Flyers secure improved ice time as signings stall

Fife Flyers have secured new training times with Fife Ice Arena for the 2016-17 season.

The Elite League side has traditionally trained late in the evening due to the high demand for ice at the Kirkcaldy facility.

The rink runs seven days a week, 6am to midnight most days, and is also home to Kirkcaldy Junior Ice Hockey Club, Kirkcaldy Figure Skating Club, numerous curling clubs and school groups, as well as regular public skating and ice discos.

Flyers head coach Todd Dutiaume has long campaigned for earlier slots and is delighted with the earlier allocation, with both full ice and end ice slots available on a daily basis.

“This is something that we have strived to come to an agreement on with the rink for a number of years now,” he said. “It will see us train at more productive times and allow our guys to get into a more structured routine.

“As well as the day to day benefits, it will also help with recruitment pre-season.

“Kirkcaldy has always been a great place to live and the Flyers is an excellent organisation to work for, this next step gets us to a point where we want to be as a club.

“I’d like to thank Fife Ice Arena for helping to make this change possible.”

Meanwhile, Dutiaume has hit a few stumbling blocks in his attempts to rebuild the squad for next season.

So far only three returnees - Ryan Dingle, Phil Paquet and Shayne Stockton - have been confirmed with 12 weeks to go until the new season.

“I know the fans will be thinking, when will we announce more players, and I feel their frustrations,” Dutiaume said. “There have been a few hold ups regarding player recruitment, some within my control and some not, so it has been challenging.

“However, I want the fans to know that I’m working on building a team that will play for themselves, the fans, and the club as a whole.

“We are looking to make a number of upgrades and to do this, we are looking at players that are at the top end, who have a number of other teams and leagues interested in them, so this takes a bit more time with regards to negotiations, contracts etc.

“I want to find the right players, that both myself and the owners are happy with. We want to challenge for silverware, and not just be a team who makes up the numbers.

“I am keen to take this club forward both on and off the ice. I know it’s frustrating having to wait for signing news, but a lot of the ground work is now done, so hopefully the long wait is almost over.”