The Genting Casino Coventry Blaze responded in style on Sunday night, earning a 4-1 victory over the Fife Flyers at the Skydome Arena in the Elite League.
Puck drop followed a poignant Remembrance ceremony, observed impeccably by the Coventry crowd in a moment of reflection and respect.
With Dershahn Stewart making a second consecutive start, Blaze had their goaltender to thank for keeping the game level early. The Canadian made several key saves as Fife began with strong intent and early pressure.
The visitors’ momentum was halted at 6.36 when Matthew Gleason won and converted a penalty shot to give Coventry the lead.
Less than a minute later, Blaze doubled their advantage as William Boysen pounced on a loose puck after a Fife defenceman failed to control a cross-ice feed from Connor Russell, who picked up his third assist of the weekend.
Before the first intermission, Blaze came close again, with Elijiah Barriga rattling the underside of the crossbar.
Fife threatened to respond early in the second period when Giordano Finoro broke clear, only to be denied superbly by Stewart. The game’s first penalty didn’t arrive until 32.37, when Russell was called for roughing, but the Flyers’ powerplay couldn’t find a way past a resolute Blaze defence.
Another man-advantage came the Flyers’ way at 37.32 after Mike Pelech was penalised for cross-checking – but instead of pulling one back, they were punished on the counter. Just 20 seconds into the powerplay, Sam Ruffin broke down the wing on a two-on-one with Gleason and chose to shoot, firing past Christian Purboo to make it 3-0. It was Ruffin’s second goal in as many nights and earned him the Man of the Match award.
Early in the third, Purboo denied Grant Mismash on a breakaway, before Stewart produced another highlight save to stop veteran Garrett Hunt at the back post.
Coventry sealed the result at 52.30 with a second penalty shot of the evening. Mismash, impeded on a breakaway, stepped up and converted confidently to round off a strong 4-1 win for the Blaze.
Photo credit: Scott Wiggins
