Fife Flyers break losing habit with overtime victory at Manchester Storm

Fife Flyers finally kicked the losing habit last night with a late fightback earning an overtime victory away to Manchester Storm.

The Kirkcaldy men were 50 seconds from a seventh successive defeat when Danick Gauthier struck a crucial equaliser with the goalie pulled to make it 3-3 and send the game into overtime, where Paul Crowder fired the all-important winner.

It was a speedy overnight recovery from the Fifers who had been booed on home ice the previous night after conceding seven unanswered goals in an 8-3 defeat to Cardiff Devils.

The teams traded four of the scrappiest goals you are likely to see in an opening period that ended 2-2.

It took just over two minutes for the deadlock to be broken with Brett Bulmer putting the Flyers ahead when his intended pass was deflected into his own net by defenceman Riley Stadel.

The Storm were level two minutes later when everyone waited for the referee's whistle assuming Shane Owen had frozen the puck, but it had came loose in the crease and Rob Linsmayer pounced to make it 1-1.

Marcus Basara putting Fife ahead again with 15:49 gone after a scramble around the Storm net, but again the home side fought back with Evan Richardson finding the equaliser with 1:56 left on the period after his shot deflected past an unsighted Owen.

New Storm recruit Chance Braid then put the hosts ahead for the first time in the game just over four minutes into the second period, knocking home the rebound after Luke Moffat had struck the bar, and they held that lead until the closing stages.

Fife rescued a point with the goalie pulled as Gauthier found space to beat Ginn with a clinical finish with 50 seconds remaining in the game.

That goal forced overtime which saw some decent chances for both teams, before Crowder pounced on a rebound to Rick Pinkston’s shot to take the extra point for Flyers.

Fife will now look to bring this effort to home ice on Saturday when they host Coventry Blaze.