Fife Flyers’ four-point weekend rekindles play-off hopes

Five points now separate the bottom four teams, with two slots up for grabs in the post-season competition – Glasgow Clan’s slide down the standings adding another dimension to the race.

Flyers remain in last place, but they have momentum and confidence going into the final straight.

The weekend’s back to back wins – their first four point weekend since the start of the 2019-20 campaign – were welcomed by head coach Todd Dutiaume.

He said: “Over last three weeks that’s the most consistent hockey we have played all season. It’s good to see smiles in the dressing-room – but they are there because they put in the hard work and earned the win.

”When you aren’t afraid of things going wrong, you go out, do your job and close out the hockey game.”

Flyers were the better side in tonight’s game, but Storm – masters of the one-goal hockey game –remained in it from start to finish.

The Kirkcaldy side hit the metalwork twice, and carved out some excellent chances only to be thwarted by impressive netminder, Matt Ginn.

Tim Crowder fired them ahead after 11 minutes when he fired a loose puck into the net which made up for the third minute shot he fired off Ginn’s far post.

Danick Gauthier then saw his shot come off the base of the post, and when the red light came on, the officials called for a video review before confirming it was no goal.

Storm worked hard in the second period, and got back on level terms when Fife netminder Adam Morrison was caught behind his net. He tried to play the puck to safety – a sole error in anotherwise solid 60 minutes between the pipes –, but Layne Ulmer was well positioned to fire it into the empty net.

Fife needed a quick response to regain the momentum, and it came within 60 seconds as Chase Schaber tipped home a James Isaacs shot.

It too was the subject of the briefest of reviews, with claims of a high stick brushed aside.

That gave Flyers a precious lead going into the third period, but they were back on level pegging just two minutes into the final stanza when a shot came off Morrison’s pads, and Scott Simmonds buried the rebound,

Flyers dug deep and started to take the game back to Storm with real intent – they clearly wanted this game and the four-point weekend, and the points were sealed with around ten minutes left when they came off a fruitless powerplay, and kept the puck alive; Carlo Finucci setting up the tireless MIke Cazzola for the shot which Tim Crowder got a touch on to make it 3-2.

With 1:40 left to play Storm pulled their netminder for a six on five finish, but Flyers finished strongly and saw the game out..

Ryan Finnerty departed with an icy verbal blast for the officials, and it was clear the way the game was handled, still rankled in his post-game media conference where he observed: ““Pressure comes from powerplays, but zero PPs tonight. Only in Scotland...”

His hope to “put the right guys in charge” for his team’s return to Scotland next weekend may yet come back to haunt him...