Fife Flyers lose out as Dundee Stars savour win in Kirkcaldy

Two wins from ten in October, and back to back defeats across the first weekend of November have done little to lighten the mood of the fanbase.

The one big win, a 5-1 thumping of Cardiff Devils, stands like an oasis right now.

After late goals cost them a win in Braehead on Saturday, an immediate response was needed tonight when Dundee Stars came to town. Instead Flyers lost 3-1 – another scoreline inflated by an empty net goal after pulling their netminder.

Chasing games is something that has to stop. It’s killing them.

Flyers had the chances to bury Dundee, particularly in a first period which 21 of their 37 shots blocked by netminder Alex LeClerc.

Stars had just five shots on goal that period, but still took it 1-0 in the final minute as Jagger Dirk burst over the blue line to latch on to Shawn Boutin’s bullet of a pass, and buried the puck past netminder Adam Morrison.

His clinical finishing was exactly what Flyers craved. Instead, chances came, and chances went, pucks dropped frustratingly short, and players found themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time.

The powerplay ended at zero for four, despite plenty of pressure and chances.

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In truth, there really wasn’t that much between the teams, but one stat sums up the current problem – Flyers have managed just one win in 13 games when they have conceded the opening goal.

Dirk’s strike at 19:04 simply elongated that sequence another week.

Carlo Finucci fashioned a goal out of sheer hard work to tie the game at 26:33, charging down a puck in his own zone and doggedly pursuing it round the net before shoving it under LeClerc, but Stars reclaimed the lead on the half hour mark; Matt Marquardt bundling the puck home on the powerplay after a fine shot from the point from Elgis Kalns.

The third saw Flyers huff and puff, but Stars played a tight defensive game and LeClerc, for all the rubber fired at him, didn’t need to do anything spectacular to keep them 2-1 ahead.

As the clock wound down, it was inevitable that Morrison would be pulled, for a six on five finish.

He headed to the bench with 1:55 minutes remaining, and, when play broke down, Flyers’ defenceman Scott Aarssen found himself facing an impoossible three on one break; Elgin Peace netted off a pass from Marquardt.

In a league where the margins between each club are thin, Flyers are finding themselves on the wrong side of too many scorelines.

They are a team in search of a spark. It either comes from within the dressing-room, or it has to be imported.

Either way, it has to be found fast.