Kirkcaldy Kestrels suffered a gut-wrenching home defeat against Dundee Rockets in the Scottish National League (SNL) on Saturday.
The Kestrels worked themselves into a superb position at Fife Ice Arena but were eventually overhauled as the Rockets battled back to snatch a 6-5 overtime win.
Goals by Grant Jamieson, Jamie Wilson and Joe Somerville gave the Kestrels a 3-0 lead at the end of the first period.
George Pitcaithly extended the advantage early in the second session before the Rockets finally got on the scoreboard in the 22nd minute.
Pitcaithly restored the home side’s four-goal cushion after 31 minutes, but the visitors scored their second goal before the end of the period.
The Kestrels looked to be on their way to victory midway through the final session, but the Rockets bagged three goals in six minutes to send the game to overtime.
They subsequently netted the winner 96 seconds into the additional period to complete a remarkable comeback.
While the end result was frustrating, the Kestrels could take plenty of positives from the game. Their roster contained six Under-19 players – three of whom are aged just 15.
All of the players will collectively learn from what was undoubtedly a missed opportunity to defeat the best team they have faced this season.
The Kestrels hit the road next weekend, visiting Kilmarnock Thunder in the SNL on Saturday before facing Edinburgh Capitals in the first leg of their Scottish Cup final the following day.