PREVIEW: Storm @ Fife Flyers

TICKETS: The Go Goodwin’s Manchester Storm welcome the Guildford Flames on the 7th January 2018, here at Planet Ice Altrincham in Elite League action! Tickets can be ordered online, by calling the box office on 0161 926 8782, or in person at the box office.

Your Go Goodwins sponsored Manchester Storm are back in action this Wednesday, with a long trip to Kirkcaldy to take on the in-form Fife Flyers in a 7:00 pm faceoff.

Things could not be tighter between the Flyers and the Storm in the league standings, both sides sitting on 36 points, but the Flyers have played four games fewer than the Storm who have played 29 games. A win for either side would see them leapfrog the Nottingham Panthers, who sit in fourth, and put them a single point behind the third-placed Sheffield Steelers. Fife have been one of the league’s form teams recently, winning eight of their nine games in December. Most recently, they defeated Guildford at home on the 30th December and Edinburgh away in the annual Hogmanay game. Goals from Gauthier, Schaber, Mosey, Finucci, and Young were enough to dispatch the Flames in a 5-3 win. Andy Iles, one of Flyers’ standout performers this season, turned away 30 Flames shots. The Hogmanay game also ended 5-3 in favour of the Flyers, LeBlanc, Stockton, an empty-netter from Bloodoff, and a Heelis double secured the points against the Capitals. Storm come into this game after a home-and-home against Sheffield, coming out with a point after a 3-0 loss in Sheffield was followed by a penalty shots loss in the Storm Shelter on New Year’s Day. A Luke Moffatt hattrick, along with goals from Trenz and Hanson took the game to penalty shots, but it was not to be for the Storm in a pulsating game.

This is only the second meeting between the sides this season, and the first away from home for the Storm. The previous meeting ended 3-2 in favour of the Storm at Planet Ice Altrincham in late-October. After a scoreless first period, the Storm scored a quickfire double, Dane Byers and Ciaran Long getting two goals in 26 seconds. The Flyers responded with their own double, Jorgensen and Young grabbing two in 49 seconds late in the second period. With the game nicely poised at 2-2 going into the final frame, it was Mike Hammond who provided the game winner; scoring after seven and half minutes into the third period, Matt Stanisz and Luke Moffatt getting the helpers. Flyers took the opportunity to rest starting netminder Andy Iles, and it was Jordan Marr in nets for Fife. Marr turned away 25 shots on the night, while Mike Clemente made 29 saves.

One to watch: Fife have been spreading the goals around their side, with two players scoring 14 goals this season, but it’s Evan Bloodoff who has top scored for the Flyers, grabbing 15 goals in 24 games, while adding 9 assists.

MATCH DETAILS FOR SATURDAY:

  • Game at the Fife Ice Arena: Rosslyn Street, Kirkcaldy, Fife, KY1 3HS
  • Doors open from 5:00 pm
  • Face-off at 7:00 pm
  • Tickets can be purchased online or on the day HERE – Away fans sit in block “F”
  • Live Twitter updates from the game will be via StormLive
  • Live stream for this game is available HERE
  • Storm will be in their WHITE away jerseys

TICKETS: The Go Goodwin’s Manchester Storm welcome the Guildford Flames on the 7th January 2018, here at Planet Ice Altrincham in Elite League action! Tickets can be ordered online, by calling the box office on 0161 926 8782, or in person at the box office.