Fife Flyers outgunned by Belfast Giants in Challenge Cup final

The first Scottish team to appear in a final, they went down 9-3 to the league leaders, and were left to reflect on what might have been with two push backs being erased by the loss of killer goals.

Flyers were always chasing this game after doing the one thing they knew they had to avoid by falling into arrears in the opening minutes. The loss of Dillon Lawrence to injury early on was another blow.

Giants grabbed an opening goal through captain David Goodwin after three minutes and then sank the hopes of the huge travelling support from Fife with a short handed counter after 11 minutes. Donovan Neul’s strike stood after a lengthy review.

Worse was to follow as Steve Owre rolled a loose puck into Shane Owen’s net at 17:56.

Matt McLeod hoisted the score to 4-0 with a 24th minute powerplay before two goals from Fife raised hopes - Jonas Emmerdahl with a straight shot at 28:40 and Janne Kivilahti bundling home at 38:20.

The push back was crushed with a short handed counter coughed up to Matt Lake barely 90 seconds later.

Flyers made the perfect start to the third period with a goal from Janne Laakkonen just 24 seconds from the puck drop for 5-3. That hope was extinguished 30 seconds later as Ciaran Long rang the red light. From 6-3 to 9-3, Giants ran away with the game as Fife’s heads went down.

In the end the stronger team with much greater depth won. The final went with the form book and the standings - the number one side triumphing over the one placed eighth in the league.

No team outwith the big arena sides has lifted the silverware, underlining the scale of the challenge.

Todd Dutiaume, head coach, said: “When we pushed back we had them on their heels, but every time we made an advance, they hit back., The dagger was the fifth goal, short handed.”

Dutiaume paid warm tribute to an incredible travelling support, some 700-strong which made the midweek journey across the Irish Sea.

“They were wonderful tonight,” he said. “I’m glad we gave them some moments to cheer about, but also apologise on behalf of myself and the guys - we wanted to give a better account of ourselves.

“We felt the belief in the crowd and on the bench in the second period. The comeback was on, but we ran into a team that just rips teams apart.”

Making the final exceeded Flyers’ initial goal of simply qualifying from the round robin stage.

But Dutiaume said: “The cup was a hell of a run within excitement along the way

“Getting to the final was an incredible achievement - something I tried to relate to the team - but when you get here, your are not satisfied with that. Your aspirations change.”