Frustrated Fife Flyers captain Jonas Emmerdahl told his team-mates: “We have to stop making mistakes.” His words came after the Kirkcaldy club lost 5-4 following a penalty shootout to Scottish rivals Glasgow Clan at The Fife Ice Arena.
Fife, backed by Wolseley, led 2-0, 3-2 and 4-3 in the tight game, but at last Flyers took a point. Clan earned two and moved onto 19 points, level with the Kirkcaldy club, but Fife have played 33 games and Clan 35.
Janne Laakkonen opened Fife’s account after five minutes and Janne Kivilahti made it 2-0 just over five minutes later.
Clan, sponsored by Aspray Glasgow West, hit back in the 13th minute through an unassisted Gary Haden strike and the visitors levelled when John Dunbar netted only 25 seconds into the middle session.
It took Fife another 14 minutes to break through again, Chris Lawrence netting, but Clan bounced back and Haden scored his second to level at 3-3 with less than two minutes left of the session.
Only 2min 19sec into the third, Kivilahti scored to make it for 4-3 for Flyers and the scoreline stayed that way until 29 seconds from time with Haden completed a treble to send the game into sudden death overtime.
The sides could not be separated so it was penalty shots and Clan kept their nerve. Gabriel Chabot scored the game-winner after eight rounds in the shootout to cheer visiting fans after a game in which Clan outshot Fife 44-38.
Emmerdahl said: “We started off well, like we wanted the win. We got a 2-0 lead and they got one. We still had a 2-1 lead going into the second period and it felt really good.”
The 6ft 4in defenceman revealed that Flyers had, what he described as “a good chat between the periods” but the first shift of the second period had an impact, Clan scoring after 25 seconds. He added: “It is bitter to lose this game but we have to re-set.”
PICTURE: courtesy of Viaplay Elite League by Al Goold
Experienced news, business, arts, sport and travel journalist. Food critic and managing editor of a well-established food and travel website. Also a magazine editor of publications with circulations of up to 200,000 and managing director of a long-established PR/marketing company with a string of blue-chip clients in its CV. Former communications lecturer at a Scottish university and social media specialist for a string of successful and busy SMEs.
