06 Dec 2023, 19:30 | Play-off | QF | Motorpoint Arena Nottingham |
Fife Flyers | 1-3 | Guildford Flames |
Periods: Shots: | 1-2 (8-16) | 0-1 (11-13) | 0-0 (8-13) | Total: 27-42 |
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Referees: Halas/Rodger  |  Spectators: 822 |
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Goals and assists
It will be a 3-1 aggregate lead for Guildford when the Flames host
Fife Flyers in the second leg of their Challenge Cup Quarter-Final next
week, after a solid road win for the Flames in the first leg in
Kirkcaldy.
Guildford started the faster of the two teams and were
deservedly two up inside five and a half minutes at Fife Ice Arena.
Peter Crinella gently redirected Brett Ferguson's shot past Shane Owen
with 3:37 played as the puck trickled back past the Flyers goalie
sliding in the opposite direction. Under two minutes later, Patrick
Bajkov found the top corner of Owen's net with a well-placed wrist shot
to double the lead with only 5:24 gone. Max Humitz bundled the puck over
Eamon McAdam's line with 11:29 played, but chances for Ryan Tait and
Ferguson could easily have had the Flames three ahead before the home
side got on the board.
Crinella stepped inside two Flyers
defensemen before releasing an unstoppable shot into Owen's net at 35:26
to re-establish the visitors' two-goal advantage. A last-second block
by Bradley Lalonde kept the Flames 3-1 ahead heading into the second
intermission.
Troy Lajeunesse had the best chance of the Flyers'
first powerplay of the game early in period three without success; while
at the other end, Owen made four saves in as many seconds on a Flames
powerplay where the visitors also hit the frame of his net. Guildford
managed the remainder of the final period very effectively to take a
two-goal lead home with them ahead of next week's second leg.