The Flames made their final visit of the regular season to Kirkcaldy looking to maintain their 100 percent record this term against the Flyers. The home side were minus the injured Josh Winquist and scratched Anton Karlsson. Shane Owen got the start in net and Christian Purboo was back up as the numbers allowed following the departure of Giordano Finoro who returned to Canada to have surgery on a long term injury. The Flyers reshuffled their lines with Ian Scheid being pressed into action as the third line centre. The Flames scratched Nick Seitz, Jake Gravelle and Jake Coughler and started Taz Burman over Justin Fazio in net.
The game had a good pace to start with both teams trading rushes up the ice but neither side able to get any rubber on the goalies. In the 4th minute a back door play by the Flyers saw Justin Ducharme get a stick on the puck but he couldn’t direct it on target. In the 5th minute Ethan Strang from the slot forced a pad save by Owen and a minute later the Fife keeper snagged the puck with his glove as Jonathan Racine went down the left wing as play continued to swing from end to end. Logan Neilson forced a blocker save from Burman in the 10th minute as he saw the puck late through a crowd. Ducharme took the puck to the net in the 12th minute but couldn’t get his backhand effort to go and a minute later Simon Despres saw his shot from the blueline sticked away by the visiting keeper before the Flames transitioned quickly and Cole Ully brought a fine glove save from Owen. In the 14th minute the Flames had a dominant shift in the Flyers end of the ice and Owen came up with a huge save on a Travis Brown shot from the slot. The Flyers keeper moments later made a pad save as Racine put the puck on net through traffic. Racine again tested Owen in the 16th minute as he found space in the slot and the keeper was able to glove the puck. In the 18th minute Jamal Watson was able to weave his way towards the Flyers net and from the low slot Owen had to make a big blocker save on the shot. In the last 90 seconds of the period a scramble around the Flames net almost produced the opener but with the puck lying in the crease Ethan Somoza was unable to get a touch as he dived towards goal and the Flames were eventually able to clear the danger.
The first quality chance of the second period fell to the Flyers in the 23rd minute as Neilson fed the puck to Somoza and from the left circle he brought a big pad save from Burman. The Flyers kept the pressure on the visitors goal and at 23:45 they opened the scoring when a Johan Porsberger shot that sailed over the bar was retrieved by Jeremy Masella who put the puck into the crease and Keaton Jameson was able to stab it past Buman. The lead lasted barely 60 seconds as the Flames were back on terms at 24:44 with a flowing move where they played tic tac toe with the puck and Ully swept it home from the slot. Moments later Matt Alvaro was denied by a blocker save by Owen. In the 27th minute Ducharme broke in on the Flames goal and with Burman sprawling he was just unable to get enough on the puck to lift it into the net. Charlie Curti fired the puck off the mask of Owen in the 29th minute and after a good cycle by the Flames soon after Owen once again came to the home sides rescue. The Flames pressure eventually told as they took the lead at 30:38 as Ully was able to find the puck in the high slot and his low shot flashed into the net. His double became a quick fire hattrick at 31:17 as the Flames swarmed around the Flyers net and won the puck to set up Ully in the slot to slide the puck home. Ethan Strang from the circles in the 35th minute was denied as Owen fought off his shot. In the 36th minute Andrew McLean from the blueline forced a pad save from Burman and with Jameson lurking at the edge of the Flames crease the visitors were happy to scramble the puck away for an icing. In the 38th minute a turnover in the neutral zone set up a chance for Josh Nixon but his shot from the right circle was well held by Owen. The Flyers goalie then turned away a shot from Sam Talbot and he followed that up with another solid save in the final minute as he denied a Strang effort.
The third period saw very little happen in the opening four minutes at which point the first penalty of the match was called as the Flames went on the powerplay with McLean going to the box on a tripping call. The visitors didn’t get anything set up and the Flyers comfortably returned to full strength. It appeared as though the Flames were content to play out the final period and protect their lead but at 51:30 the Flyers got some life as Ducharme dug the puck out of the corner and went to the net to snipe a shot on the angle over the glove of Burman. The rink came alive and just over a minute later the Flyers tied the game as Masella fired the puck towards the net and Neilson got a touch before Jameson then swept it through Burman with the counter timed at 52:39. The Flames called their time out before Ully went looking for another goal in the 54th minute as he went in on goal but with Masella pressuring him he failed to get a clean shot away but the Flyers defenceman was called for a cross check as the Flames man slid into the net. Somoza had a shorthanded chance that Burman shut down his short side on with a blocker save as the Flyers completed the kill. The game winner came at 55:48 when Despres fired wide of the Flames net and the puck was retrieved by Scheid who played a pass across the slot to Mason Alderson who fired into the gaping net. The Flyers went on their first powerplay in the 57th minute as Nixon was penalised for holding. The Flyers couldn’t get any quality chances set up as the Flames returned to full strength and with 90 seconds remaining they pulled Burman for the extra skater. The Flames pressed but the Flyers defended resolutely with Owen coming up with huge save with 13 ticks left when he denied Ully from close range.
Pic Credits – Jillian McFarlane and Derek Young
Fife Flyers are next at home on Sunday 22nd 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.
