Fife Flyers’ forward Chris Lawrence set for second summer Down Under

The Canadian skater has been announced as a returnee to Melbourne Mustangs where he coached last year.

The semi-pro Australian ice hockey season doesn’t start until mid-April, running through to August.

Lawrence coached the team to the play-off semi-finals last summer where they were beaten by the Sydney Bears, before flying thousands of miles to lace up with Flyers.

It was his first spell as a head coach in his own right - he previously was a player-coach at Dundee Stars and credited both Todd Dutiaume and Jeff Hutchins at Fife Flyers for mentoring him at Fife.

Speaking to the Fife Free Press on his return from Australia, Lawrence said: “It was a really great experience. here’s some good, talented players down there - a lot of young guys on a learning curve, who stick up for their team mates and are great fun to work with.

“The fans down there who are into hockey are fantastic - they love the sport.”

In his career, Lawrence has iced with teams across North America, while in the UK he has played with Nottingham, Coventry, Sheffield and Dundee.

Mustangs play out of the 1500-capacity rink they share with rivals Melbourne Ice, and the league takes the team across the country.