Fife Flyers interim head coach Johnny Curran couldn’t contain his delight after seeing his side pick up their first win since early December.
A tight 5-4 victory at Manchester Storm on Saturday night saw the Flyers win for just the third time in the Elite League this season, having staged a magnificent comeback from 4-1 down.
The 29-year-old, who is currently nursing a torn anterior cruciate ligament injury, has been in charge on an interim basis since Tom Coolen left the club by mutual consent, and felt that a strong third period led to the big win – his first in charge of the Flyers.
“I’m thrilled they showed you what me and Todd [Dutiamue, assistant coach] see in the guys,” he said.
“I’m sure people were starting to believe we were just there to cause a distraction. The guys have set a standard now. Todd and I know that, and now we have to hold them to it.”
New offensive strategy leads to victory

Photo credit: Fife Flyers
Curran believes that building offence across the ice, rather than down just one channel, will be key to his side remaining competitive with the rest of the sides in the Elite League.
Since arriving in late December, he has shifted focus towards balancing the squad more, which has led to a marked improvement in performances during recent matches.
“The league’s too good to just have one line playing offence, so we’re trying to let everyone chip in and spread more responsibility,” Curran added.
“We’re balancing the line-up more and asking more of them, and they have answered the call well.”
No perfect weekend for the Flyers

Photo credit: Fife Flyers
The Flyers were unable to record back-to-back wins during the latest gameweek, falling to a 4-2 defeat against Nottingham Panthers on Sunday.
And interim head coach Curran believes the late showing in Manchester a night earlier was reflected in the way his side began against Nottingham.
Fife looked very much the equal of the title-chasing Panthers, and even led 2-1 after the second period.
Despite faltering towards the end, Curran insists lots of positives can be taken from the 4-2 defeat, stating: “We had a next-level last leg in Manchester and picked it up from the start tonight.
“However, we found out that other teams do have that extra gear. [Nottingham] are one of the five or six teams that think they can win the league this season, and we gave them a few penalties which gave them momentum.
“I feel we can hit that next gear, but it’ll take time.”
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