Coventry Blaze ended their run of two losses with a 5-3 home win over Guildford Flames on Wednesday night at the Skydome.
The Blaze were sharp from the start, playing what defenceman Connor Russell described as “a full 60-minute game,” while the Flames, who were finally able to ice healthier lineup, came from behind three times before falling short.
Less than two minutes into the game, Russell opened the scoring with a shot past Taz Burman during a spell of 4-on-4 play – his first goal of the season. “It felt great,” said Russell. “I’m not usually a big goal scorer, so any way I can help the team like that is kind of a cherry on the top. We started really well and had a good couple of practices this week that got us ready to go tonight. Guildford made their push, but I thought we played more or less a full 60 minutes. It was huge to win here and put up five goals for our fans.”
Guildford pushed back, with Josh Nixon denied by Matt Robson from close range before breaking up a Blaze pass in the Flames’ zone and skating in alone, only for Ivan Chukarov to recover and take away the chance. With 4:33 left in the first, Ethan Strang levelled the game for the Flames with a shot over Robson’s shoulder after an excellent pass from Nick Seitz, who was making his Flames debut against his former team. “I think we worked hard,” said Seitz. “It was our first time having a healthy lineup in a while, so I think some guys were getting their legs under them again. We did some exciting things, but certainly have some bits to clean up too.”
Colton Saucerman quickly restored Coventry’s lead with a top-corner finish to make it 2-1 through 20 minutes. Guildford tied the game early in the second when Busch skated through and beat Robson with a powerplay goal at 21:11. Minutes later, Kim Tallberg found the top corner to put Coventry back in front, only for Strang to score his second of the night and make it 3-3 shortly before the half-hour mark.
With a little over seven minutes left in the period, Alessio Luciani sent a clever backhand pass across the crease to Grayson Constable, who was perfectly placed in front to restore the Blaze’s lead. Robson came up with a key stop late in the period to keep Coventry 4-3 ahead heading into the third.
Jack Jacome should have pulled the Flames level again early in the final period but missed the target, while Cole Ully saw his effort from a tight angle saved by Robson. This time, though, the Flames couldn’t find a fourth equaliser. With Burman pulled for the extra skater and heavy pressure in the Blaze zone, a turnover led to Tallberg finding the empty net from inside his own half to seal a 5-3 Coventry victory.
Reflecting on a busy period that saw him move from Sheffield to Guildford, Seitz added: “It’s definitely been hectic – especially coming back to Coventry, so there’s a lot going on. I’m excited to play, get back on the ice and compete. At the end of the day, I’m most comfortable out there on the ice.”
Photo: Scott Stevens