Three Challenge Cup games on Saturday
Photo: Hayley Roberts
Saturday's Challenge Cup schedule features three games, with Belfast Giants hosting Fife Flyers, Glasgow Clan travelling to Dundee Stars and Cardiff Devils heading to Sheffield Steelers.
Belfast and Fife meet for the second time in six days after the Giants ran out 6-0 winners at the O2 Arena last Sunday. Belfast have a perfect eight points from four Cup games and sit top of Group B, having scored 21 goals and conceded only four. They are unbeaten both home and on the road in competitive action so far.
Fife sit second in Group B with five points from four games. Their campaign began with a shootout defeat to Glasgow before wins over Dundee and Clan, the latter coming in overtime, while last Sunday's defeat in Belfast was their first game of the season in which they failed to take a point. Three of the Flyers' opening four Cup games have either been decided by one goal or gone beyond regulation.
Dundee host Glasgow with both teams looking to improve their position in Group B. The Stars are fourth and still searching for their first Challenge Cup point after three defeats, with each of those games seeing them score exactly once. They also lost their opening league game 4-3 to Coventry, leaving them without a win through their first four competitive fixtures.
Glasgow are third in Group B with four points from three Cup games, one point behind Fife having played a game fewer. All three of Clan's Challenge Cup fixtures so far have required overtime or penalty shots: they beat Fife in a shootout, lost to Belfast on penalty shots and then went down in overtime in Kirkcaldy. They have also played twice in the league, losing 6-1 to Sheffield before Wednesday night's 2-1 defeat in Manchester.
Sheffield welcome Cardiff to the Utilita Arena with both sides on six points at the top of Group A. The Steelers have played and won all three Cup games so far, beating Coventry 6-0 before taking victories in a shootout against Guildford and overtime against Nottingham. They are unbeaten at home in competitive action, although their perfect overall start came to an end with Wednesday's 7-4 league defeat in Guildford.
Cardiff have now played five Cup games, with Friday night's 5-3 home win over Nottingham taking them to six points. The Devils remain unbeaten at the Vindico Arena this season, but Saturday presents a different challenge: both of their Challenge Cup road games so far have ended in defeat, 3-2 in Coventry and 5-1 in Guildford.
