The Genting Casino Coventry Blaze claimed a hard-fought 2-1 overtime victory over the Manchester Storm on Sunday night at the Skydome Arena, closing the gap on the visitors in the Elite League standings to just three points.
The Blaze were handed the first powerplay of the night at 4.46 when Zach Sullivan was assessed a two-minute minor for interference after a heavy hit on Zaine McKenzie. Although Coventry applied early pressure, Manchester responded with an extended spell of offensive zone time, which eventually saw David Clements called for slashing at 9.13.
It was the Blaze who struck first. Mack Stewart opened the scoring after excellent work down low from Colton Saucerman, who delivered a pass from the corner to the top of the crease. Stewart lifted the puck above the pads of Drew DeRidder to give the home side a 1-0 lead, with McKenzie also collecting an assist on the play.
The second period burst into life immediately with a spirited scrap at 21.24 between Storm’s Chase Harrison and Blaze’s Connor Russell, both receiving fighting majors.
As the physical edge intensified, Manchester found themselves in penalty trouble, taking two further minors before the midway mark. However, their penalty-kill, backed by a strong performance from goaltender DeRidder, kept the deficit at a single goal.
Early in the third period the momentum shifted as Coventry were penalised twice in quick succession, with Clements and Russell both sent to the box. The Storm enjoyed a brief 5-on-3 advantage and capitalised during the powerplay at 47.18, when Brady Gilmour finished off a setup from Nick Welsh to level the contest at 1-1.
Blaze netminder and Man of the Match Mat Robson stood tall throughout, turning aside 31 shots in total and shutting the door for the remainder of regulation and into overtime.
The extra session proved decisive at 63.50. Saucerman and William Boysen combined on a sharp two-on-one break, with Saucerman feeding Boysen before receiving the return pass and guiding the puck home to seal a dramatic 2-1 victory for the Blaze.
Photo credit: Scott Wiggins
