Shootout win for Storm on the road

Photo: Flyers Images

Former Fife Flyers forward Zack Phillips scored the winning penalty shot for Manchester Storm to give them a 3-2 victory over his former side on Friday night in Kirkcaldy.

The action in this game came in the opening and final 20 minutes of regulation. Fife were ahead inside four minutes with a Max Humitz shot straight off a Teemu Pulkkinen faceoff win at 3:51. Raymond Brice scored his first goal for the Storm at 6:24 with the finish on a 2-on-1 rush off a perfect pass from Stephen Johnson. The hosts went back ahead through Jonas Emmerdahl who found himself in the slot to turn home Troy Lajeunesse's spinning shot on net at 15:03. Manchester thought they'd levelled the game with five seconds left in the period, but the goal was called back after video review.

Period two had no goals, although both sides had powerplay chances to add to their tallies. Arguably the biggest play of the second was Kyle Osterberg's sprawl to clear a puck off the goal line and prevent Storm tying the game.

The visitors did, however, level early in period three - just 55 seconds were on the clock in the third when Brice scored his second of the night to tie things up. That was where the scoring stopped with both points taking a point ahead of overtime.

Just 61 seconds into overtime CJ Garcia tripped Kyle Osterberg when he was through on Evan Weninger, but the Flyers forward couldn't net the winner on his return form injury. Joe Morrow's shot halfway through the bonus period was the closest Storm came to winning it before the game was ultimately decided in a shootout.

Neither team managed a goal through four rounds of penalty shots, but both Morrow and Drake Pilon pulled out excellent moves to score in round five. Johan Eriksson missed again in the sixth for the hosts, with Phillips coming out to settle the game and give Storm the extra point.