The Fife Flyers travelled up to Dundee to play their Tayside rivals the Dundee Stars in a preseason game after 19 weeks since their last game. On paper both teams were closely matched together with not many differences sp-litting them and this was truly shown in the game despite a 4-2 scoreline. Tom Coolen’s men landed earlier in the week as they tried to get on the ice for as many training sessions as possible whereas the Dundee Stars roster had arrived a week before therefore had spent more time together. Both squads were missing some players with the Dundee Stars missing Ben O’Connor who was with Team GB, Kameron Kielly and Richard Sabol who had not arrived in Dundee at this moment in time. The Fife Flyers were missing Johnny Curran who was also with Team GB, Martin Latal who had picked up an injury in the warmup for this game, and Fynn Page who was down in Bristol with the Bristol Pitbulls for their event at West Country Water Park.
The first period was quite tight as both teams were going back and forth for the whole 20 minutes with the Dundee Stars getting a few chances with iconic duo Keanu Yamamoto and Brett Gravelle linking up not once but twice to get good opportunities. Only eight minutes into the game Fife Flyers defenceman Patrick Kyte picked up a two minute penalty for boarding after he hit Dundee Stars forward Zach Tsekos. On this powerplay Dundee Stars hold the puck in the Fife Flyers defensive zone allowing them to apply pressure on the Fife defence however, despite various shots and dangles, Shane Owen holds the fort and prevents the Stars from breaking his momentum. The period was close with both teams having various chances to light the lamp however, it was a period for the goalies as it ended 0-0.
Early in the second period the Fife Flyers were awarded a power play when the Stars lost count of their men and were called for too many men on the ice. The Flyers, just like the Stars, dominated their power play but their slick hands and powerful shots were no match for the goaltending of Jarret Fiske. After a failed pass by Flyers forward Michael Cichy, Stars defenceman Cole Macdonald picks the puck up and fires it down the ice to Stars forward Domenic Alberga who picked the pass up in between Flyers D-men Brodie Kay and Daniel Krenzelok at the blue line before skating onto a breakaway against Shane Owen where he slots the puck just above Owen’s pad at the left post to make the game 1-0. Not too long after the goal was scored Tom Coolen decided it was t5he right time to sub Shane Owen out for their new backup netminder Brython Preece who played for the Dundee Stars two seasons ago. Flyers make a quick break up the ice and a pass to Flyers forward Austin Farley results in a two on one and Farley attempts to shoot bottom far post however, is denied by Fiske, Flyers failed to pick up the rebound and we saw a quick break down the ice by the Stars where young Gary Kelly shoots the puck but this time it was too high. Not too long after this the Stars were back in the zone but after a smart spin-o-rama pass from Brogan O’Brien to Kris Inglis saw Inglis use his great hockey IQ to pass the puck cross crease to Yamamoto which wasn’t successful however, still worked result in a tap to Brett Gravelle who hit a one timer however, the former Stars backup showed his new skills by saving the shot to keep the score to 1-0.
Nearer the end of the second period Austin Farley took the puck behind Fiske net before backhanding it to his team however, Xavier Poulliot ignored the pass and threw a late hit on Farley which saw Cichy give him a few shoves which didn’t come to much however, the Stars went on the penalty kill with Poulliot sitting for charging. On this powerplay the Flyers remained in good control of it and their hard work paid of when Daniel Krenzelok took a shot from the blue line (which could of been tipped by Shulga) which was initially saved before Drake Pilon picked the puck back up and backhanded it over the pads of Fiske towards the far post to tie the game 1-1.
Early in the 3rd period Brendan Harms had the puck behind the net where he wrapped it around the net to pass it to Alex Tonge who fired it home to increase the scoreline from 1-1 to 2-1. Harms was fortunate enough to have been in front of Preece six minutes later as his teammate took a shot from the blue line where he tipped it to get his first goal against the FIfe Flyers and to increase their lead to 2 goals. The game was fairly back and forth however, Brett Gravelle took a shot in the 55th minute of the game which was saved by Preece however, the puck slipped from his glove and hit the back of his pads causing it to trickle into the net before anyone could realise. In the dying embers of the game the play would turn around and Flyers D-man Tyler Heidt would drag Jarrett Fiske out his crease and he wraps the puck around him to make a smart pass to Austin Farley who would tap the puck into the open net to make the game 4-2 which would be the final score of the game.
The game was closer than the scoreline represents and both coaches walked away with a lot of positives and a happy fanbase. The teams demonstrated hard work and dedication to the game along with a gritty side to themselves. It is important to note there was a good hip check thrown during this game which we have not covered. This is due to the hit being removed from the game highlights due to an incident which occurred during the time of the hit which has now been resolved by the Dundee Stars. Both teams would face each other the other night which we have a review coming soon hopefully however, due to lack of preseason highlights it is difficult to get one.
Both teams will face each other a lot this season and they are set to be close matchups and very fierce ones with both teams being equally matched.
Author: Calan Yule
Editor: Will Harris
All Photos From: Derek Black
Other Game Photos (Owned By Derek Black):
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