The Flyers travelled for the first time this season to meet the Braehead Clan with both teams looking to get off losing skids. The Clan who were winless in their last four were favourites to secure at least second spot in the Challenge Cup group with four of their five remaining games on home ice. The Flyers were looking to halt their run at five consecutive defeats and they had Nikolai Shulga return to the line up whilst they scratched Olivier LeBlanc, Johnny Curran, James Spence and Janis Voris. The Clan scratched Matt Stieff, Nick Prkusic, Kyle Carruth and Cade Neilson.
The Flyers opened with the first chance of the game when Martin Látal charged down a shot in his own zone and then broke up the ice with the puck going one on one with Landon Bow but the Clan netminder came up with a huge save. In the 2nd minute Drake Pilon had a partial breakaway but as he closed in on the Clan net he was crowded out in what was an encouraging start for the visitors. Shane Owen made his first save in the 4th minute when he held a shot from distance by Deven Sideroff. The Clan went on the first power play of the game in the 5th minute when Austin Farley was called for hooking on Liam Finlay. Owen made a blocker save from a Rylan Schwartz effort and the Fife keeper followed that up with a strong save when he was out at the top of his paint to stop a Tyson McLellan shot from the slot. The Flyers completed the kill with some fine blocks and at full strength they went the other way when Pilon set up Maxim Musorov who tested Bow who made a pad save. The Flyers first power play came in the 8th minute when Reece Kelly got the gate for interference. The first minute of the man advantage saw the visitors create a couple of good chances following some good puck control and Lucas Chiodo put a snapshot on Bow. The Clan complete the kill but at even strength the Flyers again came close to opening the scoring when Pilon saw his shot catch a piece of Bow and pinged the crossbar. 30 seconds later the Clan went close when Kelly came in at the back post but sent his shot wide. Owen made a good stop in the 11th minute when he gloved a Schwartz shot but the game was turned on its head with two goals in 28 seconds for the home side in the 15th minute. The opener came from Cole Ully who was found in the slot and his low shot on the back hand found the net through Owen’s five hole. The Clan struck again when Finlay came in off the left hand boards and from an angle he picked the top corner over the glove of Owen. The Flyers steadied the ship but the closest they came was a shot from distance from Daniel Krenželok that was swallowed by Bow.
The Clan went back on the power play just 19 seconds into the middle period when Tyler Heidt was called for tripping with the Clan player clearly catching an edge and falling without being touched. Sideroff threatened with two shots but the Flyers came up with a strong kill by protecting the house well. In the 23rd minute Darien Kielb forced a pad save from Owen with a shot from the slot and moments later the Clan were again on the power play as Madi Dikhanbek took a high sticking minor. The Clan had a lot of solid puck possession during their power play and Owen had to make a fantastic save from McLellan who was in great position to score. With the Flyers back at full strength Látal’s speed took him into the Clan zone in the 27th minute and Bow got a piece of his shot to deflect it wide of net. Fife were called for too many men on the ice moments later. The home side again possessed the puck well in the Flyers zone and Keaton Jamieson was denied with a snapshot that was blockered away by Owen. The Flyers came up with another big kill though to leave the Clan 0 for 4 on the game. The Flyers came close in the 31st minute as Bow was called into action dealing with a shot from Látal and then he got lucky as the puck got behind him and was scrambled clear. Musorov with a close range effort was stoned by Bow in the 33rd minute and the Glasgow netminder followed that up with a strong save on Krenželok. The Flyers gave up a 3 on 1 chance in the 34th minute but Patrick Kyte came up with a superb defensive play to break up the attack and prevent the shot on Owen. In the 35th minute Sideroff had a shot from the right wing saved by Owen who then moved across his net to swallow the shot from the rebound. In the 36th minute Ryan Foss had a sight of goal but Bow dislodged the net. Musorov went between two Clan defencemen in the Flyers next attack and caused chaos with the puck almost sneaking past Bow. The Clan were back on the power play with three minutes of the period remaining with Foss binned for cross checking. This time the Clan made the visitors pay as Ully fired past an unsighted Owen. The period ended with the Flyers on a power play and a snap shot by Phélix Martineau was just over before the same player saw his shot hit the pad of Bow and glance off the outside of the post.
The Flyers started the third period with a minute of the man advantage remaining and Schwartz made a huge shot block on Musorov. With 7 seconds of the kill left the Clan took another penalty as Simon Despres got the gate for slashing the stick on Kyte. With the teams skating 5 on 4 Krenželok saw his shot go in and out of Bow’s glove and land in the crease before being swept away to safety as the home side completed the kill. In the 44th minute Owen blockered away a shot by Kelly before Martineau tested Bow in the 46th minute with a shot from the circles and the big rebound saw no Fife takers. Chiodo had to get repairs to a facial injury and the Flyers also saw Farley being replaced by Dikhanbek who moved up from the blueline. Mitchell Heard had a good look in the 47th minute from the high slot that Owen made a pad save from. A minute later and Musorov stole the puck at the Clan blueline and went in all alone on Bow. He tried to deke the netminder who stuck with him and was able to make a pad save. In the 50th minute Owen produced a fine save as he denied Sideroff who had been set up at the side of the Fife net. The Flyers were then called for a cross checking penalty by Heidt. The home side thought they had added a fourth goal on the ensuing power play when Sideroff deftly tipped the puck into the top of the net from the edge of the crease with some contact being made on Owen. The call on the ice was no goal and the Clan used their Coaches Challenge. After a very lengthy review the on ice decision was upheld and the Clan were assessed a minor penalty. At 4 on 4 Heard had a shot from the left wing turned away by Owen before the Flyers had a shortened power play and Bow stopped a shot from Chiodo with the top of his mask. In the 54th minute Owen steered a shot from Jamieson wide of his net and a minute later he gloved a snapshot by Alex Forbes. The Clan comfortably saw out the remaining five minutes of the match.
Pic Credits – Glasgow Clan
Fife Flyers are next at home on Sunday 27th October when they entertain the Dundee Stars – tickets can be bought online here: Tickets – Fife Flyers or look out on social media channels for box office opening times.