Dundee Stars made it three wins in a row as they came from behind twice to beat Fife Flyers on penalties.
The first period of play on Saturday night was heavily dominated by the Stars, who had 22 shots on Shane Owen’s goal, while the Flyers only managed six on Adam Morrison.
However, the game remained scoreless after 20 minutes – and fans had to wait until five minutes into the second period for the opener.
After a turnover by the Stars in the Fife end, the Flyers quickly went on the counter-attack, with Imants Lescovs releasing Greg Chase down the left wing.
The Canadian looked to slow down before picking up his pace again to round Dundee’s Drydn Dow and, as Chase skated across Morrison’s goal, he waited until the last second to slide the puck in at the back post.
FINAL SCORE: Kitmart Dundee Stars 3 – 2 @FifeFlyers (SO)
🚨 Dorowicz
🚨 Lawrence
🚨 Lawrence (SO)#COYStars pic.twitter.com/wB3TGLJsrN— Dundee Stars🏒🥅 (@DundeeStars) October 9, 2021
A shocked Stars side – who had been warned by head coach Omar Pacha that 100% effort would be required against the Flyers – soon found another gear to draw level when Spencer Dorowicz smacked the rebound from a Craig Garrigan shot home.
Both sides could still not be separated after 40 minutes and once again it was Todd Dutiaume’s Flyers that came out faster.
Only 15 seconds had gone from the clock when Chase bagged his second of the evening, beating Morrison high to his right.
The Stars would not be behind for long as Dillon Lawrence punished a mistake by the visitors on 45 minutes, gathering the loose puck, spinning and firing past Owen to draw Dundee level again.
The goaltenders had been the standout players for each side and, after making some more important saves, the two teams remained locked in a draw after 60 minutes of regulation time.
Five minutes of three-on-three overtime came and went with no clear winner found, so a shootout was required to separate the sides.
It was no quick event as the penalty shots went on for 10 rounds.
Eventually, Dillon Lawrence stepped out to take Dundee’s 10th penalty and as he edged his way forward, he released a quick snapshot that beat Owen down low.
The Kirkcaldy club’s hopes of winning the extra point rested on forward Craig Peacock, but he failed to hit the target at the crucial time.
Another win for the Stars made it three on the bounce and now has them sitting second in Group A of the Challenge Cup, with six points after five games and within two of leaders Belfast Giants.
