The Genting Casino Coventry Blaze began their Challenge Cup campaign with a 4-2 win over Cardiff Devils at Skydome Arena on Sunday.
Coming off a hard-fought overtime point in Sheffield the night before, Blaze took the lead inside ten minutes through Man of the Match Ian McNulty who reacted first to a rebound on the powerplay at 9.11.
Six minutes later the Devils equalised with Trevor Cox beating former teammate Taran Kozun in the Blaze net on a two-on-one rush.
Cardiff took the lead 84 seconds into the second period when their Man of the Match Cole Ully finished Jamie Arniel’s feed neatly.
Just after the half-way mark, Coventry turned the game around with two goals in two minutes.
Tyler Kirkup tied things up at 34.14 after being set free in the Devils zone by McNulty and at 36.11 played McNulty deflected Tallberg’s pass beyond Callum Booth to put the home side back ahead.
Devils pushed for an equaliser in the final period, but Blaze put in a smart and effective defensive effort to keep them at bay.
Their performance was rewarded when Captain Brady Norrish finished the scoring into the Devils’ empty net at 59.24.
Photo credit: Scott Wiggins
