An afternoon face off for this sold out Hogmanay clash with the Flyers looking to regain some pride following the heavy defeat suffered on home ice less than 24 hours earlier against the Clan. The visitors roster was the same as the night before with Janis Voris getting the start in net. For the home side they also made a goaltending change and Landon Bow was scratched with Lucas Brine getting the start. Also added to their line up were Darien Kielb and Matt Berry with Reece Kelly and Nick Prkusic dropping out.

The first save of the game came in the 2^nd minute as Voris held a shot from Liam Finlay from the left wing. The Fife keeper was in action again in the 4^th minute when he gloved a loose puck that bobbled towards his net off the body of one of his defencemen. Moments later Deven Sideroff broke in from the right hand side and Voris made a good poke check to take the puck off his stick. Brine saw his first action in the 6^th minute when Michael Cichy tested him with a rising shot that he stopped with his shoulder. Voris was sharp again as he held a Sideroff shot but could do nothing to prevent the Clan from opening the scoring in the 8^th minute when they cycled the puck around in the high slot before Tyson McLellan found Cole Ully on the right side and he fired high into the Fife net. In the 9^th minute Matt Berry took the puck to the net and Voris did well to stop it from crossing the line before it was cleared from his crease. The Flyers had the next chance in the 11^th minute when Austin Farley fed the puck to Massimo Carozza but Brine saw the shot all the way to make the glove save. Brine made a fine pad save as he extended his right leg along the ice in the 17^th minute to deny Jordan Stallard. A one timer by Rylan Schwartz in the 17^th minute was fought off by Voris. In the final 30 seconds the Flyers went on the games first power play as Simon Despres was called for delay of game as he shot the puck over the glass. The Clan comfortably saw the period out on the kill.

The Clan completed their penalty kill to start the second period without the Flyers generating any clear cut chances. In the 22^nd minute Stallard tried to go short side on Brine who shut him down and as the Clan broke up ice into the Flyers zone where Kieran Craig was called for tripping to put the Clan on their first power play of the game. Mitchell Heard went close with a tip from the edge of the crease going over the crossbar before Voris smothered an effort from Ully who was lurking around the net. The Flyers returned to full strength but were under pressure again in the 25^th minute when Keaton Jameson released Matt Stief with a stretch pass and Voris did well to close the five hole to keep his shot out.  Clan recovered the puck however and Félix Paré beat his man to the net to lift the puck over Voris from a Stief pass to double the home sides advantage. In the 28^th minute Ully grazed the outside of the post with a shot. Voris was kept busy as he stoned Robert Lachowicz 1 on 1 and soon after Paré broke into the Flyers zone but was hooked by Michael Cichy on the play before Voris made a double save including a windmill stop with his pads. The Clan had an early chance on their power play and a wicked wrister from Sideroff glanced off the shoulder of Voris who then made another save on Lachowicz as the visitors killed off the Clan man advantage. In the 35^th minute the Clan turned over the puck and Austin Farley stole into the zone only to be hooked by Heard as the Flyers went on their second power play. It was the Clan however who twice came close to adding to the scoreboard. Firstly on a 2 on 1 break Voris had to look smart to deny Schwartz and then on a 3 on 2 break Alex Forbes was denied by the Fife goalie. In the final few seconds of the power play the Flyers eventually got a look at Brine who made a fine pad save from a Carozza shot from the circles as the Clan returned to full strength and the period ended without any further clear scoring chances for either side.

In the opening minute of the third period Clan pressed the Flyers in their own zone and Voris had to come up with a couple of saves. In the 42^nd minute McLellan couldn’t make a clean connection with the puck at the back post. The Flyers were completely out of luck in the 43^rd minute when Michael Cichy broke into the zone and his shot pass went through Brine and the puck was heading into the net before it inadvertently hit Chiodo’s stick on the goal line which kept it out of the net before Clan completed the clearance. The play was reviewed but the puck clearly hadn’t crossed the line. In the 44^th minute a huge blast by Simon Despres from the circles caught a piece of Voris and the outside of the post. Voris a minute later denied the same Clan player this time from closer range. The Clan added to their lead in the 46^th minute when Chris Martenet drove the net and Voris made a fine pad save before the puck fell to Matt Berry in the slot who knocked it into the net for his first Clan goal. The Flyers used their Coaches Challenge for goalie interference but after a five minute review the call on the ice of good goal was upheld and the Flyers were assessed a delay of game penalty.  The visitors almost got a short handed goal after a quick up play by Voris put the puck back intro the Clan zone where Brine mishandled his pass giving the puck straight to Craig who struck the bar with his shot. The Flyers completed the penalty kill with Voris doing well to stop a close in shot by Jamieson. In the 49^th minute the Fife keeper again did well when he swallowed a shot from the circles from Finlay. The Flyers broke the shutout in the 50^th minute when Clan coughed the puck up in neutral ice and Chiodo released Carozza with a pass who beat Brine five hole with his shot. The goal gave the Flyers some momentum and in the 52^nd minute a toe drag by Chiodo opened up a shot but Brine was well positioned. Voris then made a pad save moments later to deny Schwartz in the slot. Alex Forbes then fanned on the puck with a wide open net to aim at and at the other end Brine made a save on Cichy as both teams went end to end with chances. Martenet brought down Cichy and was binned for a cross check as the Flyers went on another power play. The Flyers best chance came from Foss who was denied by Brine from close range as the Clan returned to full strength and Jamieson rang a shot off the Flyers post. In the 57^th minute Brine saved a snapshot from Daniel Krenželok and then Clan missed a golden chance with two players camped around Voris but Sideroff failed to hit the target. Clan added a couple more goals in the final two minutes both of which summed up the Flyers fortunes. The first was a Martenet shot from the blueline that struck the stick of McLellan in the slot and shot up into the roof of the net and then a Chris McKay shot from distance struck Paré and the puck was going wide before it hit a Flyers stick to deflect it in behind Voris.

Pic Credits – Glasgow Clan

Fife Flyers are next at home on  Saturday 4th January when they entertain the Coventry Blaze – tickets can be bought online here:  Tickets – Fife Flyers or look out on social media channels for box office opening times.