Fife Flyers: after summer reset, open road ahead is filled with genuine excitement

Challenge Cup bid. Ignited. League campaign. Rolling along.

Sheffield. Beaten twice. Nottingham. Pushed to the wire. Guildford. Rinsed. To that list, we can now add Belfast. Outworked and defeated.

It’s only mid-October, and Flyers are, to quote coach Tim Wallace, on the move.

The transformation has been remarkable, and while there is a clear buzz around every aspect of the club right now, no-one is getting carried away. This season is only just in its infancy, but the shift from chaos to calm has finally tapped into the potential that has always been there.

More than once across its EIHL era, Flyers have been described as a sleeping giant. The perception of some across the league was that it was also seemingly content in its slumbers. The summer reset has replaced that inertia with a sense of purpose and a clear direction.

To get 2000 fans rinkside for a midweek game is a huge achievement, and a clear indication that things are changing. The ‘art of the possible’ is now fascinating.

Tom Coolen’s arrival as head coach in 2024 made hockey fun again only for the wheels to come off the next season, and the one which followed that was Flyers’ annus horribilis.

Now, at last, the fans have got a team that excites, and while there will be bumps in the road ahead, the team has showcased its potential, and those statement wins - and they are still growing in number - together with the performances which underpinned them will have been studied very closely by clubs across the EIHL.

They outworked and outmuscled Sheffield in back to back games, and their terrier-like approach on Wednesday forced Belfast into countless errors and some jittery moments.

Adam Keefe, Giants coach held up his hands: “Tim had his team better prepared than I had ours. There are no excuses.” He was as unhappy as Flyers were pumped up.

Defenceman Max Coyle, who logged some 28 minutes of ice time, spoke of the buzz around the team.

“Everyone is fun to be around - there are no selfish guys in that room,” he said. “This is the most fun I have had in hockey in a long time - even just sitting in the locker room an hour after practice. It’s great to be part of.”

The speed with which the team has gelled has been key to the upbeat start.

Wallace admits it has happened faster than usual, but that has been down to recruiting the right blend of players and then giving them the right environment to play in.

Pre-season, Wallace said he wanted them to think of nothing other than hockey - training, playing, preparing. In other words, everything else is taken care of. That’s where the off-ice changes have come into their own. John Brown’s step into the chief executive role gave full and clear leadership.

From the outside looking in, you can see the difference. A clear line has been drawn under last season, and the road ahead looks, and feels, brighter and more stable.

Flyers’ North American ownership group has been rinkside twice already - and, importantly, visible to the fans with a bow on the ice - new initiatives have been launched, and there is a clear feel-good factor back round the rink.

Speak to any player and they’ll tell you they are having fun, and that off-ice buzz is key to any success on it. Wallace has built a hard-working team that plays smart hockey and which has found its feet very, very quickly.

He has unearthed some absolute gems - Joey Pierce has been a stand out, while new netminder Blake Pietila looks incredibly assured between the pipes, but singling anyone out feels unfair to those omitted, given this is very much a team effort. You could easily namecheck defensive stalwart Victor Bjorkung, the Brit pack which is repaying the confidence shown in it every night, Evan Dougherty’ immense contributions, or the growing stature of guys like Cole Stewart and Max Coyle.

Wallace summed up Wednesday’s win as “probably one of the craziest games I have been part of” - “we had injuries, a sickness bug, we had guys pulling out during the game, guys going from forward to defence. We had everything!

“It was entertaining - a bit chaotic from a coach's view, but we worked hard and it was a lot of fun to be part of.”

And when hockey becomes fun, when it stays fun, the momentum it generates can take you just about anywhere. Right now, Flyers have real momentum under their skate blades.

The open road ahead promises to be fascinating to watch. And fun.