Fife Flyers v Sheffield Steelers: harsh scoreline as Flyers find positives and some self belief

A 4-1 final score was harsh on Fife Flyers. This was a 2-1 match against Sheffield Steelers until the final two minutes, and an empty netter put a gloss on the outcome that wasn’t fully merited.

The better side won, but, for Flyers there were positives and signs of clear progress. If they remain a team with an ‘under construction’ sign on the door then the pieces are starting to come together to make a finished product - but while that continues they have to find ways of winning games and do what Aaron Fox, Steelers coach, noted, when you get that lead, you manage it.

Fox gave Flyers’ due credit: “They did well tonight and outworked us for the first period. I thought we were fortunate it was only a 1-1 hockey game then.” And he was. Flyers harried Steelers and created some cracking chances as they played with a renewed sense of self-belief.

Massimo Carazzo caught the eye with a fine home debut and linked well with Ryan Foss and Maxim Musorov, giving Fife the potential for a second scoring line behind the Chiodo-Cichy-Martineau proven trio.

They more than tested netminder Matt Greenfield who didn;t look too solid early on, but fell behind to a Mark Simpson rebound off a Veeti Vanio strike with 2:20 on the clock. Flyers levelled on the powerplay at 4:15 as Chiodo popped up at the back post, and they could easily have gone into the first break ahead - they also had Shane Owen to thank for stonewalling Danny Campini as Steelers broke short-handed late on.

Period two saw Fife continue to skate well and move the puck, but there were errors which put them under un-necessary pressure on a night when the puck bounced like a bagatelle for both teams, so fine tuning is still in order.

Steelers went ahead with a Cole Schudra shot straight into the net at 23:15, and you got the sense the visitors were tighter in their own zone, forcing Flyers top work harder for their chances.

Phelix Martineau jumped straight out of the sin bin late on and forced a good save out of Greeenfield - chances like that need to be buried against a team of the calibre of Steelers. They don;t give you many second bites.

Flyers served up a disjointed powerplay at 48 minutes and then saw a neat chance land for Carozza off a slick pass from Foss behind the net. Greenfield then denied Chiodo and Cichy on the rebound.

The next goal was always going to be key to the outcome, and it came at 58:08 when Maxim Golod fired the puck from wide on the right, with Mark Simpson providing the screen with just enough space for it to squeeze between Owen and the post.

Flyers called a time out and pulled their goalie, with Simposn hitting an empty netter in the final 60 seconds.

Result aside, Tom Coolen remained upbeat post game.

“We have made some real progress this week,” he said. “The game tonight was give and take for two big periods. For the third, we made some bad decisions with the puck. The first two periods I was very happy with. In many ways we were a new team out there, but I was not not happy with our start to third - everything we talked about doing, we didn't do.

“But we are moving in the right direction, and that reinforces my belief in where we can go. “