Guildford Flames scored two late goals to continue their excellent record against Clan this season, winning for the fourth straight time.
“It’s always a tough place to come and play, and with the changes Glasgow have made recently they had a good game on Wednesday and we knew we had to be ready,” began Flames forward Tyler Busch. “We knew we were going to have to give our best. It was a greasy road win and we found our way.”
Interim head coach Mike Sirant was looking for another win after being boosted by Wednesday’s 4 to 1 victory over Nottingham.
The Flames, however, held the edge in the season series, with two home wins in Surrey and a 3 to 2 overtime victory already banked in Glasgow. Both sides knew two points could prove crucial in a tight mid table race.
In goal, Liam Souliere got the start for Clan, opposite Justin Fazio for Guildford.
The opening period was tight and physical, with multiple post whistle scrums setting an edgy tone as Clan tried to assert themselves. Glasgow created some of the better chances, including on a power play following a slashing call on Sean Comrie, but Souliere and Fazio ensured it remained scoreless after 20 minutes.
Guildford struck first when Ethan Strang opened the scoring, but Clan hit back as Robert Lachowicz dangled Fazio off his feet to level the game at one each. The hosts then seized control late in the period, with Rylan Schwartz sending Glasgow into the second intermission 2-1 ahead.
“We knew we needed to stay patient,” added Busch. “Sticking to the game plan, we knew we would get our chances. We did a better job sticking to the inside and driving through the middle, getting pucks deep. We made a couple of adjustments between periods and it worked out well.”
Fazio made an excellent save to deny Brayden Burke around the midpoint of the third period to keep the Flames just one goal behind.
Mathieu Gosselin tied the game at 52:54, before, with under two minutes remaining, Tyler Busch was left alone in front and took two whacks at the puck to put the Flames ahead.
Souliere left the net with exactly two minutes to play as Clan chased an equaliser with the extra skater, but the Flames threw bodies into shooting lanes to keep the puck away from Fazio. Jamal Watson then found the empty net in the dying seconds to seal the win.
Photo: Ryan Fleming
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