‘I can’t remember situation like this’ says Fife Flyers coach as team struggles to compete

Six straight defeats and three shut outs in the last five games have raised concerns among fans about the lack of compete level. A season which started amid great promise has hit the buffers early on with goals being shipped, few scored and just three wins to date.

Saturday saw Flyers shut out by Glasgow Clan while Sunday saw Dundee Stars hit five without reply to post a 7-2 win at Fife Ice Arena - both games in the Challenge Cup.

Coolen admitted: “The wheels fell off.”

The damage came in a painful middle period after a close opening 20 minutes.

Coolen said: “We went in 2-1 down but it was anybody’s game, then the wheels fell off. I didn’t expect that to happen. We got outscored - too many goals, too many mistakes and just not good enough. We have to be better with the team we have.”

And he added: “I’ve coached for 40 years and cannot remember being in a situation like this; a year when we we weren’t able to compete to level we need to every night. I’m not saying we can’t, I have got a lot of work to do. I am not happy and neither is our group.”

Coolen has only two cards left to pay in terms of making signings unless a player is put on the Injury Reserve (IR) list for 90 days under the league’s current rules.

He wants players who are bigger, and pointed to the recent addition of centreman Ryan Foss.

“We need a bunch of guys like him - bigger, stronger, who can play the game - but it is not easy to maintain a physical game when you only have three lines and are playing games back to back. Injuries and travel also take their toll.”

A focus on defence is also key as the team continues to leak goals at an alarming rate.

“Defensively as a unit we are not playing as well as we have to,” he said. “A lot of guys playing defence first and it has not been part of their skill package for a lot of their careers, but that is something we have to do better.

“Our numbers aren’t great on the bench. We had three lines tonight - same as Dundee, so we can’t use that as an excuse. We have got to be better. Last year we had a lot of ups and downs, but I don’t remember losing like this at home last year - and we were in every game. Sometimes you go through growing pains and that is where we are now.”