Fife Flyers: Players hit the ice for first time straight after arriving in town

The dressing-room at Fife Ice Arena is a hive of activity as more new faces arrive and are settled into their accommodation for the 2022-23 ice hockey season.

The club will be at full strength for the first challenge game on home ice against Glasgow Clan on Friday night, before travelling to Tayside to play Dundee Stars on Sunday.

The club has completely rebuilt its roster after last season’s poor tenth placed finish, and the games will give the host of new signings a chance to meet their team mates, and get ice time under their belts.

The first arrivals have already laced up for skate to shake the summer rust from their blades.

Flyers have signed half a dozen Scandinavian skaters this team - their biggest ever contingent - to mix with their more traditional North American imports.

Finnish forwards Janne Laakkonen and Janne Kivilahti were among the arrivals in Kirkcaldy arrived this morning .

Laakkonen knows UK hockey well after two spells with Coventry Blaze where his points were key to the club’s output.

The 40-year old has also iced with teams in Sweden, Russia and Austria as well as his home nation.

Many Blaze fans were sorry to see him depart the Midlands’s club.

“It feels good to get that sort of reaction,” he said. “I must have done something right!”

His focus now is getting to know his new team-mates.

“Flyers are a very different team this season,” he said. “When I knew it was a new start, I wanted to come up and pitch in.

“It’ll be good to get two games this weekend - you need to get to know each other pretty fast.

“It was good to hit the ice straight away.”

Janne Kivilahti needed no introduction, however - the duo were team mates at Blaze last season.

Kivlahti enjoyed a solid EIHL debut season in 2021-22, and is looking forward to settling into his new surroundings.

“I know all the Swedish guys on the team,” he said.

“I’ve prepared well in summer and hope to make a big contribution to the team.”