TRADE-MART DUNDEE STARS 5 FIFE FLYERS 2
The Trade-Mart Dundee Stars returned to winning ways at home on Sunday night as they won their third straight Tayside Derby after beating Fife Flyers 5-2 in Elite League action.
By Kris Smith
The Stars regained Alex Tonge to their line-up after he sat out of Friday’s loss in Glasgow and after some quick end-to-end play in the opening minutes, the Flyers were put straight under heavy pressure from the home side.
Dundee were creating lots of opportunities but struggled to get their shots away cleanly and that meant Janis Voris in the Fife net would not be troubled too much but the Latvian keeper and his defence were soon put to the test as Tom Coolen’s side went down to three skaters.
After a too-many men call against Fife and Phelix Martineau was punished for a hooking foul, the Stars were quick to cash in on their two-man advantage as Alex Tonge fired into the roof of Voris’ net from between the circles, on eight minutes.
Then just five minutes later the Kirkcaldy club would be caught once more with too many men on the ice and that put Dundee back on the powerplay, where Brendan Harms would deflect home a second goal inside 14 minutes, as he turned Zach Tsekos’ effort under Voris.
The Stars then added a third goal in the 16th minute as Brett Gravelle lifted his shot past Voris from close range and that set Marc LeFebvre’s men up well heading to the second period but they would then find themselves a man short for two minutes as Dundonian, Jonathan McBean was boxed for holding.
However, it would be the home side that benefitted from the penalty as on 30 minutes, Harms forced a turnover at his own blue line and broke down the ice, where he shot low under Shane Owen, who had been subbed into the Fife goal at the start of the middle period.
Dundee would take their four-goal lead into the third period but the Flyers finally found a way past Stars netminder, Richard Sabol in the 43rd minute as Michael Cichy tipped Martineau’s shot past the Slovakian to get them off the mark.
Fife then continued to make an offensive push and soon made it a two-goal game as Martineau deflected another shot past Sabol on 50 minutes, making it a 4-2 match with 10 minutes left on the clock.
Although, the Stars soon killed off the hopes of a comeback as Philippe Sanche fired straight past Owen, just two minutes later and that would wrap up the two points for Dundee.
The Stars move up to sixth as they now sit on 10 points from as many games, moving them six points clear of the Flyers, who remain rooted to the foot of the league table but next up for Dundee is a road trip to Manchester for a Friday night battle with the Storm before they host Guildford Flames on Saturday night.
Man of the Match
Dundee: #81 Brendan Harms
Fife: #22 Phelix Martineau
Goals
1st:
1-0 Alex Tonge (Ben O’Connor, Cole MacDonald) 08:44 PPG
2-0 Brendan Harms (Zach Tsekos, Drydn Dow) 13:41 PPG
3-0 Brett Gravelle (Jonathan McBean, Keanu Yamamoto) 15:37
2nd:
4-0 Brendan Harms (Unassisted) 30:34 SHG
3rd:
4-1 Michael Cichy (Phelix Martineau, Olivier LeBlanc) 43:03
4-2 Phelix Martineau (Tyler Heidt, Olivier LeBlanc) 50:50
5-2 Philippe Sanche (Domenic Alberga) 51:45
All images: Derek Black.
