The Flyers entertained the Coventry Blaze for the final time this season. The home side were still without the injured Phélix Martineau, Patrick Kyte and Aiden Wilson with Evan MacKinnon joining them on the sidelines after leaving the game in the first period the night before in Guildford. James Spence and Cameron Kenny were also scratched.  The visitors were without Zach Vinnell and Jakob Stridsberg and had a couple of familiar faces on their bench with the return of Brady Pouteau and Andy Little who was called in as an emergency back up goalie for the night.

The visitors took advantage of a breakdown in the Flyers zone in the opening minute as Jānis Voris was beaten by Alessio Luciani who went top shelf over the keepers shoulder from a tight angle. The Flyers first effort on goal came in the 4^th minute with Lucas Chiodo at the side of the net but Mat Robson held his post to make the save. A minute later and Massimo Carozza let a shot go that Robson couldn’t handle but Austin Farley knocked the rebound past the post. The Flyers went closer still in the 6^th minute when Kieran Craig deflected the puck mid air and it dipped on goal to hit the base of the post before being cleared. The Flyers had another chance in the 11^th minute when Chiodo tipped the puck at the side of the net but the Blaze keeper got over to make the block. Voris made a double save in the 15^th minute as the Blaze threatened with both teams going up and down the ice trading chances. Moments later the Flyers were back on level terms when Voris made a save and Jordan Stallard picked up the puck to set Chiodo away down the left side. He drove to the net and went forehand backhand to beat Robson with a low shot. The home side took the lead in the 18^th minute with another well worked goal involving Chiodo and Charles-Antoine Paiement with the puck being dropped to Daniel Krenželok who stepped in off the blue lined and his rip found the bottom corner stick side on Robson. The period came to a close with Voris denying Mike Kennedy who was up supporting the Blaze rush.

30 seconds into the middle period the Flyers were assessed the first penalty of the game when Carozza was given the gate for slashing. The Fife penalty killers did a good job of keeping the Blaze to the perimeter and with just seconds remaining Voris had to make his first save when he got a pad to a Michael Regush shot as the Fifers returned to full strength. Voris made a good stop on Zach Heintz who came down the left side with speed in the 24^th minute. The Blaze were enjoying more zone time in the Flyers end of the ice and almost levelled the game in the 26^th minute when Alexander Kuqali floated the puck on net through traffic which Voris didn’t pick up and the sound of the pipe pinging would have been music to his ears. The game was tied however moments later when Nick Seitz picked out  Luciani with a pin point pass as he drove the back door and he tapped the puck past a sprawling Voris. The Blaze had their tails up and in the space of a couple of minutes Voris made two good blocker saves to deny Jackson Cressey. The visitors got the go ahead goal in the 30^th minute when former Flyers defenceman Brady Pouteau found a gap to beat Voris with a low shot from the high slot. In the 33^rd minute Paiement tried his luck short side but Robson had his post well sealed to make the save.  The Coventry keeper then kept a Ben Brown shot out a minute later with a shoulder save. The Flyers were unlucky not to find the puck in a scramble around Robson as Chiodo and Carozza dug away at the loose puck. The Blaze then transitioned down ice and Brandon Alderson was denied by the metal work. In the 38^th minute Cressey was afforded room to come in off the half wall and shot from the circles which forced a good stop by Voris. Voris made another solid save when he flashed the glove to snag a Regush one timer from the slot following a drop pass. The Flyers went back on the power play with a few seconds left of the period when David Clements was called for holding the stick.

Starting the third period with the man advantage the Flyers were unable to get anything set up until the last few seconds when Robson made a save on a Paiement shot as the visitors returned to full strength. In the 43rd minute Carozza carried the puck into the Blaze zone and found Chiodo who was in close on Robson with the keeper able to block the puck away. The Flyers were back on the power play in the 44^th minute when good speed by Paiement forced Cressey to trip him. The Blaze killers did the job however without the Flyers getting a shot on Robson as they returned to full strength. Voris fought of a big blast by Alderson in the 48^th minute. A minute later and Jonas Emmerdahl fired a shot in that Robson let out a big rebound on but Brown knocked the rebound wide of target. In the 51^st minute the visitors survived a scramble around their net as Chiodo tried to bank the puck home from an angle before Stallard had a shot blocked and with a mass of humanity in the Blaze crease the puck was scrambled clear. In the 56^th minute Voris made a big pad save on Morten Jurgens and two minutes later Regush tried to go top corner on Voris but his shot from below the circles flashed over the net. Into the final two minutes and Jurgens was called for a trip on Krenželok. The Flyers called their time out clearly to draw up a plan for pulling Voris. They did so with 90 seconds left to skate 6 on 4. Kim Tallberg had a chance at the empty net but missed but the Flyers just couldn’t get the play set up in the Blaze zone as the visitors held on for the win.

Pic Credits – Jillian McFarlane and Derek Young

Fife Flyers are next at home on Saturday 15th March when they entertain the Belfast Giants – tickets can be bought online here:  Tickets – Fife Flyers or look out on social media channels for box office opening times.