The Flyers travelled to the Skydome for their final meeting of the season with the Coventry Blaze. The visitors were without the injured Olivier LeBlanc and also scratched Shane Owen with Jānis Voris getting the start and the youngster Joel Bearman from the Blaze NIHL side backing up. Joe Lynch found a space on the bench with Aiden Wilson, Ben Brown and James Spence also scratched. The home side were without Zach Heintz, Grayson Constable, Zach Vinnell and the long term injured Jakob Stridsberg.

Voris made the first save of the game as he comfortably gloved the puck from a point shot by Terrance Amorosa. The Flyers fashioned a nice flowing attack in the 4^th minute and Michael Cichy passed the puck in from the boards to Evan MacKinnon who forced Mat Robson to make a fine pad save. A minute later and the Coventry keeper was again in action as he was well positioned to stop a shot from Charles-Antoine Paiement who hit him in the logo. The Blaze went ahead in the 6th minute with some misfortune for Voris who came out behind his net to play a dump in by Brady Pouteau and fumbled the puck which allowed Kim Tallberg to collect and hit the empty net. In the 7^th minute Patrick Kyte and Michael Regush collected offsetting roughing minors in a tussle in front of the Flyers goal as the teams skated 5 on 5. Amorosa had another big blast on the Fife net in the 9^th minute that Voris knocked into the corner with his pads. The Blaze almost doubled their advantage in the 11^th minute as Nick Seitz ripped a shot off the underside of the bar. The Flyers went on the first power play of the game in the 13^th minute when Amorosa was called for hooking. Robson blockered away a shot by Phélix Martineau and Cichy arriving at the back door saw his backhand effort denied as the Blaze keeper was well positioned as the home side completed the kill and returned to full strength. David Clements inadvertently set up a chance for MacKinnon in the 15^th minute with a wayward pass but the Fife forward blasted wide of net from the slot. Voris made a stellar stop in the 17^th minute with a full extension to make a toe save to deny Seitz what looked a certain goal.

In the 22nd minute the Flyers almost levelled when Robson juggled a puck put on net and with Lucas Chiodo lurking he finally managed to cover the puck up and get the stoppage. Jack Hopkins went short side on Voris who sealed his post and the Flyers went the other way with Chiodo taking advantage of a fortunate bounce of the puck off the referee to take it to the net but Robson stayed patient and outwaited him to make the save. In the 26^th minute Voris made a blocker save on Jackson Cressey but the Fife keeper was left helpless in the next Blaze attack as Seitz finished a tic tac toe move with the final pass coming from Hopkins to leave him a slam dunk into a wide open net. A minute later and Cichy was called for a hook and the Blaze on their first power play of the night wasted no time and within 15 seconds Brandon Alderson unleashed a bomb of a one timer from the circles that beat Voris on his glove side. The Blaze were penalised in the 29^th minute for delay of game as Chase Gresock shot the puck over the glass but they completed the kill without the Flyers getting a shot on Robson. As they returned to full strength Pouteau got a shot away from the point that Voris saved with his stick. In the 32^nd minute Paiement set up Austin Farley at the back post but he didn’t get everything on his shot and Robson got a cross to make the block. A minute later and the Blaze had another as Seitz carried the puck into the zone and wired it over the pad and under the glove of Voris. In the 34^th minute good set up play by Alessio Luciani allowed Alderson to step into another big one timer that was kicked away by Voris. The Flyers returned to the powerplay in the 35^th minute with Hopkins called for a trip on Martineau. Once again the Flyers failed to get anything set up and the Blaze returned to full strength unscathed. The period ended with the Flyers again with the man advantage as Luciani was assessed a holding penalty. This time they did make Robson work who had to shoulder away a Daniel Krenželok shot before right on the buzzer Chiodo set up Cichy for a one timer that Robson made a great pad save on.

The Blaze returned to full strength at the start of the third period and within 40 seconds they added another goal as they broke 3 on 2 and Alderson snapped the puck top corner over the glove of Voris. In the 43^rd minute Tallberg was assessed a tripping penalty as he upended Brodie Kay off the puck but the best chances on the Flyers powerplay fell to the Blaze who had shorthanded bids by Pouteau and Morten Jurgens. The Blaze completed the kill and in the 46^th minute Amorosa tried to beat Voris with a wraparound but the Fife keeper was alert to the danger. The Blaze went back on the powerplay when Massimo Carozza got the gate for interference on Luciani. The Fife penalty kill was strong and they returned to even strength with Voris only called upon to make a couple of routine saves. The Flyers were in penalty trouble almost immediately as Tyler Heidt was binned for cross checking Luciani. The Blaze once again struck quickly with their man advantage as Tallberg picked out Alderson at the back post and he slipped the puck into the net for his hat trick. 9 seconds after the restart the Blaze had another as Jurgens beat Voris on his short side with a quick snapshot. In the 52^nd minute Voris saved a Pouteau blast from the circles and a minute later Gresock missed a glorious chance when all alone in the slot and he fired wide then couldn’t beat Voris as the puck bounced back out into the slot. The Flyers broke the Robson shutout in the 55^th minute when Patrick Kyte rushed the puck up ice and after his initial shot was saved he picked the puck up behind the net to bank it in off the skates of the Blaze goalie from below the goal line. Robson made a save on Carozza in the 57^th minute when he sealed his short side but the Flyers found another goal in the final two minutes when Martineau stole the puck and worked his way into the slot to beat Robson with a shot to his stick side.

Pic Credits – Scott Wiggins

Fife Flyers are next at home on Sunday 30th March when they entertain the Sheffield Steelers – tickets can be bought online here:  Tickets – Fife Flyers or look out on social media channels for box office opening times.