Dundee Stars coach Omar Pacha is looking to bottom of the table Milton Keynes Lightning to do them a favour going the final regular season weekend.
Stars are in tenth, two points off the play-offs with Storm a point in front when Ryan Finnerty’s men head to MK and Pacha knows a win for his former team will effectively end their top eight hopes.
So he’s calling on Tim Wallace’s team to give them the boost they reckon they need before they head to Belfast Giants on Saturday.
“We are where we are and we have to be patient and see how the result goes for us in Milton Keynes,” he said.
“Regardless of what happens, we want to finish the season strongly, but there will be added incentive if we can still be in on Saturday night.
“Hopefully, Milton Keynes can help us by getting a result against Manchester on Friday to make the weekend worth something.
“It’s a tough one to go to on Saturday, against a Belfast team chasing the league title, but we’ve won three times against this year.
Dundee won in Belfast the last time they went there, but are hoping Milton Keynes can do them a favour on Friday night (PHOTO: William Cherry/Press Eye)
“It’ll be far from easy and when we did beat them, it seemed like the hardest game of the season, but it will be a grind and hopefully we can do the same.
“I just hope the Friday game can help to motivate us into giving us a push if we’re still in it.”
Despite their precarious position, Pacha remains proud that his team are still in the play-off conversation going into the final weekend.
He reflected on what’s been a difficult campaign at times, although he’d love to be higher up the standings, but is proud of how the club has grown during his two years on Tayside.
He added: “We’re not in a position we would like, of course, but there have been some decisions that have gone against us, with a goal chopped off in Manchester that’s put us in a tough spot.
“It’s hard to be critical of this group. We faced a lot of injuries at the start of the season and played a lot of games short or with five D-men.
“Losing Bouchard for the season was a blow too and you can tell, from then, we’ve had trouble scoring. Again, it’s disappointing to be where we are, but we’re not out of it yet, but we’ll need a bit of help along the way.
“I’ve really enjoyed the growth of Dundee in the last couple of years and seeing the sport grow in the city and to see how competitive we are in a very tough league.
“We put more resources in and we hope to put more in and that’s because of more sponsorship, more exposure and more brand awareness.
“To be competitive every single night is a difficult thing, but one I can be happy with.”
