The Genting Casino Coventry Blaze secured a hard-fought 1-3 victory over the Fife Flyers at Fife Ice Arena on Saturday, taking home two points in a game where they were made to work by a determined Flyers side.
The game started with high intensity, and Coventry quickly asserted themselves. Just 4.06 into the match, Brandon Alderson opened the scoring, firing home a powerful shot from the blue line after a well-timed setup from David Clements and Jakob Stridsberg.
Blaze were off to a perfect start, putting pressure on the Flyers early, though Fife’s goalie Janis Voris was making some impressive saves, notably stopping Stridsberg at the back post after he joined the rush and was set up by Jack Hopkins.
Coventry extended their lead to 0-2 at 12.17 when Michael Regush fired a seemingly harmless shot through traffic, which found its way past Voris. The goal may have been deflected off a player in front, but the result was the same, Blaze held a comfortable two-goal advantage.
Despite the Flyers’ best efforts, Coventry continued to control play, although Voris kept his side in the game with a string of solid saves.
In the second period, the Flyers came to life and halved the deficit. At 27.11, an excellent stretch pass from Voris found Lucas Chiodo, who then set up Kieran Craig for a tidy finish to make it 1-2.
The goal gave the home side renewed hope and put them right back in the contest. However, Coventry’s defence, led by Mat Robson, was solid, and the Blaze were able to weather the storm and keep their narrow lead.
In the final period, Coventry’s Alessio Luciani was assessed a tripping penalty at 56.35 giving the home side a golden opportunity to tie the game on the man advantage.
However, a strong kill allowed Luciani the opportunity to come out of the box and deliver a pivotal goal at 58.57 which put the game out of reach from the Flyers and a 1-3 final score line.
Photo credit, Flyers Images
