Kirkcaldy Kestrels book Scottish Cup final place in front of huge crowd

They held a 4-1 first leg lead over Edinburgh Capitals, but this huge entertaining tie hung in the balance until the final buzzer as the visitors netted two third period goals to make it a one-goal hockey game.

It was a big occasion for Kestrels who were thrilled at the turnout as many Fife Flyers fans took in the game with their team not playing - an excellent £6 admission for season ticket holders also paid off with the queue at the box office so big, face-off was delayed by 15 minutes to get everyone in.

And the fans enjoyed a fast-paced, sometimes chippy game with chances galore at both ends of the pad. The only mystery was how on earth the scoreboard remained untouched after two periods of hockey.

There were some tasty checks and a few snarls here and there as this cup tie revelled in true hockey rivalry, almost boiling over at the end as gums were bumped and players came together at the buzzer. Sterling work by the officials kept them apart, and they had to intervene again as a dig from Caps’ back-up netminder to his opposite number sparked an instant reaction. Flyers’ fans who have watched an insipid and wretched season of hockey must have the buzz that was rinkside - on and off the ice. It was a game that reminded you why you loved hockey.

Kestrels team had a depth Flyers’ fans can only dream off; four lines packed on the bench, and players aged from 15 to a certain vintage. Seeing Andy Finlay, Jamie Wilson and Kyle Horne icing was a throwback to days when senior hockey in Kirkcaldy was much more fun. In another era, there are certainly several Kestrels players who would have stepped into Flyers’ line-up and found their feet. The gulf that exists between them and the fully-pro, full-time EIHL has effectively slammed that door shut.

Caps’ big travelling support was noisy as it willed their team on. Caps needed an early goal to eat into that three-goal deficit, but were stonewalled b y netminder Andy Little who made some top-drawer saves. He was eventually beaten by a puck deflected off a Caps player into the net in the third. If that was flukey – and Little was far from impressed that the goal was allowed to stand – their second was a beautifully worked goal from behind the Fife net to set up a real nail-biting end that saw time-outs and Caps’ goalie pulled.

Kestrels saw the game out to the delight of their fans, and now look forward to a final against Dundee Rockets in April.