Fife Flyers pass up key chance to cut gap at bottom of table with Manchester defeat

It was a meeting of two teams under the cosh thanks to long losing streaks. It was Storm’s first win since November 15 - a sequence which cost their coach, Mike Flanagan, his job - while Flyers have notched just two wins in 19 games in all competitions.

It was a nervy opening period between two teams at the wrong end of the table and understandably short on confidence. Storm had the better of the first period but the home fans had to wait until the final nine seconds to cheer a goal and throw their bears onto the ice - a loose puck from an Alexis D'Aoust shot being scooped home by Grant Hebert at the far post.

Period two was a livelier affair. Flyers turned the game around in the space of 67 seconds to take the lead. First it was Phelix Martineau deflecting a puck past Evan Weninger in the slot to tie things up at 35:40, while Drake Pilon stretched around Weninger to score at 36:47 and put the visitors ahead.

A Joe Borrow shot that was sailing a good three feet wide was wonderfully tipped by D’Aoust at 38:07 and re-directed into Shane Owen’s net to level things up with 1:53 left in period two.

Early in period three, Storm were back ahead. Joe Morrow's shot from the point off a faceoff win went through a crowd of players and past Owen into the net, looking like it may have taking a tip in front, at 45:29.

The teams played a very disciplined final 15 minutes with neither taking any penalties to keep the game five on five. Owen was pulled with 1:22 to play, but Flyers' night was called early when great work from Stephen Johnson to turn the puck over in their zone led to hit rolling the puck into the empty net.