Delahey - I'd love to come back to Fife Flyers

But after an impressive debut Elite League campaign with Fife Flyers, one that saw him lift the club’s Players’ Player of the Year trophy, Delahey revealed he would strongly consider a return next season.

“I’ve been so impressed with Fife, how I’ve been treated, the fans support and the league in general,” he said.

“I would definitely love to come back, if it was an option.”

Delahey was speaking after Flyers play-off semi-final defeat to Nottingham Panthers on Saturday, where the hosts proved just too strong in a 4-1 win.

“Coming in our goal was to win the whole thing, but we knew it would be tough to beat Nottingham, especially in their own rink,” Delahey said.

“We played them tough all year, but credit to them they came out, played really well and earned it.

“We battled hard and pushed back in the third and just a couple of tough bounces gave them a couple of goals.

“I don’t think it felt like our night.

‘‘We played so well last weekend, and we were working hard tonight, but I can’t put a finger on it.

“I don’t think it was our best, but that’s taking nothing away from Nottingham - they played great.”

It was Delahey’s first taste of the EIHL play-off weekend and the sold out event left a positive impression on the 26-year-old.

“The fans support is amazing,” he said.

“That’s something I’ve never seen - fans from all different teams and all the different chants.

“It’s amazing to play in front of, and I’m grateful I got a chance to do it. It’s credit to the fans in this league.”

While disappointed at the outcome, Delahey insisted that Flyers should be proud of their achievements in reaching the end of season showpiece.

“We made huge strides this season. We were a bit up and down at times, but we had a big push to try and win the conference, which would have been a first.

“We tied with Braehead, which was as close as you could be, and to beat them in the quarter-final and come to the semis was an amazing experience.”