By Luke McGinnis
On 26 August 2001, the newly formed Dundee Stars welcomed the Ayr Scottish Eagles to the Dundee Ice Arena for the first home game in club history.
What followed was a night that would set the tone for the Dundee’s historic first season.
The Stars’ competitive debut had come just 48 hours prior, when Tony Hand’s side travelled to Ayr to face the Scottish Eagles and suffered a narrow 3-2 defeat.
Two days later, the Eagles made the return journey to become the first visiting team to take to the ice at the Dundee Ice Arena.
Former San Jose Shark Ed Courtney gave Ayr an early lead, opening the scoring just 4:13 into the game.
Dundee responded just 92 seconds later through Craig Nelson, before Teeder Wynne scored twice on the powerplay to send the Stars into the first intermission with a 3-1 lead.
The Eagles fought back in the second period, with Courtney scoring his second of the night before Joakim Andersson tied the score at 3-3, leaving it all to play for in the third.
Ayr regained the lead through Shawn Byram just 1:34 into the final period, before Andy Finlay equalised for Dundee five minutes later.
Jonathan Weaver appeared to have stolen the win for the visitors, scoring at 49:54 to put Ayr 5-4 ahead.
However, the Stars refused to quit.
With the clock ticking towards the final buzzer, Jan Mikel found the equaliser at 59:45, sending the Dundee Ice Arena into chaos. Just 15 seconds later, the final buzzer sounded.
The first home game in club history had ended in a draw, but for those inside the arena, it felt like much more than that.
Under the leadership of player-coach Tony Hand, the Stars would go on to enjoy a remarkable first campaign, winning both the British National League title and the Playoff Championship.
Now, twenty-five years later, the Dundee Stars remain at home in the same building where it all began, ready to write a new chapter in the history books.
