Fife Flyers: penalty shoot out defeat as Flyers dig deep

A solitary point from two big games against Belfast Giants felt like scant reward.It should have been two tonight after working their socks off.

A 3-2 final scoreline after a penalty shoot out continued a tough run of losses, but there remains the sense that their luck has to change, and, when it does, they can start to motor. This pre-Christmas game saw them give everything, create more chances than a scrappy Giants outfit - what on earth has happened to the once invincible champs? - and keep going until the final buzzer.

Tom Coolen, head coach, said: “It was a hard fought battle again. We were short staffed but guys worked so hard. It is a great statement by them that they do not quit. We played hard. I’m proud of the guys. In a shoot out anything can happen. There are a lot of good things we can take from this weekend.”

Coolen saw netminder Shane Owen leave the game before overtime, handing over to back-up Andy Little who saved two penalty shoots before Giants prevailed on a 3-2 scoreline - Oliver Cooper scored both their goals and was their MoM, but the team had left the ice before any presentation could be made.

That came after a strange ending which saw coach Adam Keefe spin round and confront the Fife bench, causing both teams to come together. It was all much ado about nothing - a chirp which sparked a response and lots of animated players,also suggesting a spearing may have been missed by the officials.

As for the game, Flyers dug deeper than deep, created more chances than Giants, and kept going across the 65 minutes. Their powerplay didn;t deliver on a night when special teams were key, there were solid performances across the bench.

Kyle Osterberg scored a beauty of a goal to give them a 2-1 lead, and set up Troy Lajuenesse for the opener. Giants had a goal washed out for netminder interference, and found themselves under real pressure as the third period progressed with Fife given several great opportunities on the powerplay, including a five on three in the dying minutes when they were stalled by several key saves by netminder Tyler Beskorowany - Osterberg also tipped the puck wide as they pushed and pushed until the final buzzer.

Into over time they were handed two powerplays, the second for goaltender interference when Quinn Preston barrelled into Little. The backup goalie saved two of the penalty shots but could do little to deny Cooper his hat trick which proved to be the winner after Max Humitz lost control of the puck and saw his shot saved at the other end. A tough outcome after a night of great endeavour.