The Genting Casino Coventry Blaze recorded a sixth straight Elite League victory on Friday night, edging the Belfast Giants 3-4 in overtime at the SSE Arena.
Coventry were boosted by the return of forward Alessio Luciani, while Sam Ruffin and Archie Hazeldine missed out on the trip.
Blaze made a fast start and earned an early powerplay after just 12 seconds when Josh Roach was called for slashing. Although Coventry were unable to capitalise, their early pressure set the tone and was rewarded at 8.19 when offensive defenceman Jere Vertanen finished a slick passing move involving Grayson Constable and Adam Robbins.
Just over a minute later, Blaze doubled their lead. A forced turnover saw Jack Hopkins deliver a pinpoint cross-ice pass to former Giant Elijiah Barriga, who finished clinically past Jackson Whistle at 9.53 to make it 0-2.
The title-chasing Giants looked unsettled but steadied themselves by killing a second penalty late in the period after Carter Hamill was penalised for hooking, heading into the break with work to do.
Belfast emerged with renewed urgency in the second period and applied sustained pressure. Even a controversial penalty call failed to disrupt their momentum, as defenceman Mike Lee intercepted a Blaze chance while short-handed before skating up ice and using Ben Lake as a decoy to beat Mat Robson for 1-2 at 28.18.
Coventry responded well, swinging momentum back in their favour and earning a fourth consecutive powerplay when David Goodwin was sent to the box for slashing. Blaze were fortunate not to concede another short-handed goal when Lee broke free on a 2-on-1 once more, this time opting to pass, only for the attempt to be cut out.
The Giants had a powerplay opportunity of their own with four minutes remaining in the period after Jordan Power was called for slashing, but Coventry’s penalty kill stood firm to preserve their lead heading into the third.
Blaze came close to restoring their two-goal advantage early in the final period, with Matthew Gleason’s spinning effort striking the crossbar on Coventry’s fifth powerplay of the night.
Both netminders were kept busy as the game entered its closing stages, but it was Blaze who struck next. A hard-working shift at 54.02 saw Gleason convert on the rebound from a Colton Saucerman shot to make it 1-3.
Belfast refused to go quietly, pulling a goal back with 3.21 remaining as Ryan Smith’s shot was redirected home by Brandon Whistle to cut the deficit to 2-3.
With Whistle pulled for the extra skater, the Giants piled on the pressure, striking the post and crossbar in quick succession. With 1.19 remaining, a frantic scramble in front of the Blaze net followed, and after video review, the puck was ruled to have crossed the line to level the game at three.
Despite the late setback, Coventry showed resilience to secure at least a point and force overtime.
Blaze wasted little time in the extra period, controlling possession from the puck drop, and just 40 seconds in it was Jordan Power – who has made a significant impact since joining the club ahead of Christmas – who fired home the game-winner to seal a 3-4 victory.
The result extends Coventry’s unbeaten run in regulation in 2026, with Blaze collecting 20 points from the last 22 available.
Photo credit: William Cherry
