RYAN FINNERTY believes Braehead Clan are hitting form at the right time as the Glasgow side were made to wait to be crowned Gardiner Conference champions.
The Clan head coach watched on from the bench on Friday night as his players inflicted an 8-5 defeat on rivals Fife Flyers in front of a 3500-strong crowd at Braehead Arena, leaving them within touching distance of topping their division.
All the men in purple were left waiting on was for the Flyers to win either of their weekend double header games against Dundee Stars, meaning the Tayside club would be unable to catch Braehead in their section.
However, it would turn out to be a trio of beatings for the Kirkcaldy club, who went down 4-3 on home ice before a 4-2 loss in Dundee on Sunday night.
It means Finnerty’s men now know a regulation-time victory over the Stars in Glasgow next Saturday would clinch the Gardiner Conference trophy for the third straight time and, perhaps more importantly, the second seeding for the play-offs that comes with it.
“We have come to the end of a five game segment and our goal was to get out eight out of 10 points,” said Finnerty. “We’ve got eight out 10. It’s been a lot of fun.
“We’ve had a long stretch at home over February and we’ve got one more next week. Hopefully we can secure the conference that night.
“At this time of the year it’s all about points and this run at home has helped. I think we have found our game a little bit.
“Obviously we would like to be tighter defensively and in certain areas, but every team is saying that. The one thing that is tough is to score goals, and that hasn’t been an area of concern for us unlike last year.
“We have so much talent. On Friday we had massive secondary scoring, all the lines were going. It was a lot of fun to be a part of and hopefully we can continue this.”
The end result on Friday night may have been emphatic but Clan made hard work of getting out of arm’s reach of their opponents during a frantic first period.
Scott Pitt opened the scoring for the hosts, but a hat-trick from Ryan Dingle in the first had Fife in front twice only for strikes from Cody Carlson, captain Matt Keith and Corey Cowick pushing Clan back in front at the break.
An early start to the second paid off. Stefan Della Rovere prodded the puck home before Cowick grabbed his second and eventually his third soon after.
A late rally from the Flyers was rewarded with goals for Carlo Finucci and Matt Sisca narrowed the gap between the sides to do, but Pitt was on hand to complete a brace and steady the nerves of the vast majority inside the arena.
“The energy and the crowd within the building was incredible. The guys fed off of it,” said Finnerty. “We were just trying to make a game of it at the end I think!
“It was a good result. Defensively we gave up one on the power play and one short handed, but we pressed so much. That will happen.
“Overall it was a pretty good performance. We had the majority of the play and probably had chances to get into double figures. When that happens you have to be pleased.”
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