Fife hearts broken by late Perlini winner

Brett Perlini scored the game-winner as after high-flying Cardiff Devils recovered from a 3-1 first period deficit to edge Fife Flyers 5-4 at Kirkcaldy.

The Welsh combine, who top the Elite League table, won the middle session 2-1 and the final 20 minutes 2-0 to take the points back to the Principality.

They outshot the Kirkcaldy side 41-28 overall and Perlini, son of former Flyers star, Fred, a former Toronto Maple Leafts draft, said Cardiff started slowly and took time to get into the game but he added: “We responded well in the second and third periods.”

Devils were 4-2 behind but clawed their way back and 34-year-old Perlini, drafted by Anaheim Ducks in the seventh round in 2010, was set up by Reid Duke and Fournier for the game-winner with less than six minutes left, the player firing past Owen.

Flyers coach Tom Coolin said: “Hats off to Cardiff. They (Cardiff) are a good hockey club and you have to give them a lot of credit. They lost at home on Friday (3-2 to Glasgow Clan) and they had to travel here and I felt pretty good that this was the night that we were going to show what we were made of.

“We have had a lot of injuries, we have had a depleted line-up for a long time and tonight we had a couple of reinforcements. We did not have a complete line-up to choose from but we had three lines that we could attack with and we got goals from all three lines. That’s the first time this year that has happened.

“We had a 4-2 lead but unfortunately we had a four-on-two and we are going to the net. A guy made a pass and it comes the other way and bang it is in the net, that was a big turning point and it was 4-3. Cardiff then showed what a good club they are in the third period.”

Elsewhere, Guildford Flames edged Glasgow Clan 4-2, Manchester Storm were battered 8-3 by Sheffield Steelers in the North-West and Dundee Stars lost 4-3 in a shootout with Coventry Blaze on Tayside while Nottingham Panthers won 3-2 after overtime against Belfast Giants, all matches in the Elite League.

TOP PICTURE: Goalmouth action from Fife v Cardiff captured by Derek Young

SAVE: Shane Owen get down to smother the puck in another Devils raid. Picture by Derek Young