Fife Flyers: team news ahead of Challenge Cup semi-final tie against Steelers

They take on Sheffield Steelers in the Challenge Cup semi-finals tonight (Wednesday, 7:00pm), with the first leg at Fife Ice Arena.

And the club is urging fans to head rinkside to get behind the team, despite the game being screened live on Viaplay Sports.

The club has cut ticket prices for the semi-final to try to generate a bigger than normal midweek crowd with seats at £15 for adults, concessions £12 and children just £5.

The Challenge Cup hasn’t been the most fertile of hunting grounds for Fife Flyers in their EIHL era.

But, a decade and more since stepping up the top flight, the club has its first semi-final to contest, and the players have a clear focus on going all the way to the final.

To do that, they will have to eliminate a Steelers side that that has beaten them in all four meetings this season with two shut outs 6-0 and 3-0 south of the border.

Chris Gerrie will be in the line-up tonight with illness keeping Chris Lawrence on the sidelines - he also missed Sunday’s win in Dundee.

Jeff Hutchins, associate coach, will again run the bench with head coach Todd Dutiaume back home in Canada for a family matter.

He is looking to Flyers to maintain the form which saw them post a key four-point weekend, and give themselves the best possible chance for the second leg which goes ahead in Sheffield Wednesday, February 15.”We can’t win the semi-final tonight, but we can lose it.

“It’s about ensuring every shift matters, and every face off matters - real attention to detail. - and a quick reset, good or bad, for every shift and make sure we are ready to go.”Flyers initial goal this season was t make the knockout stages of the competition, and they achieved that, going on to eliminate Stars in the quarter-finals.

“The players handled the first series of games against Dundee very well while playing short handed,” said Hutchins. “The team is now in a better place than it was then. We have a full roster and we have momentum.

“This is the best possible time to play Sheffield when we are moving on and up. They also have to travel on the day and we need to take advantage of that.”