The Flyers and Storm are scheduled to meet over the next two weekends with both teams having also played on Friday night. The Storm started Drew DeRidder in net and scratched Kyle Locke and Evan Weninger. The Flyers were still without the injured Johan Porsberger and Mason Alderson with Josh Winquist give a fitness test in warm up after leaving the game in Nottingham. Shane Owen got the start in net and Cole Giannandrea made his home debut.
Ian Scheid had the first shot of the match in the 2nd minute as he got the puck on net from the point and DeRidder came up with a stick save. A minute later Owen flicked out a right pad to make a save from Gary Haden. In the 5th minute Brandon Cutler hit the outside frame of the goal from a sharp angle. The visitors took the lead at 09:01 when a shot from the blueline by Chase Harrison was blockered out by Owen but the puck struck Jonas Emmerdahl making his 300th appearance and bounced into the net. The Flyers were almost level in the 11th minute when a speculative wrister from Scheid from just inside the centre line was misjudged by DeRidder who waved a glove at it and the puck glanced off the crossbar. Owen shut down the short side on a Cutler shot in the 13th minute and moments later the Fife goalie was sharp as he flashed a glove to snag a close in tip by Kaleb Ergang. Loren Ulett in the 14th minute struck the outside of the post from a sharp angle and in the 16th minute a big slapper from Josh Winquist from top of the circles was held by DeRidder.
Harrison tested Owen in the 22nd minute from the high slot but the keeper held on to the puck. The Flyers were back on terms at 23:34 when Jeremy Masella took the puck through the neutral zone and weaved his way to goal where he was able to slide the puck low past the Storm goalie. A minute later a Winquist wrist shot struck the mask of DeRidder. The Storm went back in front again at 25:45 as the Flyers turned the puck over in the Storm zone and the visitors transitioned quickly with JD Dudek deking Owen to slide the puck into the net. Harrison had a shot on the rush swallowed by Owen in the 26th minute. In the 29th minute Owen went post to post to make a sprawling stop on Ergang. Justin Ducharme and Nick Welsh clashed in the 32nd minute with the Storm player getting a minor for a hold and the Flyers man a roughing call with both penalties offsetting. Harrison again tested Owen in the 34th minute as the Fife keeper held his shot through traffic. The Storm doubled their advantage at 38:12 when Joseph Nardi sniped the puck just inside the post on the stick side of Owen. The Flyers pulled a goal back at 39:28 as they forced a turnover in the corner of the Storm zone and Keaton Jameson was able to get the puck over to the slot where Winquist stuffed it past DeRidder.
10 seconds in to the third period Ducharme went down the right wing and his low shot forced a kick save from the Storm goalie. In the 41st minute Dennis Busby from the slot shot straight into the logo of Owen who held onto the puck. Ethan Somoza worked the puck into the slot in the 42nd minute but Ethan Hadden was crowded out and the puck scrambled away. The visitors stretched their lead again at 42:28 when Nardi from the slot snapped the puck low into the bottom corner on the glove side to beat Owen. In the 50th minute Logan Neilson let a wrister go from the circle that DeRidder gloved. Tyler Hinam intercepted a loose pass in the neutral zone in the 52nd minute and gained the Flyers zone before releasing his shot that was blockered out of play by Owen. DeRidder got his shoulder to a shot from Neilson in the 53rd minute that was labelled for the top corner. Ergang broke in on Owen a minute later and went to the net where he collided with the Fife goalie which drew a scrum afterwards but no penalties were dished out. Moments later Winquist feathered a pass to Neilson going down the right wing and his shot was shrugged off by DeRidder. With 2:34 remaining the Flyers pulled Owen for the extra skater after Storm were called for icing. In the 59th minute DeRidder came up big to stop Winquist and with 50 seconds to go the Flyers called their time out. Despite good possession with the extra skater the Storm took away shooting lanes and the Flyers were unable to get any quality scoring chances.
Pic Credits – Jillian McFarlane and Derek Young
Flyers are next at home on Sunday 22nd March when they entertain the Manchester Storm – tickets can be bought online here: Tickets – Fife Flyers or look out on social media channels for box office opening times.
