The Flyers and Devils met for the third successive weekend with both teams having had a day off in between their last games. The Flyers had an unchanged roster from, Friday night’s win in Manchester will the injured Jeremy Masella, Justin Ducharme, Vlastimil Dostalek and Mason Alderson all still on the sidelines. The Devils started Christian Stoever  with Steven MacLean, Connor Caponi and the injured Nolan Yaremko all scratched.

Inside the opening 30 seconds Anton Karlsson stole the puck in behind the Devils net and his pass out front found Josh Winquist in the slot who was denied by the quick glove of Stoever. The Flyers did however get their noses in front on their next shift as they pinned the Devils in their own end and Keaton Jameson and Ethan Somoza worked the puck over to Winquist at the far post who beat the sprawling Devils netminder. The visitors responded moments later with a Josh MacDonald shot from the slot that Shane Owen was able to hang on to. Owen was in action again in the 3rd minute when he made a pad save on an Evan Mosey shot from the slot and the Fife keeper turned aside another effort from MacDonald in the 5^th minute. The Devils went on the first powerplay of the game in the 8^th minute when Giordano Finoro was called for a hook in the neutral zone. Owen was quickly called on as he fought off a shot from Cole Sanford with his glove and then made a stellar double to save to deny Kohen Olischefski on both occasions from just outside his crease. The Flyers completed the kill but the Devils kept up the pressure and in the 11^th minute it was MacDonald again who was denied by Owen as he flashed the leather. The Flyers had a great chance in the 12^th minute to double their lead as Somoza streaked in all alone from the blueline and tried to find the 5 hole on Stoever who shut him down. Some neat stickhandling in the 13^th minute by Jameson created some space as he gained the Devils zone and he wired a shot off Stoever’s the face mask. It was MacDonald again in the 14^th minute as Owen gloved the puck and then scrambled it clear. The Devils were getting pucks on net at every opportunity and in the 15^th minute both Joey Martin and Gleason Fournier brought out solid saves from Owen. Minutes later and the Fife keeper was busy again as Ryan Barrow and Brett Perlini were both thwarted. In the closing seconds a snap shot by Garet Hunt following a face off win was blockered away by Stoever.

Into the second period Andrew McLean had a shot from the top of the circles that Stoever was able to hang on to. A minute later and the Flyers survived a scramble around Owen’s crease. Perlini tipped the puck on net from the slot in the 25^th minute but once again Owen showed great reflexes and at the other end Stoever turned away a shot from Ben Brown in the 27^th minute. The Devils drew level at 28:24 as they cycled the puck around the Flyers zone and when it was worked to Olischefski he sniped the puck just inside the post on Owen’s glove side. Stoever made a shoulder save on a Winquist shot in the 30^th minute and moments latter Ethan Hadden tried a shot pass off the pads of the Devils keeper but the puck didn’t fall for a Flyer. The Flyers had the lead back at 32:38 as Brown made a strong play at the blueline to keep the puck in the Devils zone and when it found Hunt he steadied himself for a measured pass to Winquist to one time from the bottom of the circles past Stoever. The Devils then survived an almighty scramble as the puck bounced up into the air and landed in the crease with a mass of bodies then lying on top of it to halt play. The call on the ice was no goal and the video review confirmed this. Owen made a big stop on Sanford in the 36^th minute and followed that up a minute later with a pad save on MacDonald before he gloved an Olischefski effort. Sanford was stoned by Owen in the 38^th minute and the period ended with Stoever hanging on to a one timer from Winquist.

The visitors were level inside the opening minute of the third period as a shot from the point hit a body in front of Owen’s crease and dropped down before Cedric Lacroix was able to get a touch to knock it over the line. In the 42^nd minute a rip from Perlini was sticked away by Owen. The Fife keeper continued his fine form in the 48^th minute as he flashed a glove to snag a shot from Brandon Estes that was labelled for the top corner. The Flyers went on their first powerplay of the game in the 51^st minute as Perlini was binned for tripping Johan Porsberger. The Devils came up with a strong kill however with the Flyers unable to get a direct shout on Stoever.  Soon after returning to full strength the Devils were a man short again as Jimmy Oligny was penalised for cross checking. The first half of the man advantage produced nothing but the Flyers created a number of good looks in the second minute with a Jameson shot whistling just wide before McLean almost stuffed the puck in at the far post and then Jameson had his effort deflect off a stick and graze the crossbar as the Devils complete the kill. Shortly afterwards Hunt was penalised for a cross check. Martin had an early chance on the Devils man advantage that Owen snagged but the Flyers then completed the kill without further danger. In the 57^th minute a Finoro shot from the half boards hit the side netting and Stoever had no idea where it was and almost knocked it into his net. With just over 2 minutes on the clock the Flyers were penalised again with Winquist being called for a hook in the Devils zone. The visitors called a time out and they were very deliberate with their setup during their powerplay but the Flyers kept them to the outside and Owen didn’t have a direct shot to deal with as they Flyers returned to full strength with just a few seconds left on the clock.

Into overtime and Sanford nearly snuck through but was pushed wide of the goal as the Flyers went the other way and some interplay ended with Ian Scheid taking a shot that rebounded from Stoever and Jameson was Johnny on the spot to fire the puck into the open net for the winner.

Pic Credits – Jillian McFarlane and Derek Young

Fife Flyers are next at home on  Sunday 7th December when they entertain the Nottingham Panthers – tickets can be bought online here:  Tickets – Fife Flyers or look out on social media channels for box office opening times.