The Flyers welcomed local rivals Dundee Stars for their final home game of the season. Both teams were simply playing for bragging rights and the visitors started Emil Kruse in net and were without Kameron Kielly. The home side were along similar lines to previous weeks missing the injured trio of Johan Porsberger, Mason Alderson and Rowan Mills with Milan Lucic also a scratch. Shane Owen made the start in net for the Flyers.
20 seconds in and Josh Winquist went down the left wing and tried to beat Kruse on the short side with the goalie making the save but dislodging the nets for the first time in the period. The Flyers had made a bright start to the game and opened the scoring at 02:18 when Ethan Hadden released Ben Brown down the right wing and he showed great composure to snipe the puck stick side on Krusd to find the far corner of the net. In the 3rd minute Winquist against tested the Stars keeper who was able to fight off the puck with a blocker save. Logan Neilson was in close in the 5th minute and he redirected the puck just wide of target. The Flyers dominated the opening 7 minutes of the match as they hemmed the visitors deep in their own zone and it resulted in the Stars calling an early time out to help relieve the onslaught. After the restart the Flyers continued to carry the momentum and Kruse saw plenty of rubber before Owen made his first meaningful save in the 10th minute as he blockered away a shot from the high slot by Jackson Desouza. The Stars had a better chance in the 12th minute as Jonathan McBean had the puck on his stick in the slot but Owen was able to make a shoulder save. The Stars were level however at 13:52 following an almighty scramble during which Owen made a couple of reflex saves but the puck fell to Spencer Naas who flicked it over the prone Fife goalie. The Flyers were back in front at 15:08 with another fine snipe as Neilson blew a snapshot past Kruse from the right circle. Andrew McLean made a big shot block in the 16th minute to thwart Naas and moments later Winquist from an angle saw his shot blocked away by Kruse who again knocked the net off its moorings and this time was called for a delay of game penalty to send the Flyers on the first powerplay of the night. The Stars produced a hard working kill and gave the Flyers no chance to set up any quality opportunities as they returned unscathed to full strength. In the final minute Owen came up with a big pad save to deny Benjamin Almquist.
The second period took a while for either side to get any dangerous looks on net but the Stars gradually carried the moment in terms of scoring chances. In the 25th minute Winquist had a toe drag in the slot to open up a shooting chance that Kruse had to be sharp to save and a minute later Brown was called for a slashing penalty as a Stars stick was broken on the play. Naas fired a shot off the outside frame of the goal but despite the Stars having good zone time the Flyers were able to kill off the man advantage. The visitors did get back on terms as Morten Jurgens from a similar position to both Neilson and Brown fired the puck past Owen on his stick side at 28:33. Drydn Dow found space in the slot in the 31st minute and Owen had to be sharp to make the save with his pad. In the 33rd minute Jonas Emmerdahl set up a chance for Hadden but the youngster poked the puck just past the outside of the post. Owen made a big right pad save on a Jurgens snapshot a minute later. Neilson scrambled the puck away in front of the Flyers net in the 35th minute before Owen at the top of his crease showed a quick glove to snag a shot from Almquist in a central position. In the 38th minute a one timer from an angle by Keaton Jameson was knocked away by the stick of Kruse.
A couple of minutes into the third period the Stars were back on the powerplay as Ethan Somoza got the gate for slashing. Kruse had to deal with a bouncing puck on shorthanded bid by Jameson and Winquist and the Flyers went on to complete another kill without giving up a shot on their net. The Flyers then went on the powerplay in the 46th minute as McLean was tripped as he tried to start an attack up ice from behind his own net. The Stars completed a comfortable kill before Johnny Curran tried to out wait Owen and sneak the puck in at the post but Flyers goalie came up with a superb stick save to knock the puck away from danger. Kruse held a one timer from Winquist in the 49th minute and a minute later the Stars netminder held a shot from Jeremy Masella. In the 53rd minute a long range slapper from Justin Ducharme set up a rebound chance for McLean and his net bound shot disappeared up the pants of DeSouza who sprawled out in front him to make the block. Zachary Taylor forced Owen to make a save in the 55th minute and with about 90 seconds remaining Masella was caught out by a bobbling puck and as Almquist went to the net the Flyers man was called for a hold to give the visitors a later powerplay. Taylor was denied by a stick save by Owen as regulation time ended still all square.
Overtime commenced with a Stars 4 on 3 powerplay for 30 seconds which the Flyers were able to kill and the teams continued without a whistle at 4 on 4 with much of the game being played in the Flyers zone as the Stars controlled the puck. The Stars were called for too many men however with 02:20 to play to put the Flyers on the powerplay. The home side called their time out. Kruse produced a blocker save to deny Neilson and then followed that up with a stop on Winquist. The Flyers were camped in the Strs zone and Ian Scheid had three attempts in quick succession that all missed the target with the final one however being recycled and Winquist at 64:39 feathered a pass to Neilson who hammered the puck top corner past Kruse to win the game for the Flyers with just 1 second of the man advantage remaining.
Pic Credits – Jillian McFarlane and Derek Young
Everyone at the Flyers would like to thank you all for the fantastic support throughout the season – see you all next season Flyers fans.
