Fife Flyers: testing trip to Belfast as team adjusts to latest departure

Ryan Foss departed the dressing-room with immediate effect on Thursday. In doing so he became the sixth skater to decide to leave the club this season - an unprecedented number.

The Canadian forward left to pursue an opportunity in North America, forcing interim coach Johnny Curran into another rejig of his lines.

Foss was a mid-season signing by Tom Coolen as the then coach looked to add size to his roster. He brought that, but his output was minimal with just four goals in 29 league starts. He also notched 15 assists.

His departure is the latest upheaval to hit the team in a turbulent season.

Three of the four Kazakhstan imports signed in summer all asked for their release and were gone before Christmas – the other one was dispatched by the coach - while speedy forward Martin Latal quit after a frustrating six weeks on the sidelines with concussion at the very start of the campaign. Drake Pilon also left at Christmas after a disappointing return to Fife.

Coolen was also sacked in December as the club came precariously close to hitting the rocks, and this month saw directors Tom Muir and Jack Wishart put the team up for sale as they announced they were standing down after 28 years at the helm.

Defenceman Noah Delmas’ season is also over after he sustained a lower body injury in the game against Glasgow Clan on February 8 and has been put on Injury Reserve (IR) for a mandatory 90 days which means he won’t play again in 2024-25.

The club has already drafted in former captain Jonas Emmerdahl as cover and he is in Kirkcaldy ahead of this weekend’s action which also sees Flyers host Cardiff Devils on Sunday (face off 5:15pm).

Curran should have key forward Kieran Craig back in the line-up after he missed the weekend games, but defenceman Brodie Kay remains doubtful.

He dressed on Sunday but didn’t play, and returned to the dressing-room after sitting on the bench for the first 20 minutes.

The GB under-20 international is still recovering from a bad hit sustained in the game at Coventry. Curran explained: “He wanted to help team-mates. When you send in your lines to the other team and they see only four D they want to take advantage. Seeing a fifth name might make them back off.” Almost 50 points separate Flyers and Giants - a staggering gap - and the Fifers are on a painful streak or just one win in their last 20 games.

Curran wants to see his team compete across all three periods, rather than in chunks. The goals they conceded against Stars came in bundles, altering the outcome of the match.

It wasn’t the performance Curran wanted or asked for.

He said: “Our goal was to be in the game from the start, and if it burnt out in the third then so be it. The first ten minutes we were a good team pushing the pace and controlling the game. We got scored on five times in eight minutes and that was us bowing out of the game.

“It was great to see a push back but that’s a lot easier to do against a team that has the win. We need a full buy-in for a much longer period of time. If we gas out in third so be it. Bowing out in the first is a habit we have to get out of - you cannot get scoffed on five times and expect to win games.”

The coach said the news the team was for sale was not a factor.

“It didn’t, or shouldn’t, impact as it does not change their day to day lives,” he said. “Tom Muir is committed to them, and seeing that they are not impacted by this movement.”