Challenge Cup, quarter-final, first-leg: Fife Flyers 1, Guildford Flames 3
Fife Flyers, who were runners-up in the Challenge Cup last season, have a mountain to climb if they want to stay in the competition after skidding to a 3-1 home defeat to Guildford Flames at Kirkcaldy in the first-leg of their quarter-final tie.
The Surrey side led 2-1 after the first session and scored another near the end of the middle period of a game in which the visitors outshot Fife 42-27.
The home side’s coach, Tom Coolen (pictured by Scott Wiggins), had hoped to build a lead for the return at the Guildford Spectrum next Wednesday.
But it only took Flames 3min 37sec to burn the Kirkcaldy club when Peter Crinella netted and it was 2-0 less than two minutes later when Patrick Bajkov scored.
Fife opened their account after 11min 29sec when Max Humitz netted with Teemu Pulkkinen and Collin Shirley involved in the move giving them hope.
And the scoreline stayed that way until the 36th minute when Crinella netted his second and Flames’ third unassisted.
The final session was blanked but this was not the result Coolen or the home fans wanted.
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