Ice Hockey: Bringing fans and team together for final push

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“Change is coming” has been the message from Fife Flyers this week ahead of two crucial games against Manchester Storm.

It’s a rallying call as the season heads into the home straight and a play-off place is on the line.

From the outside looking in, it looks like a clear move to bring the fans and team back together again after a fraught, at times testy, relationship across this season.

That can only help.

Rekindling the intensity of match nights at Fife Ice Arena is absolutely key to creating the atmosphere in which the team clearly thrives.

The performances last weekend were certainly gutsier and more wholehearted, but they still only delivered one point from a possible four, so the statement “this team has found its mojo” really needs to come with a caveat.

Unless Flyers deliver those performances consistently - not just across one weekend - AND, dig out the wins, their play-off hopes are under serious threat.

Right now they’re in a  three-way dog fight with Manchester Storm and Dundee Stars for eighth place, and someone is going to lose out

The challengers have spent most of the season mired in at the foot of the table, but they have suddenly started to post big wins - and every point claimed simply narrows the gap and racks up the intensity.

Just two points now  separate the trio, and Fife have a game in hand.

Interestingly, both Stars and Storm have made changes to their roster.

Dundee released Elgin Pearce - who was quickly snapped up by Belfast Giants, and Justin Maylan and brought in former Nottingham Panthers forward, Matt Carter.

Manchester have added young American forward, Frankie Melton, from Ferris State after losing a couple of players to injury - Adam Hughesman has undergone surgery, while defenceman John
Negrin is recovering after surgery toi a cheekbone injury.

Storm were already carrying a spare import before adding Melton to the roster - clearly the club is targeting a push for the play-offs.

Flyers, who hope to have defenceman Sam Jones back in the line up soon after his surgery, have yet to make moves to bolster their team. despite huge pressure from the fans to bring in new faces - a hesitancy that may yet come back to haunt them - and give the team the spark it has struggled to find this season.

If it runs with its existing line-up and misses out, that will do little to improve the mood music rinkside - the decision ultimately rests with the directors, and the clock is ticking.

The games against Storm in Kirkcaldy this Sunday and Altrincham next Saturday are of huge importance to both teams.

Storm’s December record was every bit as poor as Fife’s, but they started 2020 with big wins over Guildford and Cardiff to haul themselves into the top eight.

Their head to heads have been tight - two meetings, two one goal hockey games, a win apiece, one a penalty shoot out, the other an overtime victory.

That intensity will only be increased in the next two head to heads, and Flyers really need regulation wins to maximise the gains and re-align this play-off race.

Perhaps the “change is coming” isn’t a reference to new faces, but a change of mindset and approach.

A season that has struggled to really ignite still has much to offer if the team clicks into play-off mode and is prepared to do everything that comes with driving key victories at this stage of the season.

They can win ugly or win smart. Right now, all that matters are results.

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