Today in Parliament I celebrated Fife Flyers success in securing a playoff spot in the Elite Ice Hockey League, following their dramatic double header victories over rivals the Braehead Clan.
I am delighted that two fantastic results at the weekend have secured the Flyers place in the playoffs and I hope they can now go on and beat Dundee and win a playoff weekend spot in Nottingham.
I congratulated the team by lodging a motion, which can be found below, in the Scottish Parliament following Flyers 5-4 shootout victory in Braehead on Saturday and 4-1 win on Sunday at the Fife Ice Arena.
The motion highlighted the weekend wins and Fife securing their playoff spot against the Dundee Stars. The motion also highlights the work the Fife Flyers do off rink within the community including their school visits and support of other local organisations.
Whilst ice hockey doesn’t have the exposure that sports such as football has in Scotland it still attracts thousands every week and it is great for the sport that we are guaranteed a Scottish side in Nottingham for the first time in the EIHL. I just hope that team is Fife.
The team don’t just deserve credit on ice as their off ice operations is just as successful and Kirsty and Ross are just as much a credit to their team as Jordan Fulton and Matt Reber. It is great the work they do in local schools and with local organisations and I hope that they go from strength to strength both off and on the ice.
Motion S4M-09448 – Fife flying into the Playoffs
That the Parliament congratulates Fife Flyers on securing its 2014 Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL) play-off spot at the weekend of 22-23 March 2014; understands that, due to the team’s win against its rivals, Braehead Clan, it ended the season in third place in the Gardiner Conference, finishing in seventh place overall in the EIHL standings; congratulates Dundee Stars and Braehead Clan on also qualifying for this season’s play-offs; notes that Fife Flyers will face the Dundee Stars this coming weekend, guaranteeing that a Scottish side will make the play-off weekend for the first time in the EIHL; commends the hard work that the team undertakes both on the rink and in the local community, visiting schools and supporting other local causes, and extends best wishes to the team for success in the future.