Viaplay Elite League: Dundee Stars 1, Cardiff Devils 4; Glasgow Clan 2, Manchester Storm 6; Fife Flyers 0, Sheffield Steelers 1 (after penalty shots)
Fife Flyers belied their lowly status in the Viaplay Elite League by taking title contenders Sheffield Steelers to the wire at Kirkcaldy in the third game between the sides in five days.
The Scots edged Steelers 7-6 after penalty shots on Wednesday in Yorkshire to earn a place in the Viaplay Challenge Cup final on March 1 in Belfast but they lost 1-0 at the same venue on Saturday.
Flyers and Steelers could not be separated after 60 minutes of regulation play at The Fife Ice Arena last night (SUN) and then an extra, sudden-death session, so the tense tussle went to penalty shots.
Todd Dutiaume’s men were beaten by a Marc-Olivier Vallerand penalty shot and Steelers went home with two points. Fife earned a point from a draw in regulation and move on to 29 points from 43 games, edging Glasgow Clan out of eighth position, the final qualifying place for the end-of-season play-offs, and they have two games in hand over the men from Braehead.
Both goaltenders were Man of the Match for their respective sides, Shane Owen (pictured courtesy of the Viaplay Elite League) for Flyers, sponsored by Wolseley, and Matthew Greenfield for Steelers.
Elsewhere, third-placed Cardiff Devils condemned bottom club Dundee Stars to a zero-point weekend after a 4-1 win on Tayside and Manchester Storm scored two goals in 60, first-period seconds to take control of their clash at Glasgow Clan, running out 6-2 winners.
Storm, who are seventh in the ten-strong table, are now on 34 points from 41 games, five clear of Clan who have 29 points from 45 fixtures. Dundee stars have 24 points from 40 games are are fast losing ground on the rest of the basement side
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