SSE Arena, Belfast – There was a noticeable difference between the Fife Flyers and Belfast Giants as they went about their morning skates before the 2023 Challenge Cup Final.
The Flyers, who took to the ice first in Belfast, were quietly confident. They ran their drills quickly and quietly before meandering back to the away locker room. They were in the zone – and cautiously confident ahead of their cup final collision with the Giants.
The Flyers, explained head coach Todd Dutiaume in a media scrum, usually travel on the day of their road fixtures. But not for this one, they arrived a day early.
“It was great to get out there and get used to the softer ice here,” said the Canadian after his team left the ice. “We had a positive training session and the guys are upbeat. We’re ready now.”
2023 Challenge Cup Final: Fife Flyers quietly confident for silverware showdown
While the Flyers boast a proud history as one of the most-storied clubs from our hockey landscape, they are yet to taste success in the Elite League era.
Fife have only appeared at Playoff Finals Weekend three times, have never finished higher than sixth in the regular season, and – until last month – had never made it beyond the Challenge Cup quarter-finals.
But records – good and bad – are there to be broken, especially when you have an elite backstop on your roster.
Todd Dutiaume on #cc23: "The opportunity to win a trophy doesn't come around all the time, certainly for smaller market clubs.
"We're excited, it's an achievement to get here, but your competitive spirit kicks in and you want to win this thing."
— Luke James (@LukeJames_32) March 1, 2023
Shane Owen is, by all metrics, one of the best netminders to have featured in the Elite League. The Canadian, a former Belfast Giant, holds a relatively modest .909 save percentage on the season – but his influence cannot be measured only by the numbers.
2023 Challenge Cup Final: Shane Owen set for battle of the netminders
Owen is a win thief – plain and simple – and will play a crucial role for the Flyers as they target their first trophy in over a decade.
Zack Phillips, who leads Fife in every offensive metric this term, was quick to praise his countrymen in an exclusive conversation with British Ice Hockey.
“He’s obviously huge for us,” the 30-year-old explained ahead of the 2023 Challenge Cup Final, “in my opinion, he’s the best goalie in the league. He’s kept us in a lot of games for sure. They’re a really good offensive team and will come in waves with their shots. Shane will hopefully have another good performance for us.”
Dutiaume added: “There’s a lot of talk about Shane and what he does for the club on the ice. When we had the opportunity to bring him back for a couple of years, I knew we had a game-breaker, a guy that can win you a game on any given night. I’d love it for Shane to lift that trophy – it would be a wonderful feather in the cap for him.”
Owen has been on a journey since he last experienced a trophy lift. The Markham, Ontario-born netminder helped the Moncton Wildcats win the 2010-11 QMJHL Championship and has amassed experience in seven professional leagues since.
Wouldn’t it be something for him to come out on top in the 2023 Challenge Cup Final?
2023 Challenge Cup Final: Shane Owen, Fife Flyers (Image: Flyers Images)
“I feel amazing,” the 32-year-old told British Ice Hockey shortly after he left morning skate. “I’m really excited for this opportunity, I think we all are, and I’m really looking forward to tonight. I mean, it can’t come soon enough.”
But what was on his mind in that moment?
“The less you think, the better you play,” Owen continued with a smile. “I think you’ve just got to get into the zone, focus all day, be ready to play, play freely out there, and just trust yourself.”
There is no indication that the Flyers will be overawed by the occasion, with fans travelling over land and sea in their hundreds.
“It’s almost 1,000 people and that’s just huge,” explained captain Jonas Emmerdahl before the 2023 Challenge Cup Final. “It’s so important that they are here to have our backs for this… I’m excited. Everyone is so excited to have a big chance to win today, it’s a historic game for the Flyers organisation.”
2023 Challenge Cup Finals: Belfast Giants cite championship experience
The 2023 Challenge Cup Final sold out even faster than expected – which will make for an unbelievable atmosphere in Belfast.
The Giants have enjoyed impressive support for a while, but that has intensified since the pandemic.
They are a unique sports institution on the island, with an intense leader at the helm. Adam Keefe, in his sixth season as the head coach in Belfast, has built a smooth operation with the Giants. When his squad wobbled in December, he immediately turned to the market and went all-in on another title tilt.
Related: Belfast Giants will write new history after ‘gutting’ Skellefteå loss
Suffice to say, his players took note.
“We know that our management team is behind us and they’re going to do whatever it takes to give us the best possibility to win every night,” forward Ben Lake told British Ice Hockey. “It’s just a matter of what we do on the ice and we’ve been on a pretty good run lately. Hopefully it goes our way tonight.”
2023 Challenge Cup Final: Adam Keefe, Belfast Giants (Image: Johanna Salo / Norran)
While Keefe played down talk about a potential league, cup, and playoff treble in his interactions with reporters, he acknowledged the impact his midseason additions have made.
“I think so,” he said when asked if recent arrivals – most notably Tyler Beskorowany and Grant Cooper – have boosted his squad’s title hopes. “Some of those changes were brought upon us, but the players who have come in had done a great job and have added value to the team.
“The players that have been here all season have done a great job welcoming them and continuing to lead the team. I think it’s just been a great transition.”
2023 Challenge Cup Final: Belfast Giants own reigning champion swagger
The Giants buzzed around the ice in their morning skate. Beskorowany – tonight’s projected starter – was in fine spirits as he stared down line rushes, with banter exchanged between each drill.
Belfast are evidently in the zone, albeit with an added scoop of reigning champion swagger.
“Anytime you win [a championship], you just want to replicate that feeling,” said Lake. “There’s no feeling like when you get to celebrate with all the guys after you lift a trophy. There’s no better feeling and you get even hungrier for it once you’ve already tasted it.
“We’ve got a lot of guys who have had that feeling and a few guys who haven’t, so I think we have the right mixture of knowing what it takes [to win] and guys who are hungry to experience that for the first time.”
In a battle between the quietly confident Flyers and the been-there-done-that Giants, which side will prevail? Tune in to ViaPlay from seven o’clock to find out.
Join the discussion about the 2023 Challenge Cup Final in the comments.
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