TRADE-MART DUNDEE STARS 6 FIFE FLYERS 1
The Trade-Mart Dundee Stars clinched their place in the Elite League Playoffs on the final day of the regular season with a 6-1 Tayside Derby win at home against Fife Flyers.
By Kris Smith
Stars Head Coach, Marc LeFebvre branded the moment as a “great accomplishment” for his side as they booked their ticket into the postseason and they will face league winners, Belfast Giants over two legs next weekend in the quarter-finals.
The Stars needed only one point from their final game to secure their spot and they got off to the perfect start as Philippe Sanche tipped Kyle Pouncy’s shot past Janis Voris in the Fife goal, inside the first four minutes.
Dundee would then double their lead on 11 minutes with a powerplay goal as Drydn Dow moved down the right flank and the Stars captain buried the puck into the Fife goal from the back post.
The Stars then added a third goal five minutes later when Fife-born blueliner, Craig Moore scored from distance after a perfectly cut-back pass from Spencer Naas.
In the second period, the Flyers would have their chances as the home team took a few penalties but their powerplay unit faltered and they failed to make their seldom opportunities count.
Dundee would then extend their advantage to 4-0 as Kameron Kielly tapped in the rebound from Ben O’Connor’s saved effort in the 25th minute, for a second powerplay goal of the night, but the Flyers would finally hit back to ruin Jarrett Fiske’s hopes of a shutout.
Fife’s Kieran Craig would stop an attempted Dundee clearance from exiting the offensive zone and he then switched a pass across to the back post for Massimo Carozza to tap home, cutting the lead to 4-1.
In the third session, Brendan Harms would restore the four-goal cushion as he netted a shorthanded goal in the 53rd minute and the Canadian was able to slot home a loose puck after his teammate, Zach Tsekos had been brought down when he went through on the Flyers goal.
With just less than seven minutes remaining in the match, Flyers Head Coach, Johnny Curran made the decision to give some ice time to 17-year-old goaltender, Cameron Kenny and he would stop the first few shots that the Stars threw at him, delighting the large travelling Flyers support.
Unfortunately for the young Fifer, Dundee’s Xavier Pouliot would find the back of the net with only 79 seconds left in the match, as he found the twine from the slot to round off a 6-1 Derby win for the Stars.
A crucial home win has extended the Stars season by at least one more week and they will face league winners, Belfast in Northern Ireland on Saturday before hosting the Giants in the City of Discovery on Sunday.
The Playoff Quarter-Finals are a two-legged affair, with the aggregate winner advancing to the Playoff Finals Weekend in Nottingham on April 19 and 20.
Man of the Match
Dundee: #33 Jarrett Fiske
Fife: #22 Phelix Martineau
Goals
1st:
1-0 Philippe Sanche (Kyle Pouncy, Brett Gravelle) 03:09
2-0 Drydn Dow (Zach Tsekos, Spencer Naas) 11:10 PPG
3-0 Craig Moore (Spencer Naas, Cole MacDonald) 16:25
2nd:
4-0 Kameron Kielly (Ben O’Connor, Brett Gravelle) 24:17 PPG
4-1 Massimo Carozza (Kieran Craig) 38:20
3rd:
5-1 Brendan Harms (Zach Tsekos) 52:54 SHG
6-1 Xavier Pouliot (Jonathan McBean, Craig Garrigan) 58:41
All images: Derek Black.
