By Luke McGinnis
On Wednesday night, the Stars edged past the Fife Flyers 3-2 in a shootout, reclaiming top spot in Group B of the Challenge Cup.
Morten Jürgens and Kameron Kielly were the scorers for Dundee in regulation, before Kielly added his second of the night in the shootout alongside captain Drydn Dow. Emil Kruse was sharp in net, posting a .938 save percentage and denying all four Fife attempts in the shootout.
Manchester, meanwhile, are coming off a weekend split with the Guildford Flames — earning a 3-2 win at home before falling 6-3 on the road. Nick Welsh and Kaleb Ergang led the way with four points each, while Gary Haden, Brady Gilmour, and Stephen Johnson all added three.
The Stars and Storm met six times last season, each claiming three victories. Keanu Yamamoto led Dundee in scoring with nine points, followed closely by Drydn Dow on seven. Jarrett Fiske backstopped all Stars three wins, posting a .938 save percentage and a 2.67 goals-against average. Meanwhile, Stephen Johnson and Loren Ulett both contributed four points for Manchester. Evan Weninger was between the pipes for all three Storm wins, recording a .913 save percentage alongside a 3.33 goals-against average.
Dundee and Manchester have met once already this season, with the Storm coming away with a 4-3 overtime victory in Altrincham. Matt Berry, Bradley Schoonbaert, and Craig Moore found the back of the net for the Stars, while the Storm saw goals from Joseph Nardi, Gary Haden, and Brandon Cutler in regulation before Harrison Caines sealed the win in overtime.
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