After 14 straight league defeats, including 11 regulation and 3 overtime defeats, Fife Flyers got their first league win last night against Hull Stingrays after taking the game right to the wire, and then beyond in to penalty shots, winning the game 5-4. Hull who had recently turned their own fortunes round in recent weeks after coach Sylvain Cloutier had served his entire team with their 2 weeks notice came in to the game as heavy favourites.
Flyers took an early lead with Matt Siddall’s 10th goal of the season, after 1:34 with the assists being credited to Kyle Horne and Mike Hamilton. Flyers came out and set the tone of the game early one with a much more physical performance compared to previous games.
Flyers doubled their lead at 8:53 when Toms Hartmanis scored on the Power Play with Hull’s Kurtis Dulle sitting a 2 minute penalty for roughing. It was the first time Flyers had finished the opening period leading a team and the 860 members of the crowd certainly showed their appreciation for the effort the team had put in.
The 2nd period started more of the same with Fife controlling the early part of the period but things looked slightly worrying when Kyle Horne took a nasty shot to leg. Surprisingly, referee Neil Wilson did not stop play, despite Kyle being unable to get up off the ice and to the bench. Luckily however, after walking the injury off at the side of the rink Kyle soon returned to the action.
Flyers then took a 3 goal lead with Matt Cohen scoring his 6th goal of the season with Fife short-handed at 35:09. Things then started to get nervy for the home side, with Hull responding almost immediately at 35:34 with a Power Play goal from Jereme Tendler and then Derek Campbell at 37:14. With no further scoring, Flyers held the edge going into the final period with the score 3-2 in their favour.
The 3rd period saw Hull come out determined to get something from the game and throw everything at Flyers netminder Garrett Zemlak, and at 46:50 got their reward with the equalising 3rd goal from Dmitry Rodin from another Power Play after Tommy Muir was penalised 2 minutes for slashing. Hull then took the lead for the first time when Kurtis Dulle scored at 52:48, on yet another Hull Power Play opportunity.
With the score now 4-3 in Hull’s favour the crowd were doing all they could to get the team back in the game, and Matt Siddall responded to score his 2nd of the evening, and his 11th goal of the campaign with a goal timed at 58:34, with assists going to Matt Cohen and Toms Hartmanis. The game then went on to overtime with the scores tied at 4-4 at the end of regulation.
Overtime saw more pressure from Hull Stingrays, especially when Matt Siddall was called for slashing, and he clearly wasn’t happy with the decision. Flyers held out however, and kept Hull at bay taking the game in to penalty shots.
First up to face Garrett Zemlak was Hull’s Dmitry Rodin, but with the form he has been in recently, there was to be no beating Zemlak in the shoot out.
It was then over to Flyers Captain, Danny Stewart. He came close, but was denied by Christian Boucher’s leg pad.
Jereme Tendler then stepped up for Hull, but again Garrett Zemlak in the Fife goal was up to the challenge.
Second up for Flyers, was leading points scorer Mike Hamilton who calmly put the puck past Boucher, even if it was with the help of Boucher’s leg pad.
With Hull having to score to stay in the game, Jason Silverthorn stepped onto the ice, but Garrett Zemlak pulled off another save and the victory was Fife’s.
The whole team were quick to rush to the ice to congratulate netminder Garrett Zemlak on his performance, not just in the penalty shots but for his performance over the full 65 minutes having faced 45 shots.
Matt Cohen, who finished the game with 1 goal and 2 assists, was awarded the Man of the Match, which must have been a really hard decision trying to choose just one player after the performance that every one of the team put in.
