Dundee Stars coach Omar Pacha has targeted top spot in Challenge Cup Group A as they look to end the first phase in strong fashion.
They welcome Belfast Giants to Tayside on Saturday before completing their group phase with a trip to Fife Flyers on Sunday.
And Pacha is homing in on what will be an historic top spot if they can win the first game against the holders, Giants.
He told Dundee Stars’ website: “Finish first in the group is a clear goal of ours right now and it’s going to be an interesting weekend.
“It could be the first time in Stars history that we qualify first in the group and we’ve had great success in group so far this year, with three wins and one loss so far.
“I like where we are at the start of the season, but we just have to make sure we accomplish our goals. Obviously qualifying for the next round of the cup is the first priority but to finish top would make it a bit sweeter.
Dundee Stars netminder Alex Leclerc played a key role in their Challenge Cup win at Belfast Giants, two weeks ago (PHOTO: William Cherry/Press Eye)
“Belfast are a top team, so if we do a good job at home and take away points then we might not have to see them in the quarter-finals, semi-finals or the final.
“We need to win to be on top of the group, so we are just going to make sure we are ready from the get-go.”
Stars come into the weekend on the back of a mixed weekend, beating Guildford Flames at home before losing 7-1 to them on Sunday – a frustrating experience for them.
But Pacha didn’t get bogged down on the negative side of things, but insists all that is behind them as they focus on the job at hand,
He added: “We’re just going to make sure we are prepared for Belfast, but we had won three in a row before the loss to Guildford.
“I think it is a good learning curve, but to lose a game like that was frustrating after arriving just 20 minutes before warm-up. There is no excuses and we get back to work this week.
“There were more positives than negatives from the weekend, it was a bad day at the office but now we move forward into a big game to qualify us top of the group in the Challenge Cup.”
