Coventry Blaze recorded their second win of the week with a convincing 4-1 victory over the Fife Flyers at the Skydome Arena.
The Blaze made a strong start, taking control early and setting the tone for the night. At 6:26, Matthew Gleason opened the scoring on a penalty shot after being fouled on a breakaway, beating Christian Purboo with a composed finish. Just over a minute later, William Boysen doubled the lead with a quick spin and shot into the net at 7:45.
Coventry dominated much of the first period, with Dershahn Stewart standing tall at the other end to deny Fife during a late flurry of chances. The Blaze almost made it three before the intermission when Elijiah Barriga rang a shot off the underside of the bar.
Fife pushed early in the middle frame, testing Stewart through Giordano Finoro, but the Blaze netminder continued his excellent night with a key blocker save. The home side continued to create the better chances, and midway through the period Sam Ruffin extended the lead with a shorthanded goal after Martin Pelech was called for cross-checking.
Finoro eventually broke Stewart’s shutout bid with 12:10 left in the third, tucking home to get Fife on the board. However, the Blaze restored their three-goal cushion when Grant Mismash was slashed on a breakaway and made no mistake from the resulting penalty shot with 7:30 to play.
“It was a really good game for us,” said Blaze goaltender Dershahn Stewart after the win. “We came out flying in the first and set the pace for the whole game. Defensively we were excellent. I saw all the shots, and the boys blocked a lot too. Fife threw everything at us, but the guys in front of me were great.”
Reflecting on his performance, Stewart added: “Obviously, you always want a shutout, it would have been my first as a pro, but I’m happy with how I played and happier that we got the win. That’s what matters at the end of the day.”
Photo: Scott Wiggins