GAME PREVIEW: STARS BEGIN CHALLENGE CUP CAMPAIGN AGAINST GIANTS

The MKM Dundee Stars return to competitive action tonight against the Belfast Giants in the opening game of their Challenge Cup campaign.

By Luke McGinnis

Scott Dutertre’s men completed their preseason campaign last weekend, finishing with a record of four wins and one loss, with that one loss coming on Sunday night against the Fife Flyers in Kirkcaldy.

“We did a lot of good things throughout preseason,“ reflected Dutertre. “Fife was a good wake-up call. This next week, we need to clean up some things in terms of how we play and play within the details.”

Sebastian Bengtsson led the Stars in preseason scoring with seven points, followed closely by Jonathan McBean on six, while Maxim Eliseev and Rasmus Nousiainen had five.

McBean finished tied for the lead in goals with three, alongside Ben Brown and Travis Ewanyk.

All three Stars netminders impressed throughout preseason, posting a combined .921 across 300 minutes of game time.

The Belfast Giants completed a four-game preseason campaign, while also competing in the Warrior Cup which took place in Kaufbeuren, Germany.

Adam Keefe’s men began with an overtime loss to the Herlev Eagles, before securing retribution the following night with an overtime win of their own against the Danish side.

The reigning EIHL Champions then set out for Germany, where they upset Swiss National League side HC Ambrì-Piotta, before falling the following day to EHC Red Bull München in the Warrior Cup final.

“The most important thing for us against Belfast is to keep it simple and play our game. If we get running around and trying to play with them, we’ll be in tough. We just have to do what we do best,” Dutertre concluded.

Faceoff is scheduled for 7 p.m at the Dundee Ice Arena, make sure you secure your seat NOW!