Fife Flyers: two new players in line-up for tough home double header weekend

Janne Kivilathi and Janne Kaakkonen are back in the line-up to face league leaders Guildford Flames at Fife Ice Arena tonight (7:15pm), according to the team-sheets posted on the EIHL’s website ahead of face-off.

That will ease the pressure on an injury hit side which dug incredibly deep to pull a 4-4 tie out of their Challenge Cup quarter-final first leg tie with Dundee Stars in in midweek - a match which saw Christian Hausinger shift from defence to the wing and net a fine hat-trick.

But Flyers will ice minus the injured Lucas Sandstrom, while veteran forward Chris Lawrence is also out of the line-up.

Flames come to Kirkcaldy as the undisputed in-for team in the EIHL.

Paul Dixon’s team holds an eight-point lead over second top Coventry Blaze with a game in hand, and, last night, posted a good come from behind 3-2 win over Glasgow Clan at Braehead.

They have already beaten Fife on home ice, but matches between the two teams have been very tight - and Todd Dutiaume, head coach, is looking to take points to solidify his own team’s top eight spot.

“They are a team finding ways to win games,” he said. “We have to find ways of doing the same. This is a big month for us. We’ve showed we can play with any team in this league over the course of the last two months. We just need to get healthy and then we have options in our line-up.”

New signing Liam Blackburn will make his home debut against Flames.

He found the net in his first game, scoring against Stars on the road on Wednesday just 24 hours after arriving in Kirkcaldy.

Dutiaume said: ''It was crucial that we act quickly and bring a body in. Liam became available last week, and we jumped at the opportunity. This is a great chance for Liam to come in and prove himself in this league. It will also be a huge boost to the team’s morale that we were able to bring in some support and take some pressure off the playing staff.”

He will be joined by forward Scott Henderson who has been snapped up on a two-way deal with Solway Sharks after parting company with Glasgow Clan.

Henderson iced seven times under coach Zack Fitzgerald in season 2019-20, and returned against the start of the current campaign along with two team-mates.

Sunday brings Sheffield Steelers to Fife Ice Arena for what will be another tough test.

On both nights, the club is staging its annual toy appeal.