The Genting Casino Coventry Blaze made it four wins from four games to begin the Elite League regular season with an impressive 4-6 come from behind victory against Belfast Giants at SSE Arena on Saturday.
The Giants came out firing and quickly seized the lead when Pierre-Olivier Morin capitalised on a rebound from Mike Lee’s blue-line shot, slotting the puck past Mat Robson at just 1.38.
Former Blaze forward Ben Lake doubled the Giants’ advantage at 8.20, also on a rebound effort, with the goal standing after a coach’s challenge from Kevin Moore and an extended video review.
Belfast continued to apply relentless pressure, but Coventry’s defence held firm.
Their resilience paid off when Chase Gresock cut the deficit to one at 16.25 with his second goal of the regular season. The in-form American found the back of the net past a grounded Tom McCollum, with Brandon Alderson providing the assist.
Coventry came out stronger in the second period, but a costly turnover at 22.12 allowed Scott Conway to extend Belfast’s lead to 3-1 with an unassisted goal.
Undeterred by the setback, Blaze responded well and grabbed their second goal at 30.48 when Nick Seitz fed Alessio Luciani in the slot who finished with precision.
Despite a disjointed start to their first powerplay, of the game on 34.24, Blaze’s league-leading unit eventually found its rhythm. Zach Heintz netted his third goal in as many games at 36.21, assisted by Gresock, tying the game 3-3.
With Lake in the box for tripping, Coventry’s powerplay struck again at 47.42, as Brandon Alderson hammered home a one-timer from Mike Regush and Kim Tallberg, giving the visitors their first lead of the night.
The Giants had a late chance to equalise with an extended 5-on-3 advantage. While Coventry successfully killed off the first penalty, Scott Conway made them pay during the 5-on-4, netting his second of the night to tie the game 4-4 at 56.04.
Coventry kept pressing offensively, and the game-winner came with just 1.24 remaining. Luciani’s shot and rebound were batted out of the air by Nick Seitz, who scored from close range to make it 4-5.
In the dying moments, Robson made a stunning save to deny Morin an equalizer with just 15 seconds left. Kim Tallberg then found Luciani, who scored into the empty net to seal a 4-6 victory with only four seconds remaining.
Photo credit: William Cherry
