Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Desjardins sure Stars have talent to stop rot
CANADIAN forward Gabriel Desjardins has insisted that Dundee Stars are good enough to compete with any team in the Elite League and very hungry to end their recent run of bad form.
Desjardins scored his first two goals for the club on Sunday and they proved to be two massive markers that helped his side earn a point against the Giants in Belfast despite a 4-3 loss.
Despite losing all three of their games last week, the winger believes the team played well enough to have at least won a total of two points.
The Stars were beaten 6-2 by Manchester Storm on Thursday, before conceding a late winner in a 4-3 loss to Fife Flyers on Saturday and, after fighting back from a goal down three times, they were defeated on penalties in Belfast last Sunday.
Reflecting on the week, Gabriel said: “I actually think we had a really good weekend, but it did not pay off with the two losses over the weekend. On Thursday, we had a really tough game in Manchester and after a long road trip, I do not think we came ready in the first period and they came out hard and got those four goals.
“After that it was just trying to get back in the game and obviously it was hard.
“Whereas, on Saturday, I thought we deserved those two points or at least one, against Fife.
“Then on Sunday, the guys worked really hard after another long road trip, being on the ferry and the guys showed a lot of heart.
“So, we are trying to build off the positives of that weekend and now we have a big home game on Saturday against Guildford Flames so we have to be ready for that.”
Discussing his delight to finally net his first goal as a Star, the 28-yearold added: “It feels good to get the monkey off my back.
“I was looking forward to getting that first one and I had a lot of chances over the last couple weeks.
“So I kept going and kept working hard and luckily enough our coach Omar Pacha kept a lot of confidence in me and gave me my chance.
“In the end, it paid off and now I have that monkey off my back, it is just going to roll on hopefully.”
Next up for Dundee is a league match against the Flames and then another cup clash with the Flyers.
So with the Stars desperate to end their five-game losing run, Desjardins said: “We are really hungry for that win and we showed a lot of heart last weekend, but also once again that we can compete with any team.
“So on Saturday, it is going to be a tough game as Guildford are doing really well themselves right now.
“However, we have a big week of practice ahead and all the boys will be working hard to make sure we are ready for Saturday night and also that big match in Fife on Sunday too.”