Fife Flyers: Chris Lawrence on whirlwind return to Fife after summer in Australia

A summer coaching in Australia overlapped with the opening weeks of the 2022-23 campaign in Kirkcaldy.

Jetlag was pushed to one side as he made an instant impact, netting in a 5-2 road win over Dundee Stars before heading across the Irish Sea to take on Belfast Giants in the first game of a weekend double header.

“A baptism of fire for sure,”he said, “but that’s often the easy way to do it.

“I got through the weekend after working with the strength and conditioning coach in Melbourne this summer. That really helped.

“I’m looking to recover this week for a couple of days and excited for the weekend.”

Lawrence’s life in hockey has been filled with travels.

His kitbag has dropped in dressing-rooms from Virginia to California, San Francisco, Houston, Michigan and back to Ontario where he started out as a junior.

In the UK he iced with Nottingham, Coventry, Sheffield and Dundee before jumping on board in Kirkcaldy after a short spell in Angers, France.

Summer in Melbourne saw him behind the bench as head coach in his own right for the first time.

“I did some player coaching with Dundee , and that was a cool experience,” he said.

“Dutes and Hutchy gave me a lot of mentoring at the end of last season on how they go about their work on a day to day basis, and that was a big help going to Australia.”

A summer Down Under has proved to be a popular destination for a number of players.

While the league is made up of local skaters, there are some unmistakable North American accents to be heard around the rinks. His fellow coaches included Kevin Noble, formerly of Coventry Blaze, who ran the bench with Newcastle Northstars.

Lawrence’s side made it to the play-offs where they were beaten 7-3 in the semi-finals by the Sydney Bears.

“It was a really great experience,” he said. “There’s some good, talented players down there - a lot of young guys on a learning curve, who stick up for their team mates and are great fun to work with.”

The semi-pro Mustangs play out of the 1500-capacity rink they share with rivals Melbourne Ice, and the league takes the team across the country.

“The fans down there who are into hockey are fantastic - they love the sport,” he said.

Lawrence returned to a very different Fife side last week - one he is looking forward to seeing progress as the season develops.

“There are a lot of different players, some really good characters and a lot of talent - I could see that in the games last weekend.

“Janne Kivilahti - watching him is a highlight for me. He’s a very strong, smart player.

“We have some really great players. We don’t need many chances to score

“With the short-handed lineup last weekend you could see the character shining through. We never gave up, went with two lines against three. Once we get bodies back, we will show we are a team to be reckoned with.”

Lawrence pinpointed the progression of the team;s home-based skaters - “they have really stepped up this year” - and how quickly the team has bonded at the start of a new campaign where the play-offs are one of the key goals.

“It’s great to see that progression,” he said. “The guys are excited about this year. We have more talent - and we can put the puck in the net.

“The fans are also a huge part of the club. When you are shorthanded, they give you that energy to keep going and keep fighting to pull out the wins

“And in a hockey town like this, you have to give it your all out on the ice.”