The Kitmart Dundee Stars are determined to get some points when they face Cardiff Devils at home after losing out on the road last night.

Picture by: Dave Williams.

By Kris Smith

The Stars host the Welsh side for the first time this season and they have only met once so far this year.

The game at Viola Arena at the start of October ended 8-6 to the Devils after a thrilling game of end-to-end hockey.

Dundee had led the game four times but with a couple of controversial calls, the Devils would finally get their first lead of the game in the third period as they went ahead 7-6 with less than eight minutes to play.

The Stars goals were scored by Elgin Pearce (2), Drydn Dow (2), Kevin Dufour and Justin Maylan while Mark Richardson, Sean McMonagle, Mathias Sointu, Matthew Pope (2), Gleason Fournier, Stephen Dixon and Matthew Myers all found the net for the Welsh side.

Yesterday evening saw both teams on the losing side of league matches against Scottish sides.

The Stars were beaten 3-2 in Glasgow after a two-minute spell of madness cost them a 1-0 lead and they ended up 3-1 behind.

Dufour had given Stars the lead after five minutes but in the second period, a bit of puck luck followed by a lapse in concentration let the Clan in to score three goals in just over two minutes of play.

Colton Kroeker pulled one back for Dundee with five minutes left to play but after a dominant attacking performance they could not break down the Glasgow defence who rode their luck a bit.

Meanwhile, Cardiff were in Kirkcaldy, they found themselves 1-0 down to Fife Flyers after just 58 seconds.

Joey Haddad scored the Devils only goal and his powerplay marker made sure the Devils were on the board but they were beaten 5-1 on the night.

Andrew Lord did not have Evan Mosey, Matt Pope and Toms Rutkis in his squad and he also had none of his usual back-up goalies, so Tyler Perre provided cover for Ben Bowns.

Dundee defender, Kris Inglis shared how tough it was to take that defeat in Cardiff and he thinks that it will be in the back of players heads when they meet the Devils again on Sunday.

He said: “The last game against Cardiff was obviously very disappointing, as the score was not reflective of our performance.

“Going into the third with the lead was great especially being on the road and to get nothing from the game was a bitter pill to swallow.

“I think this will definitely be in the back of the boys mind, we know if we take the game to a team like Cardiff then we will give ourselves every chance of getting the two points.”

The 21-year-old has been out for the last two weekends with an upper body injury but he has seen a lot more of the team since taking a step back to watch from the stands.

Kris added: “It’s always tough when you’re ruled out of the line-up due to injury but it’s important for me to stay positive and focus on getting healthy again, so I can come back as mentally and physically strong as before.

“Watching from the stands isn’t ideal but on watching the boys in the last few games I think it’s clear to see just how hard everyone works and how much every person wants to see this club succeed.

“We are a fast-paced team who can punish teams for their mistakes with quick counters.

“The defensive aspect of our game is definitely tightening up and if we continue to work hard off the puck then we will be rewarded offensively.”

The Dundonian also stressed how important it is for the Stars to capitalise on their home ice advantage after dropping points on the road.

Inglis said: “Home advantage is massive, the support from the Stars fans is always fantastic every week and they certainly give us a lot of momentum.

“We know they have had a long journey north and a game last night, so it’s important in these home games against a big club like Cardiff that we get on top of them from puck drop and make them work.

“Like I said we are a fast team and I’m confident if we play a solid defensive game and limit their chances, then I’m sure it will be a good night in Dundee.”

Face-off for Sunday’s home game is at 5pm. Tickets are available HERE!

You can also watch the game live HERE!

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Trade-Mart Dundee Stars Team
49 Games
19 Wins
23 Losses
7 OT Losses
45 Points