By Kris Smith
The Stars meet the Flames for a second week in a row after winning their seventh point of a possible eighth against the Surrey side, last Saturday in a 5-4 overtime defeat.
After winning the first three fixtures between the two sides, Guildford finally beat Dundee but needed the help of overtime after letting a late 4-2 lead slip.
With Dundee missing their first-choice goaltender, Kevin Carr and being two imports down, 21-year-old Lucas Brine made his first start for the club but would get off to unlucky start as Brett Ferguson put the Flames ahead after only 11 seconds.
Jake Elmer then tied the game at 1-1 before the end of the first period but Ferguson and Ryan Hughes would then both strike quickly at the start of the second session to open up a 3-1 lead for Paul Dixon’s side before Tommy Parrottino cut it back to one.
In the third period, Ryan Tait made it 4-2 before Elmer netted again and Brendan Harms scored a last-minute leveller to send it to overtime, where Peter Crinella bagged the winner for the Flames.
The Stars are currently on 36 points from 34 games and sit in sixth-place, five points behind Guildford in third and they are also only four-points back from Belfast, who come to Dundee on Sunday, so a perfect weekend could draw the Taysiders level with the Northern Irish side.
Speaking before this weekend’s games, Stars Head Coach, Marc LeFebvre said: “We just need to get something out of it.
“Tonight will be a tough game but we have already won down there twice this season, so we know we can do it.
“Every game is going to be a challenge now and there are so many three-point games going on right now, so we just have to continue taking something out of each.
He continued: “Belfast are always a tough game and they have been a good team for a number of years now, so Sunday is going to be no different and it will be a challenge.
“With 20 games to go, we need to keep winning points no matter what.
“We have a goal that we want to get to, obviously the top eight is the first one but there is a place in the standings that we have all agreed that we can get to and that starts from this weekend.”
Dundee forward, Tommy Parrottino also shared how the players are feeling heading into tonight’s match, he added: “The little break we had really reset us.
“We have had a couple good days of practice now and going down the day before will be nice for us, then skating early in the morning and we will just be preparing like we would any other weekend.
“Both times we have been down there we have had success so we just have to repeat that and stick to our gameplan.
“Playing defensively sound and clogging up their transition speed has been our key and I think we match up well against them, so if we keep doing that and slowing them down then I like our chances.”
Face-off for tonight’s road game in Guildford is at 6pm.
All images: John Uwins.
