WEEK 3 of the 2024/25 Elite Ice Hockey League season and the Flyers play their first game of the season outside of Scotland with a long trek to meet the Cardiff Devils in league business on Saturday night. On Sunday they return to home ice to meet the Glasgow Clan for the second time in the Challenge Cup.
SEPTEMBER 21st CARDIFF DEVILS v FIFE FLYERS @ VINDICO ARENA – FACE OFF 7.00pm
Recent Form Guide
The Devils were the first team to return to action this season as they entered a prolonged four week period of preseason games. They opened up on the weekend of 16/17 August hosting the visiting Danish side Herlev Eagles. The visitors shocked the Welsh side in the first game winning 4-1 before the Devils bounced back with a comfortable 6-2 win. The following weekend the Devils blanked GB in the first of their pre-Olympic Qualification warm up matches when they prevailed 5-0. The next night Devils made the trip over the Irish Sea and were beaten 5-1 by the Belfast Giants. Next up was a home and home meeting with the Sheffield Steelers. It would be fair to say that both rosters were far from full strength as each had players absent on GB duties. The Steelers won both games, winning 5-2 in Cardiff and then a 7-2 score lines at ICE Sheffield. Last weekend the Devils met the Nottingham Panthers in back to back games. The Panthers who had commenced their competitive season the night before in Manchester with a win followed that up by beating the Devils 2-1 in a shootout in Cardiff Bay before the Devils wound up their preseason with a 5-1 win in Nottingham. Last weekend the Devils entered competitive action when they hosted the Glasgow Clan on Saturday night. They handed the West Coast side their third consecutive defeat to start the season when they won 3-1 in a league encounter with a pair of goals in the final period finally getting them over the line. The following night in their opening Challenge Cup game they travelled to the Spectrum, Guildford and a four goal middle period allowed them to hose the Flames 6-2. With under three minutes of the game to play there was an altercation involving Josh Batch who was ejected for instigating and later handed a one game ban for being the aggressor which he will serve against the Manchester Storm whom the Devils meet on Friday night.
Last League Visit to Devils
Overall League Away Record Against Devils
P 30 W 5 L 25 F 61 A 135
Number Crunching
The Flyers win in Wales on their last visit stopped a run of 12 defeats at the Vindico Arena.
The Flyers will be aiming to win back to back on Devils ice for the first time in the EIHL era.
The last four meetings between the Flyers and Devils have all ended as one goal games with two decided in shootouts.
Joey Martin is the all time Devils scorer against the Flyers in all EIHL competitions with 22 goals – Danick Gauthier and Paul Crowder each with 9 goals are Flyers top marksmen against the Devils.
Lucas Chiodo has goals on his last two visits to the Vindico Arena.
SEPTEMBER 22nd FIFE FLYERS v GLASGOW CLAN @ FIFE ICE ARENA – FACE OFF 5.15pm
Recent Form Guide
The Clan were visitors two weekends ago when both teams opened their competitive accounts. The Flyers coming out on top of course and the following night there was more misery for the West Coast side as they travelled to Dundee and in a game where they were never ahead and although they outshot their opponents again they went down 5-2 with Liam Finlay scoring in consecutive games. Last weekend the Clan were on the road again for a pair of league games and first up was a visit to Cardiff on the Saturday night. Devils took the lead early in the opening period before the Clan levelled almost midway through a tightly contested affair. The game winning goal for the Devils came with 12 minutes remaining before they netted an insurance marker into an empty net. On Sunday night the Clan went down to their fourth consecutive reverse to start their season when they met the Coventry Blaze, who were playing their first competitive game of the season, in the Midlands. After a goalless opening period the Blaze took control of the game and established a two goal lead which they extended in the third period. The Clan mounted a late comeback in the final ten minutes to make it a one goal game but Blaze sealed it as the Clan gave up their second empty net goal of the weekend. This weekend the Clan only have the visit to Fife on the cards following the postponement of their scheduled fixture against the Belfast Giants in Glasgow due to ice plant difficulties. Since their last visit the Clan have made the addition of American blueliner Matt Stief to bring their total of new faces to this season’s roster to 18 which is most amongst all teams.
Last Challenge Cup Visit from Clan
Overall Challenge Cup Home Record Against Clan
P 11 W 8 L 3 F 42 A 30
Number Crunching
The Clan have failed to win in regulation in all EIHL competitions on their last five visits to Fife Ice Arena and have lost their last three visits to the Auld Barn in the Challenge Cup.
Despite that the Flyers will be looking to make it back to back wins on home ice against the Clan for the first time since they were rebranded as Glasgow Clan to start the 2018/19 season.
Lucas Chiodo has an active four game scoring streak against the Clan stretching back into last season.
Gary Haden, who did not play on Clan’s last visit will be looking for one goal to take outright ownership of Clan’s leading scorer against the Flyers with 17 goals.
Evan Bloodoff with 17 has most goals for Flyers against Clan.
