By Luke McGinnis
A fast-paced opening period in Fife saw both teams gain early powerplay opportunities, including the Stars being awarded a brief 5-on-3 within the opening five minutes.
Mika Partanen converted on the Flyers’ man-advantage, opening the scoring with a one-timer from the right circle which beat Carl Stankowski at 07:15.
The Stars responded less than a minute later through Keaton Jameson on a powerplay of their own, with the former Flyer redirecting Gary Haden’s shot from the point past Dominik Groh at 07:52.
A referee-initiated video review was conducted following the goal to determine if Jameson had played the puck with a high-stick, however, the call on the ice was confirmed to be a good goal.
Brodi Stuart gave Dundee their first lead of the night at 11:32, firing a tight-angle shot which found its way into the Flyers’ net.
Kyle Watson equalised at 14:27, finding himself in the right place at the right time as he fired home a rebound after Stankowski had made an initial pad-save.
Fife controlled a large portion of the second period, outshooting the Stars 16:5. Despite this, Carl Stankowski was sharp between the pipes and made a number of outstanding saves to deny the Flyers a go-ahead goal.
Tensions began to rise at the midway point of the game, with Evan Brand and Cole Stewart both being assessed roughing minors after a collision in the corner. At the other end of the ice, Evan Dougherty received a game penalty for interference which put the Stars on a five-minute powerplay.
The Flyers’ penalty kill was strong however, denying Dundee and keeping the score level at 2-2 heading into the second intermission.
The third period was once again scoreless, with Dundee and Fife trading chances in search of a third goal. Both sides gained a powerplay opportunity throughout, however neither could convert with overtime being required to declare a winner.
An unfortunate bounce led to the puck finding its way into the back of the Stars’ net at 62:40, much to the dismay of the coaching staff. Despite the puck seemingly being played with a high-stick, the goal was deemed good and the Flyers skated away with a 3-2 victory.
