The Flyers were in search of their first home win of the new campaign as they entertained the Dundee Stars whom they overcame 10 days ago on Tayside. The visitors were at full strength with their scratches being two way players who could not find space on their gametime roster. The Flyers were without the injured pair of Justin Ducharme and Didrik Svendsen but were able to welcome back from injury Vlastimil Dostalek for his competitive debut along with a first start for Jaka Šturm who arrived in the country just 48 hours earlier.

Shane Owen had the first action on his net as he made a couple of comfortable early saves from shots from distance. In the 3^rd minute however the Stars went close as Matt Berry skated the puck up high along the blueline and his shot was fought off by the Flyers keeper who was screened by Hampus Olsson. The home side got the opening goal at 4:43 after some nice interplay high in the Stars zone and Jeremy Masella laid the puck into the path of Vlastimil Dostalek who found the bottom corner of the net with his one timer from the high slot. The Flyers doubled their advantage at 6:48 with another well-constructed goal. Ian Scheid kept the play alive at the blueline and he played a give and go with Josh Winquist and from the slot the blueliner was able to lift the puck over a sprawling Jarrett Fiske. The Stars almost answered immediately with Owen going post to post to keep out an effort by Olsson. Fiske juggled a shot from the blueline by Brodie Kay in the 11^th minute and few minutes later Owen was happy to cover up as Benjamin Almquist drove the net. The Flyers almost extended their lead in the 15^th minute on an odd man break out which saw Ethan Somoza carry the puck down the right wing before it was cut back into the high slot for Winquist to snap a wrist shot off the post. Fiske made an acrobatic save in the 16^th minute as he gloved a back hand shot from a bad angle by Andrew McLean. The Flyers ended the period on the power play as Jackson Desouza was called for interference along the boards with Garet Hunt. The Stars held out to kill the first half of the man advantage before the buzzer.

The Stars completed the penalty kill without the Flyers getting anything set up. The visitors began to dominate possession in the Flyers zone and they cycled the puck well without creating too many dangerous chances on Owen’s net. In the 26^th minute Owen was aggressive as he was out at the top of the blue paint to stop a one-time shot from Drydn Dow. The Flyers first threat on the Stars goal in the period came in the 27^th minute when Scheid on the rush saw his shot gloved by Fiske. The Stars passed up a glorious chance in the 29^th minute when they broke 3 on 1 but with passing options available Dow elected to take the shot and Owen swallowed the puck. In the 32^nd minute Dostalek broke 2 on 1 with Sturm but Desouza made a brilliant poke check to knock the puck away. The Stars continued to pressure down low and Kameron Kielly slid the puck past the post from the side of the net. The Flyers returned to the power play in the 34^th minute as Somoza broke up ice and Olsson draped himself all over the Flyer for an interference call. Fiske appeared to injure himself making a short side save early on in the man advantage and just as it looked as though the Stars would survive the Flyers struck for their first power play goal of the season. Scheid had the initial shot that Fiske couldn’t hold and from the side of the net Johan Posrberger first timed the puck into the net. In the 37^th minute Berry and Alderson tangled along the boards with both players dropping the gloves and the Flyers player getting the take down. The outcome was a Stars power play as Alderson was given an additional 2 minutes for roughing along with the offsetting fighting majors. Owen did well to deny an Otto Nieminen effort and the Flyers almost had a shorthanded counter when Somoza saw his shot rebound off Fiske’s pads and with the goal gaping Winquist had his stick tied up. In the final minute the Flyers went back on the power play as Desouza got the gate for cross checking Winquist but the Stars again survived the first half of their kill.

The Flyers with the man advantage to start the 3^rd period were penalised just as the Stars were about to return to full strength when Winquist was called for a high stick. The Stars power play only managed to generate one shot as Owen held on to a Morten Jurgens shot from the blueline. In the 45^th minute Porsberger charged down the puck but lifted his shot over the bar before Fiske had to look sharp to make a reaction save on a close in redirect by Winquist. A minute later and the Stars goalie held a shot by Jonas Emmerdahl from the blueline. The Stars got a lifeline at 47:27 when a shot from the point by Dow hit Berry in the slot and the puck landed at the stick of Spencer Naas who buried his shot past a sprawling Owen. Owen made a huge save in the 50^th minute to deny Craig Moore and moments later Hunt was penalised for hooking to send the Stars back on the power play. The Flyers kill was strong and they denied the Stars any clear shots at goal to return to full strength. In the 57^th minute Sturm had a shot ripple the side netting and with just over two minutes on the clock the Stars netminder went to the bench for the extra skater. The Flyers won the puck in their own zone and Porsberger took it to the centre line before firing it into the empty net at 57:59. The icing on the cake was applied at 58:33 when Somoza took advantage of Griffin Luce blowing a tyre in the Stars zone and when he feathered the puck out to Keaton Jameson he wired it top shelf on Fiske.

Pic Credits – Jillian McFarlane and Derek Young

Fife Flyers are next at home on Saturday 4th October 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.