The Genting Casino Coventry Blaze capped off a crucial four-point weekend with a hard-fought 3-2 victory over the Guildford Flames at the Skydome Arena on Sunday.
Riding high on confidence after a dominant six-goal thrashing of the Sheffield Steelers the night before, Blaze wasted no time seizing the momentum. Just 81 seconds into the game, Brandon Alderson struck from close range, assisted by Alessio Luciani, to give Coventry an early lead.
The duo combined again at 11.52, with Alderson finishing a precise cross-ice pass from Luciani to double the advantage at 2-0.
Late in the first period, Blaze had a golden opportunity to extend their lead with a brief five-on-three powerplay, but Guildford’s penalty kill stood strong, keeping the deficit at two heading into the break.
Coventry continued to press in the second period, and at 23.12, David Clements found the back of the net off a setup from Jack Hopkins, stretching the lead to 3-0.
The middle frame was a physical battle, with multiple penalties on both sides. Despite Guildford earning a late 4-on-3 powerplay, Blaze’s defence held firm to maintain their comfortable lead.
The Flames refused to go down without a fight, mounting a late comeback in the third period.
Brett Ferguson capitalized on a powerplay at 48.24 to put Guildford on the board.
Moments later, with a delayed penalty in effect, the Flames pulled their goaltender for an extra skater, and Brett Welychka made it a tense 3-2 contest at 51.30.
Despite the late surge, Coventry stood strong in the closing minutes, locking down defensively to secure the win. Goaltender Mat Robson was solid between the pipes, turning aside 17 of 19 shots, while Jake Kupsky made 20 saves on 23 shots for Guildford.
With the victory, the fifth-placed Blaze moved three points ahead of the Flames in the Elite League standings and now sit just one point behind the Cardiff Devils in fourth place.
Photo credit: Scott Wiggins
