Late goals sting Scots
Two of Scotland’s top ice hockey teams were stung by late goals. At Kirkcaldy, ice cool David Goodwin snapped Fife Flyers’ winning streak in the Premier Sports Elite League with a game-winning goal in a shootout, but the Kirkcaldy club took high-flying Belfast Giants to the wire.
Earlier, home debutant Kyle Thacker (pictured) broke the deadlock for Fife after 32 minutes with Carson Stadnyk setting up the chance for the defenceman.
Giants replied five minutes later when David Goodwin netted on a power play but 1min 5sec into the final session but Chris Lawrence scored on a five-on-three power play to put Flyers ahead for the second time.
That set up a grandstand finish and Slater Doggett silenced the home crowd with a leveller also on the power play with Lawrence in the sin bin 27 seconds from time in a game in which Fife were outshot 44-32.
And American-born centre ice Goodwin settled the issue with a goal in the shootout after the sides could not be separated in sudden death overtime.
Fife earned a point but the defeat ended Fife hopes to extending their winning run to four games.
In Yorkshire, Glasgow Clan emerged pointless from their weekend double-header when Sheffield Steelers, the long-time, Elite League pace-setters, claimed a game-winner less than six minutes from time.
Marc-Olivier Vallerand, the top points scorer in the ten-strong league, did the damage in the 55th minute to the delight of the 7,400-plus fans in the Utilita Arena.
Earlier, Justin Hodgman opened the scoring for the home side after 24 minutes in The House of Steel but Nolan LaPorte levelled six minutes later with a power play strike.
And Walsall-born, former Fife Flyers defenceman Sam Jones fired Steelers ahead eight minutes after that.
But Clan battled back and Braylon Shmyr was set-up by Guillaume Gauthier to level at 2-2 with less than 16 minutes left, but Sheffield stung Clan with that late winner.
Elite League: Fife Flyers 2, Belfast Giants 3 (after a shootout); Sheffield Steelers 3, Glasgow Clan 2