Guildford Flames claimed a 5-2 home win over Fife Flyers on Saturday night at the Spectrum, with Logan Neilson scoring on his debut for the visitors.
Both teams created good looks in a fast first period, but Justin Fazio and Shane Owen ensured it remained scoreless through twenty minutes. Guildford had one power play after a hooking call on Johan Porsberger, but the Flyers’ penalty kill held firm.
“You’re not always going to start fast, and sometimes you need your goalie to make some big saves. Fazio definitely did that for us in the first period and it gave us some juice to get going for him,” said Flames forward Nick Seitz.
The deadlock was broken seven minutes into the second. Pressure from Matt Alvaro forced a turnover, allowing Seitz to set up Jake Coughler, who beat Owen from a tight angle. Alvaro struck again moments later, tipping Coughler’s shot to double the Flames’ lead.
Guildford made it 3-0 just past the halfway mark. Mathieu Gosselin worked the puck free behind the net, Tyler Busch found Seitz in space, and he finished calmly.
“I think we got a little more connected and upped the effort in the second period after a little bit of a slow first. It started first with moving our feet,” added Seitz. “I think Fife played pretty well throughout, tough and physical. It was nice to come in after the second and regroup, and I think we have the guys that were able to go out and play a tough, physical third.”
Fife hit back immediately from the faceoff when Josh Winquist lifted in a rebound, and they closed the gap further late in the period on the power play as Neilson marked his Flyers debut with a well-taken goal.
“We would have liked to win, but it was really fun for me,” said Neilson. “I haven’t been on the ice for a month or so, it was a lot of fun and to get an opportunity to play.”
Guildford restored a two-goal cushion early in the third through Gosselin, who added his second of the night inside the final three minutes to seal the win.
“I thought we battled hard. Fife have a good team. We could have been up by a couple after the first period, but we didn’t take them. In the end, that’s what is the difference between wins and losses. But I thought overall we were fine, just a couple of lapses of focus,” added Neilson. “This was my first time on the ice in a month, I was definitely tired by the end of it. The Flyers picked me up on the way here, it was kind of crazy, but they’re a good group.”
Photo: John Uwins
You must be logged in to post a comment.