Chase Schaber on the special place Fife holds in his heart

A declaration of love was shouted across the ice pad at the post-game presentations, and Schaber was last off the ice as he enjoyed the moment.

“I still call this home,” he said after the game in which his two goals were key to Romanian outfit Corona Brasov’s 5-3 win. “The fans made me so welcome here - it holds a special place in my heart.”

Schaber lit up many hockey nights after signing in 2016. His partnership with Evan Bloodoff was may to many of those victories and his willingness to engage with fans round the rink and on social media saw him become the face of Flyers. “Tell ‘em Chase sent you” was one video message to drum up bums on seats on match nights.

Schaber’s return saw a couple of familiar faces rinkside - former players Josh Scoon and James Isaacs - as well as former team mates Jonas Emmerdahl and Shane Owen on the ice.

“It was great to see them - I couldn’t have been happier to be back home. I’ll play another year or two - maybe come back and finish my career here!”

Schaber also endured some tough times with injuries in Fife. He was hurt in a game against Nottingham Panthers in October 2018 which resulted in a lengthy spell on the sidelines. Restored to full health, he then saw his play-off hopes wrecked by a check head first into the boards against Sheffield Steelers. It left him with a concussion which ended his season. He spent that summer recovering after surgery and returned again to Kirkcaldy for the 2019-20 campaign, but injury curtailed his presence and influence on the ice as the team struggled to find its own form.

That journey came full circle once more with his return this weekend. He clearly enjoyed every shift, including two goals - the first of which was vintage Schaber, bursting across the blue line and burying the puck past his former colleague.

“I love playing in Romania. It’s a really good league - very fast hockey, and fun.” he said - but Kirkcaldy remains a special part of his hockey journey.