Steelers double test for Fife Flyers as puck drops on new Elite League campaign
Fife Flyers go into a brand new league season in fine fettle.
The puck drops on the 2026-27 campaign with a double header against Sheffield Steelers, with the teams meeting south of the border on Saturday with the return game at Fife Ice Arena on Sunday (5:00pm).
The club has made a promising start under coach Tim Wallace who has steered them to second top of their Challenge Cup group; a position underpinned by a fine 3-2 overtime over Dundee Stars on Sunday.
Flyers went down 5-2 in Belfast on Saturday, but turned in a much better performance after their previous journey across the Irish Sea ended in a 6-0 loss.
Wallace believes his team will learn from those games as he looks ahead to making a positive start in the league.
“We had some big tests against Belfast,” he said. “We will learn from them and what it takes to compete at this level. We had some break downs, but we also kept working away and had a lot of energy - there were a lot of positives.
“It was down to puck decisions which are part of the game. Against good teams if you don’t execute or manage the puck they will bury you.”
Wallace admits the standard of the Elite League has stepped up several notches since his days behind the bench with Nottingham - “it’s faster with a lot more skill and offence” - but is confident his team will quickly find their feet.
“We have had to become a team faster than any other in the league with only three guys returning from last season. It has been a lot of work, but everyone has got along on and off the ice, and bonded very well and very quickly - that’s pretty rare for that to happen so quickly.”
Flyers go into the weekend action minus GB forward Mason Alderson who remains sidelined with a lower body injury.
The club has also added netminder Max Van Mullem on a two-way deal with Streatham Redhawks. The 18-year old becomes the fourth goalie on the roster behind Dominik Groh, Jordan McLaughlin and Ben Keddie.
Wallace explained: “It’s good to have Max on the roster if Ben has a game - he is a good young prospect with a lot of potential.”
> Flyers have their first taste of midweek on Wednesday (October 7) with the visit of Coventry Blaze with a 7:30pm face-off.