Huge win for Fife Flyers dents Steelers' title bid

A 6-3 victory over the title chasing Sheffield Steelers was thoroughly deserved, and it may be the moment that Fife switched into play-off mode.

If ever a team needed a win, it was Flyers.

They came into the game on four straight losses, with one win in seven and just four in the whole of 2017.

They had to turn that around, and they did it against a Sheffield side that never gave up throughout what was a one-goal hockey game until the closing stages.

Fife iced short-benched once again with Bryan Cameron and their inspirational leader, Ryan Dingle, both absent.

Much of the damage came from the line with Brendan Brooks and Matt Sisca’s partnership proving potent.

They shared the club’s first three goals - Sisca’s finishing, and Brooks powerful moves down the ice delivering the goods when it counted.

Sisca’s goal for 3-2 at 31:37 summed up much of the night. The clearance from Steelers’ defence was poor, he seized on the puck and simply drilled it past netminder Ervins Mustukovs.

Flyers had a golden chance to go 4-2 up at the start of the third period as the goal opened wide for Fox after Thinel had been shut down, but they couldn’t convert, and the game swung within seconds as John Armstrong made it 3-3.

But with 46 minutes played, and with impeccable timing, Fife’s powerplay unit delivered with Chase Schaber – who double shifted with the third line - back handed the puck home for 4-3.

And the banker was the fifth goal – Justin Fox on his knees got one shot away, saw the puck fall back to him and he netted still on the ice.

With 3:36 still to play Steelers pulled Mostukovs for a do-or-die bid to salvage the game.

Fife soaked up the pressure around their own net, and when the puck fell to Carlo Finucci he fired it down the ice.

It struck a stick en route and that simply diverted it into the empty net to seal a huge victory.