WEEK 11 of the 2023/24 Elite Ice Hockey League season and the Flyers welcome the Coventry Blaze back to the Auld Barn with the Midlands side last visiting just two weekends ago. On Sunday night the Flyers make their second trip to Surrey to meet the Guildford Flames for the first of three meetings in ten days as the sides will meet in the Challenge Cup quarter finals over the next two midweeks.
SATURDAY DECEMBER 2nd v COVENTRY BLAZE @ FIFE ICE ARENA – FACE OFF 7.15pm
Recent Form Guide
It is of course only two weeks since Fife and Coventry last met with the Flyers picking up two wins over the weekend against the Blaze whom they have beaten in all three meetings so far this season. Following those games the Blaze completed their Challenge Cup group games going down at home to the Cardiff Devils. Last weekend they had a single game with the visit of the Dundee Stars who were riding a five game winning streak and the Blaze looking to snap a five game losing streak, both streaks being the best/worst for each team this season respectively. Something had to give and it was the Blaze who halted their slide with a 4-2 win.
Last League Visit from Blaze
Overall Elite League Home Record Against Blaze
P 27 W 15 L 12 F 80 A 66
Number Crunching
The Flyers scored their quickest goal of the season so far when Collin Shirley opened the scoring after 69 seconds when Blaze last visited.
Blaze also have also scored their fastest goal of the season so far against the Flyers when they found the net after 20 seconds in the game at Coventry on November 18th.
The Flyers have recorded three consecutive wins this season against the Blaze, the last time they beat the Blaze in three or more consecutive games was a sequence of seven wins between 2016 and 2017.
Johan Eriksson is the top scorer in the three meetings between the sides this season with four goals and he has goals in all three games.
The Flyers have already equalled their best goals total since the 2018/19 campaign against the Blaze.
The Blaze have given up the most even strength goals per game whilst the Flyers have scored the second fewest goals per game at even strength.
SUNDAY DECEMBER 3rd v GUILDFORD FLAMES @ GUILDFORD SPECTRUM – FACE OFF 6.00pm
Recent Form Guide
Following the last meeting with the Flyers the Flames added to the woes of the Belfast Giants who were beaten 3-1 at the Spectrum. The Flames streak of three league wins was then halted when they lost in overtime in Glasgow to start a weekend of three games in three nights. The following night in Dundee they narrowly lost 5-4 to the Stars who then won an equally tight game the next night on Guildford ice when they won 4-3 in a shootout. The following midweek the slide was halted with a big 7-2 win at the Spectrum against the Glasgow Clan but last weekend the Sheffield Steelers came into the Flames building and with a four goal final period won the game 6-2. Earlier this week the club decided to part ways with American forward Logan Fredericks. This weekend the Flames only have the one game against the Flyers which will be their 15th league match with ten of those played on home ice so far.
As we now know the Flames will be the Flyers Challenge Cup quarter final opponents. The Flames ended their group games with a couple of wins beating the Blaze at the Skydome in overtime before coming out on top in a crazy 7-5 game against the Devils last weekend in their last match. Although they tied the Flyers on points percentage the Flyers secured the higher seeding on the tie break of regulation wins.
Last League Visit to Flames
Overall Elite League Away Record Against Flames
P 15 W 7 L 8 F 38 A 51
Number Crunching
The Flyers will be looking to end the Flames best ever winning streak against them at the Spectrum in the EIHL which now stands at five games.
The last meeting between the teams was the first time in 15 games that the Flyers have outshot the Flames.
Flames have yet to have a player register a hat trick against the Flyers – the only active team not to do so in all EIHL competitions.
Troy Lajeunesse has the third most shots on goal per game across all EIHL competitions with 3.77 – he is tied with two Guildford Flames players, Ryan Tait and Peter Crinella – just ahead with 3.78 shots per game is the Cardiff Devils Jamie Arniel and leading the way is Gary Hadden with 3.84 for the Glasgow Clan.
