Fife Flyers: thrilling overtime win completes four-point weekend to reignite season
All seasons have turning points, and there was a very clear sense Fife Flyers reached one landmark staging post this weekend.
Not only did it yield a win to snap an 18-game losing streak, but it went on to deliver four points - the first weekend to do so since March 2024 - to ignite spirits in the dressing-room and in the stands.
Sunday’s 3-2 overtime victory over Cardiff Devils cannot be over-estimated. They may have been heavily outshot, but they struck first, and held that lead going into the third. This was their night.
They created chances - good chances - and found their tempo against the same Cardiff side that swept them aside on the same ice pad a few weekends ago.
Josh Winquist netted a double to fire his confidence, while Shane Owen was simply magnificent in the nets as he stonewalled Devils who peppered his net with 21 shots in the opening. The big, key saves he made look easy, and that laid the foundations for this huge victory.
It was logged despite being short benched, and with a spirit and resilience that will be key to maintaining the momentum.
Flyers never looked harried or worried, played some smart hockey, and pounced on Devils’ many turnovers as their play became ragged.
The start was perfect. Just 53 seconds in, and Winquist touched a pass home to light up the rink, and Owen’s huge double save to deny Kohen Olischefski on an early Devils’ powerplay was another cornerstone.
Garet Hunt had a huge double chance after ten minutes - his first off a Somoza pass was blocked, his second on the backhand saw the goalie come out on top. Somoza then went solo on a fabulous long pass but couldn’t convert, and the tireless Keaton Jameson saw a thundering shot well stopped b y netminder Stoever.
For all Devils’ pressure, Flyers went into the break with that early lead, and stayed in front until th 28th minute when Olifchefski hit the net from the right wing.
Less than four minutes later, Fife were back in front as Hunt saw Josh Winquist, and served puck on a plate for him to leather it home.
Devils were on level terms 44 seconds into their through Lacroix’s final touch as the puck lay loose amid a pile of bodies around Owen’s net, but the Welsh side never gained full control of play, and even a softer than soft call in the closing two minutes saw them unable to break Flyers on a powerplay.
It took barely one shift of overtime to settle this as Ian Scheid went down the right, and the rebound from his shot had the goal wide open for Jameson to sink the winner.