The Flyers hosted the Belfast Giants for their second meeting in Kirkcaldy in this season’s Challenge Cup group section. The Giants currently lead the group with the Flyers in a contest with the Glasgow Clan and Dundee Stars to secure second place and a playoff spot into the semifinal. The Flyers were still without the injured Oliver LeBlanc and Patrick Kyte with Nikolai Shulga also joining them on the sidelines. Johnny Curran took the warm up but did not take his place on the bench at puck drop. James Spence returned to the lineup. The Giants scratched Joe Cassetti and Bobo Carpenter.

In a high tempo start from both sides there were several rushes both ways with neither netminder being troubled. Shane Owen made the first save of the game in the 3^rd minute when he held a redirect from the slot by Jordan Kawaguchi. The Giants started to control play in the Flyers zone and a huge blast from Mike Lee struck Owen high on the shoulder in the 4^th minute. A minute later and Owen had to cover up a bouncing puck as Ben Lake was fishing for it around his crease. The Giants opened the scoring in the 6^th minute when Lee was allowed all sorts of space to skate around in the Flyers zone before he took the puck to the net and sniped it stick side on Owen. The Flyers first real chance was set up by Maxim Musorov who passed to Lucas Chiodo who almost got a clean shot away on Jackson Whistle. In the 9th minute Madi Dikhanbek carried the puck up ice and his lay off saw a wrister from Michael Cichy go close before Musorov was sprung with a stretch pass and as he went in alone on Whistle he tried to deke the keeper who got a piece of the puck along with the post to prevent an equaliser. The Giants almost doubled their lead in the 10^th minute when a rebound from Owen lay in his crease and just as Kyle Osterberg thought he was going to tap it into the empty net Tyler Heidt swept the puck away to safety. The Flyers went on the first power play of the night in the 11^th minute when Josh Roach was called for a trip on Drake Pilon. The first minute of the man advantage saw the Flyers have plenty of controlled zone time and a number of shots, all of which were wide of target. As the penalty expired Martin Látal threw the puck on net and it squeaked through Whistle and rolled along the goal line before being swatted away. At the next stop the play was reviewed by the officials who called no goal on the ice and this was upheld. The Giants doubled their advantage in the 14^th minute when a break down the right wing saw Kawaguchi feather the puck cross ice to Pierre-Olivier Morin and he tipped the puck high into the net over Owen’s blocker. A killer third goal arrived just two minutes later when Grant Mismash was again given the freedom of the Flyers zone to skate in and from the slot pick his spot past Owen on his stick side. The Flyers went back on the powerplay in the 17^th minute after Látal was tripped on an end to end rush. The Giants killed the two minutes without any real threats on their goal. In the final few seconds Owen had to look sharp to blocker away a Mismash shot.

The second period was only 7 seconds old when Owen made his first stop when he snagged a Mark Cooper effort from close range with his glove. Another Giants penalty, this time Gabe Bast for tripping, resulted in another Flyers powerplay where they struggled to get anything set up and the Giants killed it. Bast came out of the box and was immediately set up with a pass that saw him go in on Owen who came up with a big blocker save. JJ Piccinich tested Owen in the 25^th minute with a shot. In the 28^th minute Whistle made a fine blocker save on Lucas Chiodo after some good set up play by Heidt. A minute later and the visiting netminder was at last called into sustained action as Austin Farley set up Phélix Martineau who was denied. Almost immediately Martineau was again sniffing around the Giants net and Whistle gratefully covered the puck up. Mismash thought he had scored his second of the night in the 30^th minute but with Owen sprawled out on the ice the Fife netminder robbed him with a glove save. Danield Krenželok put the puck on net in the 32^nd minute and Bo Hanson almost redirected it under the pads of his own keeper. Seconds later a Krenželok drive from the slot was this time saved by the pads of Whistle. Cichy was next to be denied by Whistle with another pad save as the Flyers pressurised the away goal. Against the run of play the Giants extended their lead when Piccinich managed to find the net short side on Owen. In the 35^th minute Musorov had a hard shot gloved by Whistle. The Giants transitioned the puck quickly in the 38^th minute and in a three way play Ciaran Long went bar down on Owen to make it 5-0. With 37 seconds of the period remaining the Giants got their first powerplay of the night with Pilon binned for slashing. Owen had to be very alert to stop Scott Conway on the edge of his crease as the buzzer sounded.

With 90 seconds of the penalty still to kill the Flyers almost made it but Mismatch with a cross crease pass found Kawaguchi whose one timer gave Owen no chance. In the 46^th minute Owen shut the door on Conway who was lurking in the slot and a minute later Owen did well to hold a fierce blast from Bast. Kawaguchi cut in from the half boards in the 49^th minute but Owen was square to the shooter to make the stop. The Giants went back on the powerplay in the 50^th minute when Noah Delmas was called for a high stick and 13 seconds later Martineau got the gate for slashing giving the Giants a long 5 on 3. The Flyers kill was resolute and they were about to return to four skaters when Mismash played a slap pass to Morin in the slot and his redirect found the net. Returning to full strength after killing the second penalty James Spence was denied buy a very good Whistle save when he turned aside a snapshot. With a little over two minutes remaining the Giants were on the powerplay again with Martineau in the box for hooking. It was a strong kill by the Flyers to prevent any further damage on the scoreboard.

Pic Credits – Jillian McFarlane and Derek Young

Fife Flyers are next at home on  Saturday 19th October when they entertain the Guildford Flames – tickets can be bought online here:  Tickets – Fife Flyers or look out on social media channels for box office opening times.