The Flyers entertained the Nottingham Panthers for the third and final regular season meeting between the teams at Kirkcaldy. The home side were along similar lines as the previous night although Christian Purboo made the start in net as the injured Justin Ducharme, Jeremy Masella and Keaton Jameson along with Jaka Sturm were scratched. For the Panthers this was their third game in three nights in Scotland and they were without Zsombor Garat and Jordan Kelsall with Kevin Carr getting the start in net.

The Flyers had some jump from the face off and within 15 seconds Simon Despres tested Carr who responded with a pad save. Moments later Johan Porsberger took the puck to the net but Carr stood his ground. In the 2^nd minute a rising shot from Mitch Fossier was held by Purboo. The Flyers goalie was in action again in the 5^th minute when he made a blocker save on a shot from Matt Spencer that came through traffic. The Panthers transitioned quickly and Garet Hunt took a hooking penalty as he impeded Bryan Lemos to put the visitors on the first powerplay of the game. They made the home side pay as they opened the scoring at 6:27 after Purboo had made a fine stop on a big blast from David Noel he couldn’t quite locate the loose puck and Matt Alfaro sniffing around the net knocked the puck home. In the 8^th minute Purboo made another pad save and the Flyers went the other way with Carr able to shut down Logan Neilson. Didrik Henbrant got in behind the Flyers defence in the 10^th minute but Purboo came up big. The Flyers threatened in the 12^th minute as Carr was just able to hold a shot through bodies from Despres and in the following scrum around the net Jarod Hilderman picked up a roughing minor for his actions on Garet Hunt to put the Flyers on the powerplay.  Carr was busy on the kill as he held a one timer from Josh Winquist then made a pad save on Porsberger as the Panthers returned to full strength. In the 15^th minute Purboo held on to a rising shot from Ross Armour and a minute later Mason Alderson and Neilson combined with the latter managing to pull Carr out of position but was unable to hit the empty net as he lost his balance. Carr gloved a snapshot in the 17^th minute from Giordano Finoro and the Panthers in their next attack almost doubled their lead but Chase Pearson wired the puck off the post. Carr made a save with the shaft of his stick from an Ian Scheid shot from the slot in the 18^th minute and in the final minute Porsberger made a couple of huge shot blocks.

Inside the opening minute of the second period the post rescued the Flyers again as Matthew Marcinew struck metal before Purboo then recovered to make a blocker save on the follow up. In the 23^rd minute some interplay between Finoro and Anton Karlsson saw Carr make another save and on the play Armour was called for slashing. The Flyers best chance on the powerplay came when  Winquist set up Hunt at the circles for a one timer and Carr made a fantastic glove save at full stretch across his goal. With the Panthers back at full strength the next scrum around the Panthers net saw Hunt and Alvaro receive offsetting rouging minors. The Panthers went close in the 27^th minute when a Tim Doherty tip in the slot just went wide and a minute later a similar effort from Armour was well saved by Purboo. The Panthers went back on the powerplay in the 28^th minute as Porsberger got the gate for hooking. Purboo made a blocker save on a Cooper Zech shot but the Flyers killed the penalty without the Panthers creating any more danger. In the 31^st minute Purboo held a huge blast from the blueline by Hilderman and moments later the Flyers keeper who was seeing way more rubber this period stopped Zech. Another scrum around Carr’s net resulted in Winquist and Brendan Harris sitting out matching roughing minors. The Panthers got the decisive next goal as they worked the puck out to Doherty in the right circle who one timed a shot past Purboo at 36:51. The Flyers finished the period on the powerplay with Bryan Lemos going to the box fort a hook on Vlastimil Dostalek but the Panthers completed the kill without the Flyers getting a shot on target.

In the 42^nd minute Armour and Henbrant combined but Purboo came up with a big save. The Panthers however stretched their lead at 43:46 as Pearson picked the puck up from the halfboards and took it to the net before roofing it over the blocker of Purboo. Marcinew was next to test the Fife goalie who blockered his shot aside. The Flyers went back to the man advantage in the 47^th minute as Ollie Betteridge was binned for hooking Scheid. 4 seconds in and Spencer was called for delay of game as he shot the puck out of play over the Flyers bench to give the home side a two man advantage. They made this count as Scheid gained the zone slipped the puck to Karlsson who made a slap pass to Ethan Somoza at the side of the goal who redirected the puck home. The Flyers continued for a short 5 on 4 powerplay but the Panthers completed the kill. In the 50^th minute Despres drove the net but Carr was able to knock the puck away before the Flyers recycled it and Winquist with a one timer from the high slot was denied by a glove save by Carr who was way out of his crease. In the 51^st minute a challenge along the boards involving Fossier and Hunt resulted in the Panthers man hitting the ice and requiring medical attention before being stretchered off. The play was reviewed and Hunt received a minor penalty for boarding. Alfaro in the slot had a shot held by Purboo before the play was halted and the teams left the ice to allow for medical cover to be found as the paramedics had left with Fossier on his way to hospital. The game resumed with the Panthers looking to protect their lead and in the 56th minute Hunt held up his man in the neutral zone and was given the gate for interference. Purboo made a couple of stops on the kill but the Panthers were mainly kept to the outside as the Flyers returned to full strength. With just under two minutes to play the Flyers called a time out and as soon as they had puck possession Purboo went to the bench for the extra skater. The Panthers had a couple of shots at the empty net and Carr made a big pad save on a Despres shot before they finally iced the game at 59:33 when Doherty was able to hit the unguarded cage.

Pic Credits – Jillian McFarlane and Derek Young

Fife Flyers are next at home on  Saturday 13th December when they entertain the Coventry Blaze – tickets can be bought online here:  Tickets – Fife Flyers or look out on social media channels for box office opening times.