Three games round out Week 6
Photo: Scott Wiggins
It’s been a busy Week 6 in the Premier Sports Elite League with games on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday already in the books.
Three games round off the week on Sunday night.
1730 Coventry Blaze vs. Cardiff Devils
“Must win” was how Blaze Head Coach Danny Stewart described his team’s fixture in the Premier Sports Challenge Cup.
Coventry are back on home ice after an excellent midweek league win in Sheffield however they take to cup action in a difficult position. The Blaze are guaranteed to finish last in Group B, but would currently qualify for the Quarter-Finals among the best-ranked other teams. However, with just one win to their name – against Cardiff – the team know they might need to add to their points total to make sure they go through.
Cardiff arrive at the Skydome after being shut out on their own ice by Nottingham yesterday. Jarrod Skalde’s team are well-placed to win the cup group after an OT victory midweek in Guildford, but this game will also be about bouncing back after a disappointing home league defeat.
1800 Guildford Flames vs. Manchester Storm
The Flames and Storm both play their third game of the week at the Spectrum tonight and are each looking to end the week on a high after previous defeats.
Guildford picked up a point midweek in the cup in an overtime loss to Cardiff but were then thrashed 7-0 in Dundee on Saturday night. They sit mid-table in the Premier Sports Elite League with a .500 record.
Manchester suffered back-to-back losses to Sheffield in cup action over the last two nights to remain the only team in that competition yet to pick up points. In the league, however, Storm have picked up three straight home wins – now the challenge for Ryan Finnerty’s team is to pick up their first road points of the season.
1800 Fife Flyers vs. Dundee Stars
A local rivalry ends off the week for both the Flyers and the Stars in Kirkcaldy in Challenge Cup action.
This is the last game of Group A and, while each team’s overall position can’t change, the Flyers can guarantee themselves a place in the Quarter-Finals with a win – five points being more than Manchester could possibly muster. Their form has been much improved of late, and they were victorious in Dundee eight days ago when the sides last met.
The Stars got their first league points on Saturday night with an emphatic 7-0 dispatching of Guildford and now have the chance to record their second four-point weekend of the season. They were 6-1 victors on their last visit to the Fife Ice Area at the start of the month, and a win here would boost their chances of being a higher seed in the next round. A loss would leave the Stars as fifth seed going into the Quarter-Finals with the possibility of being overtaken by Nottingham.
