The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Stars bid to capitalise on power-play work
Lefebvre looks forward to clash in Edinburgh
DUNDEE STARS travel to Edinburgh Capitals tomorrow (7.30pm) on Elite League business, with coach Marc Lefebvre determined to build on Sunday’s 3-2 victory over Manchester Storm.
The game earned the Tayside team their first points in the league this season but they are still bottom of the pile after five games. They sit two points behind ninth-placed Edinburgh, who have played a game less, and three adrift of Coventry Blaze who lost 4-1 at Murrayfield on Sunday.
Lefebvre said: “Edinburgh are coming off a good win at home to Coventry on Sunday, and they are a good team.
“However, we’ve got our first win which also counts in the Gardiner Conference.
“We have those two points but we still have a lot of work to do. I am happy for the guys that we won and we scored two goals on the power play, which we have been working on all week in training.”
Mikael Lidhammer scored his first goals of the season, opening Dundee’s account and claiming the second, both on the power play.
Lefebvre said: “We knew it would come and he still has to find his feet after what went on in the weeks leading into the new season.
“I was also pleased that Matt White was involved in two of Mikael’s goals and we have to continue working hard on the power play.”
The coach said Dundee enjoyed a good first period, and he was pleased with the second-period performance which earned the home side two goals and a 3-1 interval lead.
However, he was disappointed in the third session when he claimed Stars got sucked into a “run and gun” session.
He admitted his men missed chances but added: “We found a way to win.”
Meanwhile, it is a different story at FIFE FLYERS, who failed to progress to the Challenge Cup quarter-finals after suffering six straight defeats in Group A.
They closed their campaign with only five points, with one regulation win, another in overtime, and one overtime defeat.
The qualifiers are Belfast Giants, Dundee, Edinburgh and Braehead, who closed out Fife with an emphatic 6-2 scoreline at Kirkcaldy on Sunday.
That followed a 6-3 victory over Todd Dutiaume’s men in the Elite League in Glasgow on Saturday.
A total of 12 goals against in two games must be a concern.
Fife cling on to third place in the 10-strong league table with eight points from six outings, three behind Cardiff Devils, who have played a game more, and five adrift of the pace-setting Nottingham Panthers, who have competed in eight fixtures.
Flyers have a full week to prepare ahead of Saturday’s trip to Sheffield Steelers (7pm) and the return against the Yorkshire side at the Fife Ice Arena on Sunday (6.30pm).
We have those two points but we still have a lot of work to do. MARC LEFEBVRE