The Flyers and Blaze met for the second time this season. The home side were still without the injured Austin Farley and Brodie Kay with Fynn Page and James Spence also scratched. Ben Brown was added to the lineup. The visitors were at full strength with only youngster Brynley Capps a scratch.

The Flyers tendency in recent matches to give up an early goal continued and the visitors were ahead after 54 seconds after a Flyers giveaway was picked up by the Blaze and they went down the left wing with Chase Gresock beating Shane Owen from the circles with a shot on the short side. The Blaze continued to look lively in attack and Owen had to make a big pad save in the 5^th minute to deny Brandon Alderson. Mat Robson in the visitors goal got his first touch of the puck in the 6th minute when he stopped Lucas Chiodo on an individual rush as he poked checked the puck off of the Flyers man. In the 8^th minute Robson had to deal with a big slapshot by Daniel Krenželok. Owen then gloved an effort from Archie Hazeldine lurking at the backdoor in the 11^th minute. The Flyers transitioned down the ice and Robson came up with a big shoulder save to stop Chiodo who went down the left wing before releasing his shot from the circles. The home side had an odd man rush in the 12^th minute but the puck was bobbled and they failed to get a shot on net to test Robson. The Blaze went the other way and Owen was called for a trip on Alessio Luciani as he drove across the crease. Owen came up big with a save from a Nick Seitz tip at the lip of his crease as the Flyers completed the kill. Moments after returning to full strength however the Flyers conceded a second goal and it was Gresock again with a tidy finish as he picked the bottom corner of Owen’s net on the glove side. The Blaze almost scored again on the very next shift as Owen had to make a save with a Blaze forward coming straight down the slot with Noah Delmas being called for hooking on the play to send the visitors back on the power play. Phélix Martineau had a shorthanded bid but Robson closed his pads as the Flyers forward tried to go five hole and the Flyers completed another kill as Owen dealt with a long range shot by Jakob Stridsberg. Once again after returning to full strength the Flyers immediately gave up another goal as the Blaze kept the puck in the zone and Alexander Kuqali fired into the net through a crowd of players.

The Flyers had the first shot of the middle period with Tyler Heidt testing Robson’s glove with a shot after 30 seconds. The Blaze however added another moments later with another goal in the opening minute of the period and it was Gresock who again picked a corner of the net, this time high glove to complete his hat trick. In the 24^th minute David Clements was called for a slash putting the Flyers on their first powerplay of the game. The home side got the puck settled down in the Blaze zone and worked it around between Martineau and Chiodo who played the pass across the slot for Michael Cichy to wire a first timer into the net with Robson having no chance. A minute later and Massimo Carozza was stopped by a quick pad save by Robson before Krenželok went down the right wing and was tripped by Luciana as the Flyers returned to the man advantage. Ryan Foss was robbed by Robson who blocked his tip on the edge of the crease before Jackson Cressey got a step on Cichy on a breakaway and the Flyers player was forced to trip him. The teams played 4 on 4 for a minute before the Blaze had a short power play with Owen making a big save on Gresock and Alderson seeing his shot hit the post as the Flyers returned to full strength. In the 31^st minute Delmas carried the puck end to end and Kuqali was forced to trip him in the Blaze zone. On the powerplay Cichy almost got another but his one timer this time caught the outside of the post and from exactly the same position moments later Heidt struck the crossbar with Robson beaten. The Blaze returned to full strength and were immediately on the powerplay again as Jordan Stallard was called for interference. The Blaze made their advantage count this time as Owen made a great pad save but the puck fell for Seitz in the slot who had no difficulty hitting the wide open net. The Flyers went on a powerplay in the 36^th minute when Cressey got the gate for a hook on Chiodo and late on in the penalty Cichy saw Robson get a piece of his one timer to turn the puck past the post.

The Blaze started the third period with yet another goal inside the opening minute. Alderson parked in front of the net managed to get something on the puck to deflect it past Owen.  In the 44^th minute Robson did well to get his blocker to a shot at the back door by Cichy. The visitors added the final goal of the game in the 47^th minute after winning a board battle behind the net and the puck came out front to a wide open Grayson Constable who walked the puck around Owen and into the net. Krenželok who was being used now as a forward cut inside in the 49^th minute and his shot was blockered away by Robson. In the 51^st minute Owen swallowed a blast from Stridsberg who had plenty of time and space in the high slot. In the 51^st minute Patrick Kyte was called for shooting the puck over the glass with the Flyers completing another penalty kill. Foss was ejected from the game in the 54th minute on a five minute spearing major. At that time the Blaze replaced Robson in net with Will Bray. The Blaze had a number of chances to add to their tally but Owen made a pad save on Luciani, a shoulder save on Hazeldine and a blocker save to deny Jack Hopkins as the Flyers returned to full strength for the final 90 seconds of the game which produced further nothing of note.

Pic Credits – Jillian McFarlane and Derek Young

Fife Flyers are next at home on  Saturday 21st December when they entertain the Belfast Giants – tickets can be bought online here:  Tickets – Fife Flyers or look out on social media channels for box office opening times.