwhile, bottom club the Dundee Stars have only 15 points from 25 outings and are now five points adrift of ninth-placed Manchester who have a game in hand.
Stars play the Nottingham Panthers back-to-back this weekend with the first game at Nottingham on Saturday.
Coach Omar Pacha was a disappointed man after Sunday’s 6-3 defeat at Coventry Blaze.
The Tayside team were 4-0 down but pulled it back to 4-3 before Blaze netted a decisive fifth goal.
Pacha said: “I thought the first period we were not very good but Blaze were very good.
“We made a few mistakes but I thought the second period we played really well and in the third period we made it 4-3 and they score out of nothing. Disappointing, because when it was 4-3 I could see a light.”