WEEK 9 of the 2024/25 Elite Ice Hockey League season and the Flyers are in midweek action with a visit to the Sheffield Steelers. On the weekend it’s Challenge Cup action with a visit to the Belfast Giants before returning to home ice to meet the Nottingham Panthers for league points.
WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 30th SHEFFIELD STEELERS v FIFE FLYERS @ UTILITA ARENA – FACE OFF 7.30pm
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This will be the first meeting between the teams this season. The Steelers who have been making history in the Champions Hockey League have also made another solid start to their domestic campaign as they look to repeat their Grand Slam success from last season. In the Challenge Cup the Steelers have played seven games and currently sit top of their group. They opened the competition with a 4-1 win home win against the Guildford Flames before sneaking past the Coventry Blaze the following night in a 5-4 shootout win at the Skydome. Home and home games against the Nottingham Panthers followed with the Steelers again coming out in the narrowest of margins winning in Nottingham by the odd goal in seven in regulation whilst repeating the feat at the Utilita Arena but this time with an overtime winner. A couple of road games followed and the Steelers dropped their only point so far in the competition when they were on the wrong side of another 4-3 result when the Storm won in a shootout in Altrincham. A 3-1 win in Guildford proceeded last weekend where on home ice they hit the top of the group with a 4-2 win against the Cardiff Devils. In league play this will be the Steelers sixth match after opening with a big 3-2 shootout win against the Belfast Giants at the Utilita Arena. A comfortable 6-2 win against the Stars on Tayside was followed by their only regulation defeat so far this term as the Blaze again caused them problems and took the decision 4-2 at the Skydome. The Steelers last two league games have been at home against Scottish opponents where they have scored six goals in each with a 6-3 win against the Clan and a 6-1 success last midweek against the Stars.
Last League Visit to Steelers
Overall Away League Record Against Steelers
P 30 W 3 L 27 F 45 A 137
Number Crunching
The Flyers currently have the longest winless streak of the season with seven straight defeats and the Steelers will be looking to stretch their winning streak to seven which will be the best of all teams this season
The Flyers will also be looking to snap their longest active drought on an opponents home ice as they have now gone 16 games in all EIHL competitions without a win in Sheffield.
During that run the Flyers have been outscored almost 3 to 1 with 33 goals scored and 95 conceded.
The last time the Flyers picked up two points against Sheffield on the road was 17th October 2018 when goals from Evan Bloodoff, Brett Bulmer and Paul Crowder saw them win 3-1.
Flyers are the lowest scoring team with an average of 2.25 goals so far this season – the Steelers sit second best with 4.17 goals per game.
The Steelers goals against average of 2.5 per game in all EIHL competitions is second least amongst all teams – Flyers 4.81 is most.
Robert Dowd has 30 goals against the Flyers in all EIHL competitions which is not only makes him the Steelers top scorer against Fife but also the player with most goals against the Flyers all time in the EIHL.
SATURDAY NOVEMBER 2nd BELFAST GIANTS v FIFE FLYERS @ SSE ARENA – FACE OFF 7.00pm
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Having already met the Giants twice on home ice in the Challenge Cup this will be the first of two visits by the Flyers in that competition to the SSE Arena. The Giants came into this week continuing to head the qualification group although a midweek visit from the Glasgow Clan, who were sitting in second position, will have a significant bearing on both teams chances of winning the group or securing the second placed playoff spot. Since the Flyers last meeting with Belfast the Giants have played a pair of home and home games against the Clan with a 3-1 defeat for the Giants at Braehead being followed by a narrow 4-3 shootout win for them on home ice. In league games the Giants coughed up two points in Coventry where they went down 6-4 to the surging Blaze before going to Nottingham the following evening and losing heavily to the Panthers who came out on top 5-1. Last weekend the Giants were still on the road as they visited the Guildford Flames and picked up two points with a 3-1 win before exacting some revenge and halting Coventry’s unbeaten start to the league with a 5-2 win at the Skydome. After meeting the Flyers the Giants stay at home this weekend with a visit from the Dundee Stars in Challenge Cup action on Sunday night.
Last Challenge Cup Visit to Giants
Overall Away Challenge Cup Record Against Giants
P 15 W 2 L 13 F 31 A 74
Number Crunching
The Flyers will be looking for their first win of the season against the Giants who have won both games so far at Fife Ice Arena.
Including the Challenge Cup Final the Flyers have now lost their last six games at the SSE against the Giants in the competition. Their last win being 23rd September 2018 when they prevailed 4-2 with goals from Brett Bulmer (2), Carlo Finucci and Paul Crowder.
Scott Conway is the all-time leading scorer for the Giants against the Flyers in all EIHL competitions with 14 goals. Bobby Chaumont top scores for the Flyers against the Giants with six goals.
Ahead of the midweek games the Giants had recorded two shutouts which is most amongst all teams whilst the Flyers being shut out three times is also most amongst all teams.
The Giants 4.21 goals per game average makes them top scorers so far this season.
37 shots per game average for Giants also leads all teams the Flyers are 6th best with 32.38 shots per game.
Only the Steelers have given up fewer shots on goal per game than the Giants 28.21 – the Flyers have faced most with an average of 42.56 per game across all EIHL competitions.
SUNDAY NOVEMBER 3rd FIFE FLYERS v NOTTINGHAM PANTHERS @ FIFE ICE ARENA – FACE OFF 5.15pm
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It’s the first visit of the Panthers to the Auld Barn this season with the teams meeting for the first time a month ago in Nottingham. Since then the Panthers followed up their win against the Flyers with another success on home ice with a 4-2 defeat of the Cardiff Devils in the Challenge Cup. The following weekend it was contrasting fortunes for the Panthers in a home double header for league points. On Saturday night they were shocked 5-2 by the visiting Dundee Stars before then comfortably sending the Belfast Giants back over the Irish Sea on the wrong end of a 5-1 scoreline. Last weekend the Panthers saw the Stars garner another two league points with a narrow 2-1 win on Tayside before they returned home to meet the Manchester Storm in Challenge Cup action with the visitors claiming a 3-1 win. Before heading to Fife the Panthers were in league action in midweek with a visit to the Guildford Flames before hosting the Cardiff Devils on Saturday night once again with league points at stake.
Last League Visit from Panthers
Overall League Home Record Against Panthers
P 30 W 13 L 17 F 97 A 109
Number Crunching
The Panthers have won the last two meetings between the sides.
Over the last six meetings at the Auld Barn against the Panthers it has been a case of win one, lose one for the Flyers with the sequence W L W L W L
Including shootout goals the Flyers need three more to bring up 200 against the Panthers across all EIHL competitions
Heading into the midweek action the Panthers were the only team who had not had a goal scored by a blueliner this season.
The Panthers are also the lowest scoring team in the third period this season whilst they have conceded the fewest goals in the first period amongst all teams so far.
