Guildford Flames 7-5 Dundee Stars

Jordan Cownie netted an impressive brace for the Guildford Flames as Paul Dixon’s side emerged from the Bronze-Medal Game at the Elite League’s Playoff Finals Weekend with a 7-5 victory.

Cownie opened the scoring for the Flames after six minutes, beating Dundee Stars netminder Brython Preece from close range.

Dynamic forward Philippe Sanche pulled the Stars level just two minutes later, scoring Dundee’s first goal of Playoff Finals Weekend assisted by Alexandre Ranger.

Guildford and Dundee continued to take turns at scoring until midway through the second period, with Kyle Locke and Sebastian Bengtsson finding twine to leave the score tied on the half-hour mark.

However, Cownie soon broke the deadlock – beating Preece from behind the cage with a cheeky shot in the aftermath of an offensive zone scramble.

Ian McNulty added to Guildford’s advantage less than a minute later, tapping the puck home into a half-empty net after receiving a cross-crease pass from Cownie.

Charlie Combs netted his first goal of the weekend in the final period, capitalising on a broken play in the neutral zone before firing a wrist shot over Kevin Lindskoug’s glove.

Dundee, buoyed by Combs’ strike, equalised ten minutes later, with John Sills racing onto a Bengtsson drop pass and scoring top shelf, and took the lead with six minutes to go through Michael Poirier.

But it wasn’t to be for the Stars, who conceded thrice in the final four minutes of play. Levi Cable tied the match at 5-5 on 54:41, with Brett Ferguson and Owen Griffiths scoring the game-deciding goals.

EIHL Bronze Medal Game: Quotes

Dundee Stars’ Charlie Combs: ‘I love every guy in the locker room, so it was a sad one’

After the final buzzer sounded, Combs spoke with British Ice Hockey at ice level.

Question: What did you make of the Bronze-Medal Game as a whole?

“It was fun but obviously we wish were in the big dance later today. It was an emotional game: our last one as a full team and maybe some guys’ last game. It was fun – and I love every guy in the locker room, so it was a sad one.”

Question: Have you got a message to the Stars fans and organisation after your year with the team?

“Our fans are incredible: they’ve shown it all year and especially down the last stretch when they stuck with us through the highs and the lows. We play for them, love their support, and can’t thank them enough.

“I love every single guy in the locker room, I love our training staff, and I love our coach. You know, it’s obviously very emotional. At the end of the day, we’re proud of each other and what we accomplished this year was pretty cool.

“Just getting to this weekend was a big accomplishment for this organisation, so we’re happy in terms of the season as a whole.”

Guildford Flames’ Jordan Cownie: ‘I thought it was a pretty positive season’

After his double-goal performance, Cownie spoke with British Ice Hockey at ice level.

Jordan Cownie had a pair of goals and Owen Griffiths closed the afternoon with an empty netter as the Flames lost a 3rd period lead, but recovered for a playoff 3rd place finish with a 7-5 win over @DundeeStars. https://t.co/d9PHKj3PMF pic.twitter.com/xbCJCreIJs

— Guildford Flames (@flamesicehockey) May 1, 2022

Question: Your goal from behind the net was pretty audacious, what was your thought process on that?

“The puck just seemed to pop up and I saw Preece had his back to me – so, I just kind of banked it off his back and luckily it went in.”

Question: That was a big win for you in the end, what did you make of the game?

“It’s nice to win, obviously it’s a meaningless game but it’s always nice to win and to go out with a couple of goals.

Question: You were on Team GB’s reserve list, how do you feel about the season as a whole?

“I thought it was a pretty positive season considering COVID, I didn’t play for a year and a half. I’m pretty happy with where the team finished the league: we obviously had a rough patch in the middle of the season but apart from that it was a good season.”

Which players impressed you in the EIHL bronze-medal game? Join the discussion by tweeting @BritIceHockey.