The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Stars stun Clan to open with weekend double
ICE HOCKEY: Pacha hails ‘two big wins’ in Challenge Cup double-header
DUNDEE STARS 7 GLASGOW CLAN 2
Stars came out winners on both nights over the weekend as they made an unbeaten start to their Challenge Cup campaign with two wins over Clan.
On Saturday, the teams met in Glasgow with Stars winning 6-3 as they opened their regular season with the first of the Group A matches.
Last night’s game at Dundee Ice Arena saw the hosts add a 7-2 win.
Stars head coach Omar Pacha said: “It was a great weekend and two big wins.
“I liked the performance from everyone but now our focus has to turn to Manchester.”
Dundee made fast starts to both games. Last night they found themselves 3-0 ahead.
Anthony Beauregard opened the scoring for the second time in as many nights before Elgin Pearce netted the first of Stars’ three powerplay goals.
It was Duncan Speirs who made it 3-0 as he pushed the puck past Patrick Killeen while crashing into the Clan keeper.
After a review the goal stood but another controversial call came moments later as referees Pavel Halas and Steve Brown put Dundee on the penalty kill after defenceman Kris Inglis stepped in to protect his goaltender.
Glasgow netted their first goal on the resulting powerplay thanks to Scott Pitt, who applied a high finish over a diving Alex Leclerc.
The second period saw Stars move 4-1 ahead thanks to Reilly O’Connor’s deflected shot. Dufour and Pearce then grabbed a powerplay goal each to make it 6-1 as Clan dropped out of the game.
That forced the Glasgow head coach to turn his bench and he sent out Jordan McLaughlin to replace Killeen.
In the final minute of the second period, Nolan LaPorte’s deflected shot looped over Leclerc and into the net.
The third period saw the home team continue to press, with Drydn Dow clipping the bar with a shot.
Beauregard then grabbed his second of the night to finish off the scoring.
A big check by Dundee’s Egils Kalns in the final two minutes knocked Glasgow’s Craig Moore hard to the ice and that sparked a huge brawl.
Kalns received a five-plus-game penalty for checking to the head while Matt Stanisz was ejected for abuse of an official.
Moore did eventually get up and left the ice under his own power but a quiet end to the game, along with all the penalties, took away from what was a fine display of hockey by Dundee.
Dundee were well ahead after the opening 20 minutes of Saturday’s game thanks to goals from Beauregard, Drydn Dow and Brett Stovin.
The Clan pulled two back in the second period through Mathieu Roy and Craig Peacock but Kevin Dufour netted between Glasgow’s goals to make it 4-2 going into the final period.
Pearce scored Dundee’s fifth just 64 seconds after the restart but Roy made it 5-3 on the powerplay with three minutes to play. Hopes of a home comeback were dashed, though, as newly-appointed captain Matt Marquardt blasted one past Killeen 34 seconds later to wrap up the victory for Stars.