By Luke McGinnis
Last Friday, the Stars earned their first Elite League win of the season, defeating the Guildford Flames 5-2 on home ice. Emil Kruse was sharp between the pipes, turning aside 23 of 25 shots for a .920 save percentage, while Keanu Yamamoto led the way offensively with a goal and two assists.
Sunday night saw Marc LeFebvre’s men fall 4-1 to the Clan, a result that moved Glasgow into second place in Group B and dropped Dundee to third. Matt Boudens scored the lone Stars goal, while Clan Captain Deven Sideroff scored all four goals for his side.
Dundee and Glasgow have met on two other occasions in this Challenge Cup campaign, each taking one win. The Stars secured a commanding 6-2 victory on home ice in the first encounter, while the Clan edged out a 6-5 overtime win in the return fixture a week later..
Tristin Langan leads the Clan with 23 points across all competitions, while Sami Aittokallio has solidified his role as the starting goaltender, posting a 2.45 goals-against average and a .912 save percentage en route to nine wins.
Belfast, who currently sit atop Group B, are coming off a split weekend — narrowly defeating the Nottingham Panthers 2-1 in a shootout on Friday night before falling 4-1 to the Sheffield Steelers on Saturday. Jordan Kawaguchi leads the Giants in scoring across all competitions with 20 points, closely followed by Mike Lee with 19. Team GB goaltender Jackson Whistle has been impressive in the net, recording 10 wins with a 1.75 goals-against average and a .925 save percentage.
The Stars and Giants have met three times so far this season, with Dundee emerging victorious on each occasion. Their first clash came on opening night in Belfast, where the Stars stunned the reigning EIHL champions with a 7-4 win. The following weekend, Dundee hosted the Giants and once again impressed with a 5-2 triumph. The most recent meeting between the sides saw the Stars claim a 5-4 shootout victory on home ice — and they will be looking to make it four straight wins on Sunday.
Faceoff for Saturday’s massive home game is scheduled for 7 p.m., with tickets on sale NOW!
