The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Dufour says confidence is the key for on-form Stars
ICE HOCKEY: Five-game unbeaten streak leaves Tayside team feeling ‘pretty good’
Top marksman Kevin Dufour has always known Dundee Stars are capable of scoring plenty of goals – but now he believes they have the confidence to consistently prove it.
The Stars are on a five-game unbeaten streak and have won their last four league matches, leaving the players upbeat after two positive results last weekend.
A 1-1 draw in the first leg of the Challenge Cup quarter-finals with Glasgow Clan was followed by a 7-3 victory over Coventry Blaze. Those two results have had a positive impact on Dundee’s team morale, explained Dufour.
He said: “Everybody is feeling pretty good and confident, especially with the results over the last four or five games.
“We played really well against Glasgow and Coventry and the guys are feeling good ahead of the weekend.”
Last Saturday’s big win over the Blaze has filled the Stars players with confidence and the Canadian winger insists that with this new heightened morale their game plan will not change.
Dufour said: “It is obviously hugely important to play with confidence but we have to stick to our process and for the last four-five games we did that and played really well. If we keep going this way then the confidence will continue to grow, which I think is important.”
The 7-3 win was also the first time the Tayside team had netted seven goals in a game since the opening weekend victory over Glasgow in September, but the Stars have always been fully aware of their offensive capabilities, according to Dufour.
He added: “We always knew as team that we can be successful offensively.
“Sometimes the bounces don’t always go your way but over the last few matches, we just tried to simplify our game and the results are beginning to show.”
Only 11 points separate top from bottom in the Elite League standings, so Dundee need to pick up points if they want to move up from ninth.
Dufour, 27, said: “If you look at the standings, it is really tight, everybody is close and there is only a really small gap between the top to the last team.
This weekend Stars travel to face Manchester Storm on Saturday then play Belfast Giants at home on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Chase Schaber believes Fife Flyers are in good shape for the second-half of the Elite League season.
The Canadian winger, who has played more than 150 games for Flyers, also revealed the players don’t dwell on defeats. He said: “Losing is never fun. That is nothing we want to be a part of.
“That’s the thing in sports – you have to go through losses and some tough times in order to see what kind of team you have and see what character you have in the dressing room.
“We’re leading up the second part of the season. There are a lot of games to play, but we are in good shape.”