Flyers lose more conference ground to Clan

But it didn’t come on Friday night as they went down 4-3 against Braehead Clan – a team that has simply got their number this season.

That result left Fife glued to the bottom of the Gardiner Conference some 13 points behind leaders Clan, making their three games in hand increasingly irrelevant.

They’re now on a seven-game losing streak in the conference.

The result also shoved Fife down the Elite League to seventh spot on the back of a five-game losing run.

And the stats for December make grim reading with just one win in nine outings.

And the festive campaign ain’t over yet ...

Flyers went west without key players.

Sebastien Thinel was out injured, and Phil Paquet suspended, but there was further bad news for the travelling fans in the capacity 3500 crowd as Chase Schaber was also scratched from the roster, stretching resources even further.

Clan got off to the best start, talking the opening period 1-0 thanks to a goal from Bari McKenzie. His shot was fumbled by netminder Shane Owen and landed in the net.

It was 2-0 in the middle session courtesy of a Scott Aarssen shot before Brendan Brooks gave Fife hope with a strike early in the third.

Carlo Finucci then tied the game at 2-2 but they didn’t have time to capitalise.

Within 13 seconds, Clan’s Alex Leavitt was clean through on Owen and delivered a neat finish to make it 3-2.

When Matt Keith added a fourth it looked like game over, but Fife were handed a late four-minute powerplay and Matt Sisca finally delivered for the specialist unit which has failed so badly in recent weeks.

Clan, however, held out and wound down the clock to maintain their tight grip on the head to head matches this season.

Flyers return to home ice on Boxing Day to host Edinburgh Capitals (6.00 p.m.) and then travel to Dundee on Wednesday before the Hogmanay derby in Edinburgh and then Braehead at home on January 2.