Fired-up Fife Flyers completed a weekend win double last night when they dented Braehead Clan’s Elite League title hopes.
The 4-2 victory came after Flyers outshot the high-flying Glasgow club 42-30.
Coach Todd Dutiaume had called on Flyers’ squad to deliver and they did so in style to delight the home fans.
Goals by Ryan Dingle after nine minutes and Justin Fox six minutes later put Flyers 2-0 ahead.
Ben Davies pulled one back after 21 minutes, but Patrick Cullen made it 3-1 for the home side six minutes after that.
Matt Keith netted Clan’s second on the power play after 53 minutes, but it was not enough as jubilant Fife secured the points with an empty-net strike from Dingel with 16 seconds left.
Meanwhile, lowly Manchester Storm shocked mid-table Dundee Stars last night when they beat the Tayside team for the first time in the league this season at the fifth attempt.
And the Altrincham side, who are second-bottom of the 10-strong table, achieved the victory on Tayside despite going 2-0 behind after 23 minutes.
Riley Wetmore fired Stars ahead after nine minutes, and Curtis Leinweber made it 2-0 14 minutes later.
Four unanswered strikes three of them in three minutes earned the English side two valuable points and completed a four-point weekend after beating bottom club Edinburgh Capitals 8-5 on Saturday in the north west.
Player/coach Omar Pacha started the goal blitz after 28 minutes, with Grant Toulmin levelling after 29.
Matt Paton claimed the go-ahead strike after 31 minutes.
Luke Salazar secured the fourth after 49 minutes in a game in which Stars’ were outshot 24-22.
It was Stars’ fourth straight league defeat, leaving them on 43 points from 39 fixtures with Fife now on 40 points from 38 games.
In England Coventry Blaze, who occupy the eighth and final play-off spot, thrashed Sheffield Steelers 5-1 and have 35 points from 36 fixtures, increasing the heat in the play-off run-in.
Edinburgh Capitals skidded to their seventh straight defeat last night but pushed Cardiff Devils, the Elite League pace-setters, all the way.
The home side went ahead through Luke Piggott after 11 minutes.
Brandon Thompson levelled 15 minutes later.
Andrew Hotham netted the game-winner after 39 minutes of a game in which Capitals netminder Carsen Chubak dealt with 64 shots and Ben Bowns with 11.