Dutiaume eyes history as Fife target last four spot

Fife Flyers head for Northern Ireland tonight hoping to seal a place in history.

The Kirkcaldy side take on Belfast Giants in the Challenge Cup quarterfinal second leg, with the tie evenly balanced after a six-goal thriller in Fife last month.

Coach Todd Dutiaume and his players would love to make the final four of the competition – and that would cement a place for this squad in the club’s history books.

High-flying Giants’ last outing was on Saturday when they enjoyed a 5-1 win over fourth-placed Sheffield Steelers.

Flyers have just completed a tough weekend double-header against Scottish rivals Braehead Clan.

A 3-2 overtime success in Kirkcaldy – when Dutiaume said his men were not at their best – was followed by a 4-1 win in Glasgow.

Dutiaume admitted that his players have been showing signs of fatigue in recent games and stressed the importance of rest ahead of the Belfast clash.

“The guys would love to go as far as possible in this competition,” he said.

“We’re up against a good Belfast team in their home rink and if we were to win it would be exciting times for us.

“The most important thing, however, for me and the club is that the players enjoy themselves. Week-in, week-out we’re working hard and playing good hockey and if you play good hockey things happen.”

Meanwhile Dundee Stars coach Omar Pacha is excited by Saturday’s clash with Milton Keynes Lightning.

Stars travel to England only two points adrift of Lightning and with two games in hand.

Peter Russell’s men have 27 points from 33 games and Pacha’s squad have 25 points from 31 after collecting a maximum four points from last weekend’s double-header with bottom side Edinburgh Capitals.

The Canadian-born coach was pleased with the return but felt his men could have played better.

Pacha said; “I did not think we performed as well as I had hoped but we wanted four points and got four points. I think we have a lot more to offer but Edinburgh put in a solid performance and showed a lot of character.”

Pacha’s men lost 5-1 on their last trip to Lightning in early December but beat the English side 5-1 at Dundee Ice Arena in October.

“Milton Keynes are a tough team to beat but we have a week to prepare and we’ve had so many game that the guys need a rest.”

Stars’ Gabriel Levesque has been named Elite League Player of the Week.

The 27-year-old scored two goals and set up five other strikes as Stars won three games in a row for the first time this season.

Canadian Levesque joined Dundee from French Division Two side Anglet and is Stars’ top points scorer with 40 points in 31 games in all competitions.

Pacha said: “Gabe has really stepped up for us as we claimed six points from a very busy week. He has performed well through the adversity we’ve faced with injuries and the team being short-handed.

“He also uses his speed well and has great vision – great attributes for us.”

Flyers coach Todd Dutiaume has his sights set on semi-final place.