The Flyers travelled across the Tay to meet the Dundee Stars looking to claw back a couple of points on the team who sat once position but 11 points ahead of them at the foot of the standings. The Flyers were still without the injured Phélix Martineau with James Spence and Fynn Page also scratched whilst Shane Owen was once again the starting netminder. The Stars listed the same roster that won in Kirkcaldy two days earlier with only one small change of their choice of back up netminder.

17 seconds into the game and Brendan Harms got a redirect on the puck in the slot to send it high into the back netting. Owen then had to make a pad save on a Kris Inglis shot from the point and still inside the opening minute Ryan Foss was played in by Massimo Carozza but he didn’t have an angle to beat Jarrett Fiske who made the block. In the 2^nd minute Noah Delmas did well to tie up Zachary Tsekos who would have had an empty net if he had made contact with a cross crease pass. The Stars almost opened the scoring when Keanu Yamamoto pinged Owen’s right hand post with a wrister but moments later the home side were ahead when Spencer Naas was on the edge of the Flyers crease to tip the puck over Owen from a pass by Harms. In the 8^th minute Kyle Pouncy was at the back door but Owen got square to his shot. The visitors got the game tied up on the next shift as Xavier Pouliot bobbled the puck inside the Flyers zone and Kieran Craig nipped in to head down ice and beat Fiske on the back hand as he slid the puck into the corner under his pad. In the 9^th minute Patrick Kyte put the puck on Austin Farley’s stick and his redirect was saved by Fiske with Ben O’Connor being called for a slash on the play to put the Flyers on the first power play of the night. The visitors controlled the puck from the off in the Stars zone and were patient in trying to open up a quality chance. Fiske blockered away a shot from Lucas Chiodo but he could do nothing about a shot from just inside the blueline by Kyte that found the bottom corner on his stick side. In the 13^th minute the Stars almost capitalised on a giveaway behind the Flyers net and Philippe Sanche saw his wraparound attempt blocked by Owen. A minute later and Owen made a pad save on a big one timer from O’Connor and as the Stars cycled the puck Alex Robert got free at the back post but Owen made a sprawling save to deny him. Olivier LeBlanc had a clear sight of goal in the 15^th minute but from the slot he shot over the bar before Kyte drove the net but the puck was deflected away to safety. In the 18^th minute Owen held a shot from Jonathan McBean and in the final minute of the period Drydn Dow gave the puck away behind his net but neither Michael Cichy, Chiodo or Craig could force the puck past Fiske.

In the opening minute the Stars had an escape as the puck got stuck on a patch of water and Chiodo had a clear sight of goal from the slot but fired wide.  In the 22^nd minute the visitors created another good opportunity when Foss found Carozza who couldn’t handle the puck cleanly and his shot trickled in on Fiske who made the save. The Stars went on their first power play in the 23^rd minute when the Flyers were called for too many men on the ice. The Stars started their man advantage with a blast from Dow that Owen blocked and that was their only direct shot on goal as the Flyers went on to make a comfortable kill. Owen had to look sharp in the 26^th minute to make a stick save as the Flyers were caught on the rush but the home side did get the leveler a minute later when a Sanche wrister from the bottom of the circles ended up in the net with Owen not getting enough of the puck to keep it out. In the 28^th minute the Stars almost took the lead again when McBean hit the post with a back hand shot from an angle that had Own beaten. In the next minute Fiske came up with a glove save on a Brodie Kay shot. A one timer from Ben Brown in the 31^st minute from the slot flashed past the right hand post and then Fiske made a save on an effort by Farley. The Stars went back on the power play in the 32nd minute as Olivier LeBlanc was called for a major penalty for slashing when he went to play the stick of Jake Elmer with the Stars man going down on the ice but got back up immediately. It took the officials almost four minutes to review the play before LeBlanc was sent to the dressing room. The Stars started the five minute man advantage with a shot by Brett Gravelle into Owen’s glove. The Flyers came up with a sterling effort on the kill and with just over a minute remaining Farley won the puck in the Stars end and Elmer hooked Jordan Stallard to get the gate. The teams skated 4 on 4 and almost immediately Kyle Pouncy found Kameron Kielly drifting into the slot and he managed to lift the puck over Owen into the net. The Flyers returned to full strength for a short power play and a shot by Kyte was swallowed by Fiske as the Stars completed the kill. Elmer returned to the ice and broke in on Owen who got a piece if his shot with his stick. In the final minute Farley almost found the net with a backhand attempt from an angle.

In the 42^nd minute Kyte gained the zone for the Flyers and found Stallard with the puck who shot wide whilst at the other end Owen made a pad save on Gravelle who got in behind the Flyers defence.  The Stars went back on the power play in the 44^th minute after a play that saw Tyler Heidt wiped out from a blindside collision with a Stars player and Foss remonstrated with referee Craig who assessed him a 2+10 for abuse off official. The home side made their advantage count when a Naas shot was spilled by Owen and Harms picked up the rebound to beat the Fife goalie as the puck just squeezed in at the post. The Flyers were a man short again in the 45^th minute when Carozza was called for a slash and once again the Stars took full advantage when Dow from up high in the slot fired a shot high over the shoulder of Owen to extend the lead to 5-2. Cichy had a good chance in the 47^th minute when he was alone in the slot but he fired wide of the Stars net. The home side piled in the misery for the visitors who coughed up the puck in the 50^th minute in neutral ice and Craig Garrigan raced in on goal and beat Owen with a back hand shot on his stick side. Another Stars power play followed in the 51^st minute which the Flyers were able to kill without any serious danger around their goal. Back at even strength Owen had to shut the door on Naas who took the puck to the net. In the 55^th minute O’Connor let another bomb of a shot go that was spilled by Owen and Naas was on hand to drag the puck across his crease and beat him five hole to complete the scoring. In the 58^th minute another O’Connor shot was blocked by Owen who then made a smart save to deny McBean from close range as the Stars completed back to back wins against their rivals.

Pic Credits – Derek Black

Fife Flyers are next at home on  Monday 30th December when they entertain the Glasgow Clan – tickets can be bought online here:  Tickets – Fife Flyers or look out on social media channels for box office opening times.