By Luke McGinnis
Marc LeFebvre’s men are coming off a split weekend against the Manchester Storm, falling 5-1 on the road on Friday — a result which eliminated the Stars from EIHL playoff contention — before bouncing back with a 5-4 shootout victory at home the following night
“We want to win some games down the stretch here and finish off the year strong,” said LeFebvre. “Obviously this year hasn’t gone the way we wanted it to and we’re all disappointed in that, but we’ve still got to play the games and compete to try and find a way to win games.
This weekend marks the final meetings between the Stars and Flames this campaign, with the two sides having claimed two wins apiece in the season series so far.
Guildford claimed the most recent encounter, skating away with a 6-2 victory in the Spectrum just under a month ago.
Spencer Naas and Kameron Kielly are tied offensively against the Flames with five points, followed closely by Justin Bean and Keanu Yamamoto on four. Meanwhile, Jack Jacome and Mathieu Gosselin both have six points against the Stars, while Matt Alvaro, Jamal Watson and Cole Ully are all on five apiece.
Emil Kruse has featured in both of Dundee’s wins over the English side, while Justin Fazio has been between the pipes for both of Guildford’s victories.
Paul Dixon’s men have been on a strong run of form since their last meeting with the Stars, winning four of their last six, including victories over the Sheffield Steelers and Nottingham Panthers.
Cole Ully leads the Flames with 46 points in 42 games, while Mathieu Gosselin is riding a five-game point streak which includes a hat-trick against the Fife Flyers. Justin Fazio has also established himself as one of the best netminders in the EIHL, posting a 2.40 goals-against average and a .930 save percentage in 30 games.
“We’ve played Guildford enough to know what they’re like, they play up and down the ice with four men joining the rush all the time, dangerous offensively and they’ll make you pay if you don’t pay attention. The biggest thing for us is that we don’t want to trade chances with them, so puck management will be key and we’ve got to be ready from the start,” concluded LeFebvre.
Tonight’s faceoff is scheduled for 7:30p.m., and tickets are on sale NOW!
