The Flyers made their final visit of the season to Planet Ice Altrincham to meet the Manchester Storm. The Flyers had Brodie Kay and Charles-Antoine Paiement back in the line up and scratched Jānis Voris along with Aiden Wilson and James Spence and gave a professional debut to Evan MacKinnon who wore number 18. The Storm had Tyler Rockwell, Connor Lee, Gianluca Estevez and Evan Weninger all missing from their lineup with Harrison Caines on their bench who was a also making his pro debut.

The opening couple of minutes Shane Owen had a few routine saves as the Storm took the early initiative in the game. In the 4^th minute the Fife netminder made a good pad save as CJ Garcia from the circles shot low on net. He made another big save in the 7^th minute when he got his right pad out to stop Jake Durflinger who snuck in behind the Flyers defence and skated in on goal. Zach Milton was next to be denied by the visiting goalie in the 8^th minute and then Owen was aggressively out at the top of his crease to stop a shot from Stephen Johnston. The Flyers went on the first power play of the game in the 9^th minute when Johnston was called for holding the stick. The Flyers made their man advantage count as they controlled the puck and Kieran Craig collected it in the circles before he toe dragged around a defenceman and picked the top corner stick side on David Tendeck. Moments after the restart Massimo Carozza was penalised for a slash and the Storm power play went to work for the first time. Alexis D’Aoust had a shot saved up high by Owen but the Storm recycled the puck and Ryan Hughes found Joe Morrow in the slot and his shot went high into the net to tie the scores. The Storm continued to look the more likely to score as the period progressed although most of the shots faced by Owen were routine.

The Storm had the first shot of the middle period when Owen gloved an effort from D’Aoust. The Flyers responded a minute later when Tendeck couldn’t hold an Austin Farley shot and Charles-Antoine Paiement tried to go top shelf with the rebound but fired over the crossbar. The Flyers survived a scramble around their net in the 24^th minute when both Hughes and Johnston failed to force the puck past Owen. In the 25^th minute a favorable bounce of the puck for the Flyers gave Craig possession in the slot and he fed Carozza down low but Tendeck did well to keep his pad against the post as the Flyer had three whacks to try and stuff it home. In the 26^th minute Tendeck saved a shot from Patrick Kyte on a delayed penalty as the Storm were penalised again with Loren Ulett going to the box for holding the stick. The Flyers struggled to get anything clean set up in the Storm zone and late in the power play they turned over the puck at the Storm blueline and Tyler Hinam went down ice to score short handed when he beat Owen high on the stick side. In the 30^th minute Paiement tried a short side shot but Tendeck was alert. Owen made a big toe save in the 33^rd minute when he turned away a shot from Hughes and when the Storm recycled the puck Owen was down and out in his crease but Hughes lifted his shot over the crossbar. The home side extended their lead in the 35^th minute when the Flyers were guilty of turning over the puck again at the Storm blue line and Craig Martin this time broke away and he fired over the pad and under the blocker of Owen. In the final minute of the period Paiement went down the right wing but his shot from the angle was snagged by Tendeck’s glove.

In the 42^nd minute Evan MacKinnon went close and moments later Ulett at the other end almost beat Owen but he lost the handle on the puck close in on the Fife goalie. Owen flashed the leather in the 43^rd minute to deny Jake Durflinger. The Flyers went back on the powerplay in the 45^th minute when Zach Milton tripped Jordan Stallard in the neutral zone. The Flyers came close to cutting the deficit but for two lights out saves by Tendeck who denied Craig with his stick with the goal gaping on both occasions. The Flyers gave up another shorthanded goal when Durflinger broke down ice and his pass to the edge of Owen’s crease was tipped home by Ulett. It was the Storm’s turn with the man advantage in the 49^th minute as Brodie Kay sat for slashing. Johnston saw an effort saved by Owen and the rebound fell to Durflinger who had his one time shot blocked by a combination of Daniel Krenželok and Owen as the Flyers survived to complete the kill. D’Aoust was called in the 52^nd minute for a high stick on MacKinnon and Ulett almost got another short handed goal as Owen made a stick save to deny him. In the 54^th minute CJ Garcia drove the net and Owen had to stand strong to make the save. The Flyers pulled a goal back in the 55^th minute when Carozza fed the puck rink wide to Krenželok who was up supporting the rush and he picked the bottom corner of the net on Tendeck. Just over a minute later however and the Storm iced the game with a further two goals. Their fifth carried a bit of luck as D’Aoust saw his shot come cross hit a Flyers skate and deceive Owen and 30 seconds later the Storm won a puck battle behind the Flyers net and Martin fed the puck out to Cam Critchlow all alone in the slot and he finished bar down. In the final 30 seconds a drop pass by MacKinnon was one timed by Craig but Tendeck was well positioned to hold the shot.

Pic Credits – Manchester Storm

Fife Flyers are next at home on  Sunday 23rd February when they entertain the Glasgow Clan – tickets can be bought online here:  Tickets – Fife Flyers or look out on social media channels for box office opening times.