Saturday's pre-season results
Photo: Mark Ferris
It was a big night of pre-season action with six games across EIHL arenas on Saturday night.
Glasgow Clan avenged their home defeat to Belfast 24 hours earlier with a 3- win over the Giants in front of over 6,000 fans at the SSE Arena. Jake bolton slotted home at the back post before Quinn Preston's wrist shot cancelled out that go-ahead goal to leave the teams level after 20 minutes. Bolton's rocket of a slapshot put Clan back ahead with 27:03 played, and 4:15 into the final period Darien Craighead moved them two in front. The visitors survived a late 6-on-4 Giants attack to hold on to the win.
Dundee Stars put on a show for the 1,236 fans on Tayside with a 7-3 win over CSM Corona Brasov of Romania. It was two Dundee boys that stole the show, with Jonathan McBean opening the scoring at 13:49 before a Craig Garrigan double in the middle period - following Anthony Rinaldi's breakaway effort - put four on the board for the hosts. Owen Williams scored shorthanded before Garrigan's second, with Mátyás Kovács pulling another back for the Wolves at 33:46. Rinaldi and then a looping Kyle Pouncy shot put Dundee 6-3 up by 51:35 with Ryan Valentini rounding off the goals with just under eight minutes to play.
Fife Flyers earned their first home win of pre-season with an excellent win over Tilburg Trappers in a fast, tight game at Fife Ice Arena. Anthon Eriksson showed nice speed before beating Cedtrick Andree blocker side to open the scoring 44 seconds into period two, while Casey Gilling put the puck on Max Humitz's stick for a back-post finish at 35:22. Giovanni Vogelaar pulled one back for the Trappers with 1:18 to play, but the Flyers got the empty netter at 59:26 through Reece Harsch to make sure of the win.
In Manchester, the 1,902-strong crowd at the Storm Shelter were treated to a goal-fest that didn't end the way the majority of them wanted. The only goal of the opening period came through Stephen Johnson but when Will Merchant finished back post and Dallas Ehrhardt fired home from the point within 18 seconds of each other at the start of the second, the hosts were cruising. Cue the Flames fightback with goals from Turner Ripplinger, Lewis Hook, Peter Crinella and Owen Griffiths over a seven-minute spell to turn the game on its head. Crinella then fired home a puck that rolling nicely for him into the slot at 35:18, while Santeri Haarala pulled one back for the Storm with 1:56 left in the period. Crinella completed a hat trick with an empty-netter with 45 seconds left in the game.
Rok Stojanovič stopped 15 shots to shut out Coventry Blaze at the Motorpoint Arena. Goals from Carl Neill and Jordan Kelsall put the Panthers a pair up after 20 minutes, while Otto Nieminen made it three 6:25 into period two. A wonderful breakaway goal from Logan Neilson rounded off the scoring at 38:52 for his first goal in Panthers colours.
Finally, almost 7,000 fans made their way into the Utilita Arena to see Sheffield Steelers and Cardiff Devils play an exciting, hard-fought contest that was decided by just a single goal. Matt Greenfield posted a 16-shot shutout, while Ben Bowns stopped 26 he faced at the other end - the only one he didn't manage to keep out was Patrick Watling firing home a rebound at 27:01.
Documents
- PS19 Fife 3-1 Tilburg 160923 (*.pdf, 3.3 MB)
- PS14 Dundee 7-3 Brasov 160923 (*.pdf, 3.5 MB)
- PS18 Sheffield 1-0 Cardiff 160923 (*.pdf, 3.2 MB)
- PS17 Nottingham 4-0 Coventry 160923 (*.pdf, 3.3 MB)
- PS16 Manchester 4-6 Guildford (*.pdf, 3.3 MB)
- PS15 Belfast 1-3 Glasgow 160923 (*.pdf, 3.3 MB)
