Flyers fight back to earn shootout win
Photo: Al Goold
A sold-out Braehead Arena saw Fife Flyers come back from 5-2 to take a shootout win over Glasgow Clan.
The visitors silenced the majority of that crowd with the opening goal just 4:16 into the game - Brady Pouteau jumping into the play to slot home at the back post off a Max Humitz pass. Clan responded, however, with three goals in under six minutes. Nate Kallen levelled the game at 8:56 with a throw at Shane Owen's net that found its way home, and a little over two minutes later Robert Lachowicz fired home a Reid Petryk pass into Owen's net. 181 seconds later, Lachowicz added his second of the night and Clan's to put the home side in a commanding position.
The game stayed like that until over halfway into period two. Jake Bolton got the all-important next goal on the powerplay to put Clan 4-1 ahead, but only 13 seconds later Colin Shirley pulled the Flyers back to within two. Gary Haden put Clan back three ahead with the far-post finish after excellent, patient play from Michael Pelech to draw Owen to one side and open up the gap for Haden.
Max Humitz got the Flyers back to within two with 13 minutes left, followed by Kyler Osterberg making it a one-goal game with 6:03 left on the clock. The drama lasted until the final seconds with Sean Giles tipping a Jonas Emmerdahl shot past Antti Karjalainen to tie the game with 12 seconds remaining - a goal upheld after a check on the video for a possible high stick.
As the teams had done a week ago, they were to decide a winner in overtime. Karjalainen pulled off an excellent save to deny the Flyers a 2-on-1 winner as the visitors carried most of the OT play. On the following play, Darien Craighead did it all himself and came close to wrapping-around Shane Owen for the winner.
With no goals there, things were decided in a shootout. Johan Eriksson scored in the first round and sixth, while Reid Petryk couldn't find another goal in the sudden-death round and Shane Owen backstopped the Flyers to the shootout win.
