The Flyers started the weekend with a road trip to meet the Manchester Storm with the two teams occupying the places outwith the play offs. The home side were without Connor Lee, Noah Kaariainen and Gianluca Estevez. The Flyers travelled without Patrick Kyte, Aiden Wilson, Cameron Kenny and James Spence.

Ahead of face off there was a minutes applause for Rob Trumbley who played for Storm amongst others and that Flyers fans will remember as a fearsome opponent. It was a quiet start to the game without a shot on goal in the opening four minutes. The first real chance of the game then came when Austin Farley carried the puck through the middle and his lay off to the right wing saw Michael Cichy clank one of the post. The following shift Farley was parked in front of Evan Weninger but couldn’t get a clean connection on the puck as it was scrambled clear of the Storm goal. In the 6^th minute it was Cichy again testing Weninger but his shot hit the outside frame of the goal before Olivier Leblanc was called for roughing to send the Storm on the first power play of the night. The Storm had several chances with the man advantage with Jānis Voris gloving a snapshot from Stephen Johnson before doing well in a scramble to keep Alexis D’Aoust out. The Storm weren’t finished and Tyler Hinam in his first game back from injury went through the centre of the defence and Voris made the initial pad save before eventually sitting on the puck to get the stoppage and the Flyers completed the kill. In the 10^th minute Kieran Craig had a shot from a tight angle saved by Weninger and the Storm then went the other way on a 2 on 1 with Owen Griffiths failing to get a stick on the puck with the net gaping. The home side however took the lead on the next shift when the Flyers failed to get the puck out of their zone and it ended up on the stick of Joe Morrow in the high slot and he found the top of the net above the glove of Voris. Weninger fought off a shot by Lucas Chiodo in the 11^th minute. In the 12^th minute Tyler Heidt was up on the rush and he took the puck to the net but the Storm goalie shut the wickets to deny him. A minute later and it was the visitors again with a quality chance when Farley threaded the puck to Cichy who went in on goal but couldn’t beat the pad of Weninger on the back hand. Voris had to be alert as he gloved a shot from Cam Critchlow in the 15^th minute the Grant Hebert went down the right wing and fired the puck into the logo of Voris. The final chance of the period fell to the Flyers as Lucas Chiodo was robbed by Weninger who made a huge pad save and then made another block to preserve the lead.

In the 22^nd minute Craig had a shot from the circles that Wenninger held. D’Aoust found himself with plenty of time and space in the 25^th minute on the left hand side and he tried to pick the top corner on Voris who snagged his shot. The Storm went back on the power play in the 27^th minute when Daniel Krenželok was called for delay of game for shooting the puck over the glass. The Storm power play which is statistically worst in the league were unable to get any shots on Voris as Flyers completed the kill. In the 29^th minute Chiodo picked up the puck in the neutral zone and scampered into the Storm zone but Weninger was equal to his back hand effort. In the 30^th minute the Flyers survived not getting the puck out of their zone when Voris was out aggressively to stop D’Aoust before Stephen Johnson took a slashing penalty. The Flyers with the a advantage were unable to get anything set up and late on in their power play they shipped a short handed goal as Morrow took the puck down the right side and his pass cross slot saw Voris miss his poke check and the puck landed on Loren Ulett’s stick to fire home. The visitors almost gave up another short handed counter on the next shift as Voris was forced to come out of his goal way above the circles to poke check the puck and clear the zone as the Storm returned to full strength. The home side did however strike again moments later when Hebert carried the puck down the right and his back hand pass found Ryan Hughes on the edge of the crease who had an easy task to find the back of the net. The Flyers called their time out at this point with 33 minutes on the clock. The Storm almost increased their lead in the 36^th minute on a 2 on 1 but the puck bobbled over a Storm stick with plenty of net top aim at. In the 38^th minute Critchlow and Phélix Martineau dropped the gloves at centre ice with the Storm man getting the take down. On the restart the Flyers pulled a goal back when Krenželok let a shot go from inside the blueline and Weninger failed to hold it with the rebound finding the stick of Cichy in the slot who went five hole.

Two minutes into the final period Massimo Carozza with speed went in on the Storm goal and lost his footing before crashing into the boards but thankfully was able to return to the play. In the 44^th minute the Storm added another goal as the Flyers turned the puck over in their zone and Voris made the initial save from D’Aoust but the rebound was picked up by Hughes who fired home.  Crucially however 30 seconds later the Flyers reduced the arrears when they gained possession of the puck in the Storm zone and Chiodo fed it to Noah Delmas who came in off the blue line and his shot beat Weninger under the glove and above the pad. The Flyers were back on the power play in the 45^th minute when Hughes was called for roughing. Hinam straight away had a shorthanded bid but Voris made the save and the Flyers once again had trouble getting anything set up as the Storm completed the kill and returned to full strength. In the 47^th minute Hughes tested Voris who was his equal and a minute later Martineau create a chance with a big hit along the boards and when the puck found Charles-Antoine Paiement his slapshot was denied by a huge shot block by Zach Sullivan. The Flyers returned to the power play in the 51^st minute as the Storm were penalised for too many men and this time they made their numerical advantage count. The Flyers recycled the puck and Ryan Foss was able to feed Chiodo who stepped out from the corner of the goal and with Weninger sprawling across the ice he lifted the puck high into the net to make it a one goal game. 90 seconds later and incredibly the visitors tied the game when the Flyers again outworked the Storm in their own zone and Foss again was the provider as he slid a pass out front from behind the net and Craig buried the puck past Weninger.  Storm called their time out as the Flyers tails were clearly up. Martineau went very close when he shot against the grain in the 55^th minute and the puck whistled past the post with Weninger rooted. Voris made a great save in the 56^th minute on Jake Durflinger but the Flyers were called on the play with Leblanc getting the gate for slashing. Craig Martin was first to threaten the Flyers goal on the Storm power play but Voris stood tall and he then denied D’Aoust with a pad save on a big slapshot as the home side iced five forwards in an effort to get the regulation winner. With 30 seconds left on the Flyers kill the numbers were evened as the Storm were penalised for a high stick as the teams skated 4 on 4. The Flyers returned to full strength and with two  minutes remaining got the go ahead goal. Martineau had the shot and Weninger made the save but couldn’t stop the rebound which found Cichy and he drove the puck into the net. With 80 seconds remaining the Storm pulled Weninger for the extra attacker and the Flyers iced the puck a couple of times. Voris made another huge stop in a scramble around his net as the Storm players crashed his crease but the Flyers stood firm to ice a memorable comeback win.

Pic Credits – Manchester Storm

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