WEEK 5 of the 2025/26 Elite Ice Hockey League season and the Flyers start the weekend with their first home Elite League match when they entertain the Guildford Flames. The following night they make their second and final trip in the Challenge Cup across the Irish Sea to take on the Belfast Giants.
SATURDAY OCTOBER 11th FIFE FLYERS v GUILDFORD FLAMES @ FIFE ICE ARENA – FACE OFF 7.00pm
Introducing the opposition – One to Watch!
The Flames head into Fife Ice Arena having rediscovered some of their mojo it appears with points in their last three games after they went 1 and 6 in their opening seven games of the season. Leading the way at this stage with 8 points on the season (5+3) is a man that needs little introduction to Flyers fans. Cole Ully is in his third season in the EIHL having played previously with the Cardiff Devils and last season the Glasgow Clan. Ully in games against the Flyers has scored a hattrick in each of the last two seasons, going 3+1 in six games for the Devils and 8+8 in the ten encounters with the Clan last term. The 6’0”, 175lb Canadian had 34 goals and 63 points in 63 starts across League and Cup action with the Glasgow club last term. The 30 year old made his EIHL debut the season prior with exactly a point a game average thanks to 61 from 24 goals and 37 assists at Cardiff Devils where he helped claim the 23-24 Continental Cup Bronze Medal. Prior to the 2021-22 campaign when the native of Calgary, Alberta made his European debut in Slovakia with Zvolen and Poprad, he spent six seasons in North America’s minor pro circuit. In 124 AHL games, mostly with Texas Stars, Ully had 20 goals and 46 points. He added 195 points thanks to 70 goals and 125 assists in 191 ECHL starts and was a league Second All-Star Team selection in 2020-2021 during his 2nd season with South Carolina Stingrays. The 2013 NHL draft pick of Dallas Stars spent 5 Major Junior seasons at Kamloops Blazers where he posted 95 goals and 237 points in 256 games and was a WHL First All-Star selection in 2014-2015. One familiar face to Ully in the Flyers line will be Josh Winquist with both hailing from St Albert in Alberta.
Last Elite League Visit from Flames
GALLERY
Pic Credits – Jillian McFarlane and Derek Young
Overall Home Elite League Record Against Flames
P 20 W 8 L 12 F 57 A 68
Number Crunching
The Flyers have lost their last three games at home against the Flames – this equals their worst run against the Surrey club in the EIHL era which has occurred twice before in 2019 and 2022.
Overall the Flames completed a clean sweep against the Flyers last season and those 6 wings on the bounce are one short of their best ever sequence of results against the Flyers in all EIHL competitions.
In achieving the sweep last term the Flames outscored the Flyers 33-9.
The Flames remain the only active EIHL team that has yet to have a hattrick scorer against the Flyers.
The Flames travel North with a 0 and 4 record on the road this seasons having been outscored 19-9 in those losses.
Despite the stat above the Flames have outshout their opponents on the road 145-118 over those four games.
Charlie Curti with points in his last 4 games has the hot hand and that equals the team high along with Ryan Gosselin
Keaton Jameson leads the Flyers on the season with his current 5 game point streak and 4 game goals streak which includes last weekend’s shootout winner.
The Fames have spent 43.6 percent of their game time this season level scoring and 20 percent with a lead – this compares to Flyers with 25.2 percent and 22.5 percent respectively.
The Flyers on home ice have are 1 for 9 on the powerplay which is 11.11 percent with the Flames penalty kill currently 76.47 killing 4 of 17 on the road.
SUNDAY OCTOBER 12th BELFAST GIANTS v FIFE FLYERS @ SSE ARENA – FACE OFF 5.00pm
Introducing the opposition & One to Watch!
If anyone thinks that they have already seen quite a bit of the Belfast Giants then you will be correct with this being the 4th weekend out of the opening five that the two sides have gone head to head. They meet again next weekend twice as they get their league meetings underway. The Giants weekend domestic action is bookended with Champions Hockey League action. On Wednesday night in Bern the Giants were soundly beaten 7-0 as they stayed rooted to the table with qualification to the round of 16 officially beyond them now. Next midweek they host Brynas who have secured their progression to the next stages in the final qualification game.
Heading into this weekend the Giants leading points scorer is the man who bagged six points on the Flyers last visit to the SSE Arena. Lauded for his speed, vision, and two-way play, Jordan Kawaguchi made an immediate impact in his debut season in Belfast last term. In 50 regular season Elite League games, Kawaguchi recorded 17 goals and 20 assists, along with a solid showing in the Challenge Cup-winning campaign, contributing eight goals and 11 assists in 14 games. On returning him to the roster for this term Head Coach Adam Keefe had this to say: “Guch came to us with great references on his character and hockey sense, and he didn’t disappoint. He was a key player for us in all situations on a championship team. We expect that he will only get better in his second year here in Belfast.” A native of Abbotsford, British Columbia, Kawaguchi rose through the BCHL and NCAA ranks, scoring 126 points in 136 games for the University of North Dakota – ranking him 46th in the school’s storied history. Post-college, he signed with the NHL’s Dallas Stars, spending time in the AHL and ECHL with the Texas Stars and Idaho Steelheads, where he amassed 83 points in 87 ECHL appearances. In July 2024, Kawaguchi brought his pro-level experience to Belfast.
Last Challenge Cup Visit to Giants
GALLERY
Credits – Belfast Giants
Overall Challenge Cup Away Record Against Giants
P 18 W 3 L 13 OTL/SOL 3 F 38 A 90
Number Crunching
The Flyers are winless in their last 4 visits to the SSE Arena.
Last time out the Flyers suffered their 7th shutout on Giants ice in 46 meetings across all EIHL competitions.
This will be the 98th meeting all time in the EIHL Era between the teams and the Flyers have an average of 2.2 goals per game compared to the Giants 4.4 goals per game.
The Giants so far this season on home ice have given up 3 goals on 10 penalty kills which is 70 percent whilst netting 6 on 12 powerplay attempts and that’s 50 percent.
Perhaps little surprise that the Flyers feature heavily in the Giants best/worst stats categories so far this season which include the following;
Most Giants shots in a period – 18 v Flyers 20/9
Fewest Opponent shots in a period – 1 v Flyers 14/9
Most Giants shots Game Total – 41 v Flyers 20/9
Fewest Opponent shots Game Total – 9 v Flyers 14/9
Most Giants goals scored in a period – 4 v Flyers 20/9
Fastest Giants Goal – 01:53 v Flyers 14/9
Most Opponent shots Game Total – 29 v Flyers 04/10
Most Giants points in a game – 6 Jordan Kawaguchi v Flyers 20/9
Most Giants goals in a game – 3 Patrick Grasso v Flyers 20/9
Most Giants Assists in a game – 4 Jordan Kawaguchi v Flyers 20/9
Click the image below for your downloadable gamesheet for Saturday’s game against Guildford Flames.
