The Flyers final game in a difficult season and they were up against the Dundee Stars who knew that a point from the game would be enough to secure then the final play spot at the expense of the Manchester Storm. The home side scratched Domenico Alberga, Alexander Tonge, Brogan O’Brien and Jakle Elmer. The Flyers were without Shane Owen, Olivier LeBlanc, Aiden Wilson, James Spence and Joe Lynch.
The Stars had the first shot of he game when Voris gloved a shot from the high slot by Spencer Naas over his crossbar. In the 3rd minute a sneaky effort from below the goal line by Jordy Stallard almost fooled Fiske who eventually covered the puck up. The Stars opened the scoring moments later when a shot from the point by Kyle Pouncy was redirected in the slot by Phillipe Sanche and the puck deceived Voris. The goal was reviewed to ensure no high stick. In the 4th minute Zachary Tsekos carried the puck into the Flyers zone and then drove the net but lost the handle on the puck before he could trouble Voris with a shot. Phelix Martineau was denied by Fiske in the 6th minute with a pad save and then the Dundee keeper scrambled to stop Kieran Craig before ending up prone on the ice after some contact. The Flyers were on the penalty kill in the 8th minute when Austin Farley was called for a double minor high sticking penalty despite the lack of evidence of blood. Brett Gravelle had a couple of chances early on in the power play but Voris was his match on the first and Patrick Kyte made a goal line clearance on the second. Craig had a shorthanded bid gloved by Fiske and late in the kill the Stars added to their tally after Voris made an initial save and got involved with Harms in front of his net he couldn’t get back into position as Drydn Dow from an angle went top shelf. The Flyers challenged for goaltender interference but the goal was awarded and the Stars were back on the powerplay for the failed challenge. Evan Mackinnon had a shot on Fiske as he Flyers were shorthanded and the visitors completed the kill without any clear cut chances for the Stars. In the 15th minute Craig found Massimo Carozza down low and his tip just cleared the cross bar. The Stars added to their lead in the 17th minute as Naas went down the left side before spreading the puck rink wide to Craig Moore and from the circles he placed the puck just inside the post on the stick side of Voris. In the final minute Fiske swallowed a shot in the high slot from Carozza.
In the 21st minute Brendan Harms found Naas who tried to go short side on Voris but was thwarted. The Stars were back on the power play in the 23rd minute as Tyler Heidt was called for tripping. Harms with all sorts of time from the slot somehow shot high over the cross bar and then Voris made a stop on Keanu Yamamoto before Kyte once again cleared a puck off the line. Just as the penalty was drawing to a close Ben O’Connor got the puck on net and Voris let out a rebound that was snapped up by Kameron Kielly to extend the home lead. The Flyers had the man advantage in the 27th minute when Harms tripped Kyte but it was the Stars who almost found the net again when Alex Robert went through on Voris who got a piece of he puck to turn it away. Heidt had a shot from the blueline stopped by Fiske at the second attempt as the Stars completed the kill. The Stars survived a scramble around their net in the 29th minute with Martineau almost connecting with a bouncing puck. The Stars were penalised again in the 30th minute when Cole MacDonald lunged at Charles-Antoine Paiement and tripped him. The Flyers got nothing set up on the power play and the Stars returned to full strength unscathed. In the 34th minute Moore almost had his second of the night as his shot from the point clanked the outside of the post. Kris Inglis got the gate for kneeing Evan MacKinnon in the 36th minute as Flyers returned to the man advantage. Fiske made an early save but the puck was fed back from Stallard to Martineau who couldn’t control with the net gaping. Stars almost had a short handed goal as Yamamoto broke clear after a breakdown at the Flyers blue line and he was in all alone on Voris who stood tall to make the save. The Stars returned to full strength but moments later Craig took the puck off the half wall and his pass found the stick of Carozza at the lip of the crease to tip past Fiske and get Flyers on the board.
In the 45th minute Naas on an odd man rush elected to take the shot but Voris got a stick on the puck to deflect it wide. A minute later and the Flyers almost pulled another back as Paiement from distance saw his shot strike the pipe. Voris swallowed a shot from distance from Dow in the 48th minute and a minute later Naas went for a skate in the Flyers zone before firing a shot on net that Voris dealt with comfortably. The Flyers went on the powerplay in the 51st minute when the Stars were called for too many men. Jonas Emmerdahl tested Fiske with a blast but the Stars broke the other way and Tsekos carried the puck into the Flyers zone before he went to the net and drew a penalty but he kept the puck alive and Harms at the far post was able to stuff it home. With 7 minutes remaining the Flyers gave Cameron Kenny his first professional ice time. The youngster was quickly in action as he made a stop on Gravelle and then Sanche. In the 56th minute Ben Brown fired a shot on the Stars net that Fiske made a solid save on and a couple of minutes later Fiske made a big save on Kyte from the low slot who had been set up from Martineau behind the net. Moore made a big block on a Stallard shot from close range before the Stars counter attacked and put an exclamation mark on the night when Jonathan McBean took the puck down the slot before dropping a pass to Xavier Pouliot who sniped the puck past Kenny on his glove side.
Pic Credits – Derek Black
