Challenge Cup: Fife Flyers 5, Glasgow Clan 1
Glasgow Clan’s hopes of ending the weekend with maximum Challenge Cup points were dashed as Fife Flyers ran out 5-1 winners in Kirkcaldy.
The high of Saturday’s 4-0 shutout win in Braehead Arena was quickly forgotten as Fife took their opportunity to exact quick revenge to split the double-header.
Fife started on the front foot and Antti Karjalainen was forced into action from the start as Jonas Emmerdahl tested the Clan netminder with a wrist shot down low.
Luke Lynch had the Clan’s first chance of the game as he rebounded a Rob Lachowicz shot but Flyers goalie Shane Owen was quick to snuff out the danger.
Zach Vinnell came agonisingly close to opening the scoring near the end of the first when his shot from the boards hit the crossbar then Karjalainen then pulled off a superb double save at the buzzer as both sides headed to the dressing room deadlocked at 0-0.
Flyers had the fans on their feet as they roared into the lead 41 seconds into the second period as Anthon Eriksson fired a shot from behind the dot which found the back of the Clan net.
Karjalainen managed to hold off the Fife offence as he made multiple clutch saves while on the penalty kill, then, later in the period, Lachowicz picked up the puck at the Clan’s blue line and travelled into the Flyers’ zone before setting Vinnell up to grab a shorthanded equaliser.
Flyers’ highly-rated netminder Shane Owen later pulled off an impressive back door save as he sprawled across his line to stop Ryan Harrison’s effort and Karjalainen also impressed in the Glasgow net as he made a swift blocker save on an Emmerdahl slapshot.
Eriksson then thought he’d restored Fife’s lead, but on review, it was determined that the puck didn’t cross the line but it wasn’t long before Flyers grabbed their second as Teemu Pulkkinen scored a penalty shot after a Jake Bolton foul.
Gary Haden nearly responded instantly for the visitors as he received the puck on a breakaway play, but he couldn’t send it past Owen and the second period ended with the sides separated by one goal.
In the third period, Flyers took control of the game. Max Humitz bagged two goals in quick succession and both in slick fashion as the game entered the final 10 minutes.
Phillipe Sanche and Kyle Osterberg then got caught up in a scrap before Pulkkinen wrapped up the game with a fifth goal for the Flyers on the powerplay.
PICTURE: Coach Tom Coolen on the Fife bench courtesy of Dean Wooley and the Elite League
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