Jamie Russell, Fife Flyers’ head coach, assured success-hungry fans that he and Max Birbraer, the club’s general manager, are talking to agents and players world-wide to bolster the club’s playing resources.
The club have made offers, but nothing has been clinched and there is no indication that fresh blood will be involved in Wednesday’s home, Challenge Cup clash with arch rivals, Dundee Stars, at The Fife Ice Arena (19.30).
Flyers need help after skidding to their sixth straight defeat in all competitions on Sunday. Then, Belfast Giants beat the Fifers 5-2 in the Elite League in Kirkcaldy, that’s despite Fife being level at 2-2 after two periods.
Giants then fired three unanswered goals in the final session and Russell said: “I thought we were right there. It is a 2-2 game going into the third, but we have to find a way to be better in the third. We got away from keeping the game simple, we had opportunities to chip pucks out, we had opportunities to chip pucks in.”
The playcaller said the squad talked about how Belfast play before the puck was dropped, and they came into Sunday’s clash after a 3-1 defeat at the SSE Arena in Northern Ireland on Saturday, a performance praised by Belfast’s coach, Adam Keefe.
Russell said: “They (Belfast) are a great team in transition. We make a bad decision at the offensive blue line and it is a four-on-one going back at you. They don’t miss those chances.
“I was proud of the guys with the circumstances. We have a lot of guys in the room who are sick. I thought the work ethic and compete, with the travel, back-to-back games against a really good team, was outstanding.”
He praised netminder, Christian Purboo, playing back-to-back games, getting back to Kirkcaldy at 5am, and playing at 5pm in the afternoon, and he said: “That’s tough for a goalie. He had a very good weekend.”
The coach also singled out teenager Joe Lynch who recorded an assist on Didrik Svendsen’s leveller at 1-1 after 8min 57sec. Kirkcaldy-born Lynch, who regularly players for Edinburgh Capitals at Murrayfield, was judged Fife’s Man of the Match.
Russell said: “It is his second game with us. He has not practised with us yet. I love his work ethic. He moves his feet makes things happen.”
Lynch, a centre of left wing aged 19, is involved because of Fife’s injuries and Russell said that injury cover was required.
He added: “We are exploring that. If I am not at the rink on the ice or in the coaches room I am on the phone with agents and so is Max (Birbraer). We are talking to a lot of people, we have made offers, it is a matter of getting something closed and getting some help in here.”
