The Genting Casino Coventry Blaze staged a remarkable comeback from three goals down to secure a thrilling 3-4 penalty-shootout victory over the Glasgow Clan in Scotland on Saturday.
Travelling without Canadian defenseman Alexander Kuqali, the Blaze had assistant coach Zach Vinnell remaining in the line-up.
The Clan enjoyed two early powerplay opportunities and they converted on the second at 13.38 when Liam Finlay fired an unorthodox shot past Mat Robson, assisted by Simon Despres and netminder Landon Bow.
Glasgow doubled their lead at 25.34 as Matt Berry showcased his speed, skating through the Blaze defence before finishing clinically. The Clan extended their advantage further at 28.19, once again punishing Coventry on the powerplay.
Berry struck for the second time, assisted by Rylan Schwartz and Finlay, giving the home side a commanding three-goal cushion.
Despite the deficit, Blaze responded resiliently. Alessio Luciani found Brandon Alderson free in front of Bow’s net, and the assistant captain fired home to make it 3-1, just 43 seconds before the half-way mark.
Coventry further closed the gap at 36.36 when the Elite League’s top scorer, Chase Gresock, netted his 24th goal of the season, finishing off a superb behind-the-net pass from Mike Regush.
With time winding down, Coach Kevin Moore made the bold decision to pull netminder Robson for the extra skater. The gamble paid off, as Blaze captain Kim Tallberg found the equalizer with just 1.23 remaining. Regush provided the primary assist, which was his second of the game, taking his league-best tally to 32.
Blaze earned their first powerplay opportunity in overtime, but a dramatic sequence followed. Mitchell Heard was penalised for tripping, and although Glasgow successfully killed the penalty, Heard was released from the box in time for a breakaway chance with just seconds remaining.
However, he was hauled back, leading to a penalty shot. Robson stood tall, making a crucial save to send the game to a sudden-death shootout.
In the shootout, Regush and Terrance Amorosa converted their attempts before Heard responded for the Clan to keep them in the contest. But it was Tallberg who sealed the comeback, scoring the decisive final shot to secure a 3-4 victory and bring Glasgow’s six-game winning streak to an end.
Photo credit: Al Goold
