Flyers cut down by razor-sharp Steelers

Elite League, play-off, quarter-final, second-leg: Fife Flyers 1, Sheffield Steelers 4 (agg: 5-13)

Fife Flyers’ Elite League semi-final play-off dream was ended by treble-chasing Sheffield Steelers at Kirkcaldy.

The men from The House of Steel led 9-4 after the first leg in Yorkshire and powered to a 3-0 advantage inside 30 minutes at The Fife Ice Arena.

The defeat is a major disappointment for the Kirkcaldy club in their first play-off quarter-final since 2018 and it was Kevin Tansey who broke the deadlock in the second-leg with an unassisted strike after 13 minutes.

Six minutes later Mikko Juusola added to the tally and Marc-Olivier Vallerand added No 3 after 29 minutes before Flyers opened their account through Collin Shirley with less than six minutes left after being set up by Lucas Chiodo.

Sheffield had the final say with a goal 48 seconds from time, Brett Neumann netted assisted by 26-year-old, Walsall-born, former Fife defenceman Sam Jones to complete a comprehensive win for the newly-crowned league champions who also hold the Challenge Cup.  

PICTURE: Action from the first-leg at Sheffield by Dean Woolley courtesy of the Elite League