WEEK 21 of the 2025/26 Elite Ice Hockey League season and the Flyers are on home ice on Saturday night for the visit of the Guildford Flames before they head to Yorkshire on Sunday for a late afternoon face off against the Sheffield Steelers.
SATURDAY JANUARY 31st FIFE FLYERS v GUILDFORD FLAMES @ FIFE ICE ARENA – FACE OFF 7.00pm
Introducing the opposition & One to Watch!
The Flames by their own standards in recent seasons may feel that they have under performed somewhat so far but an adversity that the Flyers are all too familiar with has been a run of injuries that curtailed them up to a month or so ago. They then strung together points in 6 of 7 games although in their last four games they arrested a three game losing streak by knocking of the Nottingham Panthers at the Spectrum last Sunday. Flames are a team that the Flyers conceivably have in their sights on their quest to climb into a top 8 position although the Surrey side sit 15 points ahead in the standings and you would have to feel a win in Kirkcaldy would probably put them out of reach barring a complete collapse. Hoping to shore up the points tonight the Flames will make choice on their starting netminder from a pair of 28 year old goalies. Justin Fazio joined the Flames initially as injury cover for Jake Kupsky and has gone on to arguably be the #1. The 6’1″, 190lb netminder iced the last 6 seasons in Italy, 3 with Bolzano and 3 with Asiago, where he played 118 games while posting a 3.19 goals against average and a 90.0 save percentage. The Canadian born, Italian passport holder, was also an Italian national side netminder having iced in World championships and Olympic Game Qualifiers from 2021 through 2023. After 4 OHL junior seasons with Sarnia Sting, his hometown side, where he held the league’s best save percentage in 2017-2018, Fazio spent a year at USports Queen’s University across 2018-2019. He was a Conference All-Rookie team selection, a 2nd All-Star team pick and held the best save percentage in the nation at 93.6 ahead of his Italian journey. Taz Burman is in his 2nd tour with Flames, re-joining for 25-26 having previously iced at the club in back to back terms from 2022-2024. The 6’1″, 170lb netminder iced last season with Cardiff Devils, appearing in 5 games while delivering a 2.37 goals against average and a 92.2 save percentage. Across his 2 seasons at Spectrum, the former University of Alberta Golden Bear iced a little under 3700 minutes while recording a 90 save percentage and a 2.90 goals against average with his best season his first with the club when he posted 22 wins against just 5 defeats with a 2.67 goals against average and better than 90 save percentage over 1600+ minutes.
Last League Visit from Flames
GALLERY
Pic Credits – Jillian McFarlane and Derek Young
Overall Home League Record Against Flames
P 21 W 8 L 13 F 59 A 75
Number Crunching
The Flames are looking to continue their all-time EIHL best 9 game winning streak against the Flyers and also extend their winning streak at Fife Ice Arena to five games which again is a best in all EIHL competitions against the Flyers.
During that nine game skid against the Flames the Flyers have been outscored 15-51.
Logan Neilson has goals in his last 2 games against the Flames whilst Cole Ully has a 3 game goal streak going against the Flyers.
The Flames have 4 powerplay goals in 11 attempts against the Flyers so far this term and the Flyers have 2 on 6 man advantages against the Flames in the three games to date.
The Flames have 5 wins on the road in all competitions this season which is joint second fewest along with Dundee to the Flyers 3.
SUNDAY FEBRUARY 1st SHEFFIELD STEELERS v FIFE FLYERS @ UTILITA ARENA – FACE OFF 4.00pm
Introducing the opposition & One to Watch!
The Steelers host the Flyers for the second time this season with the Yorkshire side as desperate for points to recover lost ground in their chase for league honours as their visitors are to try to claw their way into a post season berth. The Steelers will be looking to call on their veteran presence to make a title push as well as make progression to the Challenge Cup final and one of those that coach Fox will lean on is a man he had been chasing for two years. It took two summers of persuasion but Aaron Fox finally got his man in last summer with the 35 year old 6’3 defensemen Jordon Southorn. Jordon is also be completing his Masters at Sheffield Hallam University. Speaking after the signing Southorn said, “Well I had been talking with Aaron Fox for two summers now, I was close to joining last year so always kept my eye on the UK and Sheffield in particular. We spoke again in the summer and I guess our visions aligned and that its to win Championships. I have friends and former team mates that have and are playing in Sheffield and I took great references from the likes of Patrick Watling, Colton Saucerman and Kevin Tansey. They are all told me how much they enjoy Sheffield, the team, ownership, fans and city as a whole. I guess that’s why they want to keep coming back. I saw the success the team had in the CHL, every year the standard of the league improves, the quality of players joining all the teams seems to be getting better so in the end it was not if I should join, it was more of how can I not go to Sheffield?” Asked to describe his game Jordon replied “I guess my game has changed as I have got older, when you are young it is all about scoring goals, jumping in the play and getting points. Now, well I would like to think I am a good two way player, I can play in both ends of the rink”. Southorn is an experienced defensemen playing in both North America and Europe. After completing his junior career in the QMJHL with Price Edward Island, Jordon turned pro in 2010 with a season with Trenton Devils in the ECHL. His time in North America was split between the Coast and American Hockey League as well as a very short (3 game) spell in Dundee with the Stars. A more permanent move to Europe came in 2016 when he signed with Torpedo Ust-Kamenogorsk in the VHL before a spell in the KHL with Barys Astana the year after. Time in Slovakia, The Ice league, another spell in the KHL and Germany led to his last spell with Grenoble (France) last season.
Last League Visit to Steelers
GALLERY
Pic Credits – Sheffield Steelers
Overall League Away Record Against Steelers
P 35 W 3 L 32 F 50 A 164
Number Crunching
The Flyers will be looking to break their unenviable record of having lost on their last 21 visits in all EIHL competitions to the Utilita Arena.
The Flyers last success on Sheffield ice was 17th October 2018 with goals from Paul Crowder, Evan Bloodoff and Brett Bumer giving them a 3-1win.
The Flyers have killed 10 of 12 Steelers powerplays so far this season and they have found the net twice on 7 powerplay attempts in the four games so far.
The Steelers have yet to win a game when they are behind after two periods this season with a 0 and 9 record.
Mitchell Balmas comes into the weekend with points in his last 8 games which the active leading Steelers points streak.
When the Steelers score the opening goals this season they have a record of 20 and 5 whilst after conceding first they are 8 and 10.
Click the image below for your downloadable gamesheet for Saturday’s game against Guildford Flames
