Todd Dutiaume may be able to call on Craig Peacock as the UNISON Fife Health Branch backed Fife Flyers coach bids to extend the club’s recent winning run at Guildford Flames in the Premier Sports Elite League on Saturday (18.00).

The 33-year-old has been sidelined with injury but the playcaller said he was on the verge of a comeback. That would provide another experienced head in the line-up when Dutiaume needs is most.

The experienced Canadian is desperate to keep this run going but with Peacock, if he plays, plus newcomer Greg Lawrence (picture courtesy of Fife Flyers by Derek Young), skipper Matt Carter, just back from injury, and midweek acquisition, Kyle Thacker, providing the backbone.

These men plus Greg Chase, who fired the overtime winner at Nottingham Panthers on Sunday, and Michael McNicholas, who snapped his five-game pointless streak in setting-up Chase, plus Jacob Benson, who has found the net four times against Guildford so far this term, are also pivotal.

Flames are fifth in the ten-strong table with 28 points from 31 outings while Fife have 17 points from 30 games.

The Kirkcaldy club have scored 62 goals, the lowest number in the league, and shipped 104, 11 less than Manchester Storm.

Flames, in contrast, have hit 91 and let in 99 and the series stands at two matches each. Flames thrashed Fife 6-1 in mid-November in Surrey but lost 3-0 at the end of that month at Rosslyn Street.

The English side won 4-1 at Kirkcaldy at the end of last month but Fife earned revenge with a 4-2 success last Saturday which cheered home fans and boosted the squad.

Dutiaume said: “Guildford are a speedy, talented side who work extremely hard. The club have been around a long time and the rivalry stretches back to the British National League days.

“Paul Dixon, their coach, recruits well from university hockey in North America from one of the strongest programmes in North America. They are a tough team to play against.”

Elite League records show that a dozen of their roster come from Canada and, of course, they have six British players including Jordan Cownie, a 26-year-old, Dundee-born forward who had three seasons with Stars before moving south.

So far this term, Cownie has iced on 31 occasions, scoring five goals and assisting in nine other strikes and a road win would boost moral still further with third-placed Belfast Giants in Kirkcaldy on Sunday (18.00) after back-to-back games at Kitmart Dundee Stars on Friday (Dundee won 4-2 in overtime) and another on Saturday (19.00).

Elsewhere, Glasgow Clan, sponsored by Aspray Glasgow West, coach Malcolm Cameron said their home joust against Coventry Blaze on Saturday (19.00) is a must-win game.

The coach is smarting after his men gave up a 2-0 lead with seven minutes to go to lose 4-2 at Cardiff Devils in midweek.

The Canadian said: ““I would hope that loss is sticking with the guys the way it is with me.”



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