The Genting Casino Coventry Blaze suffered a tough 1-6 defeat against the Belfast Giants in Elite League action at the Skydome Arena on Sunday.
After a tightly contested and scoreless opening period, the visitors took control in the second, setting the stage for a commanding victory.
The breakthrough came at 22.34 when Bobo Carpenter found the back of the net with a clinical one-timer, assisted by a slick flick pass from Pierre-Olivier Morin behind the Blaze goal.
Just 46 seconds later, Belfast doubled their advantage as Great Britain international Ciaran Long converted a precise setup from Bo Hanson with a composed finish.
The Giants extended their lead to 0-3 at 33.45 when Karl Boudrais fired a shot from the blue line, which evaded Blaze goaltender Mat Robson thanks to a screen in front.
The Blaze found some hope at 37.01 when Jack Hopkins capitalised on a fortuitous bounce to score Coventry’s sole goal of the night, cutting the deficit to 1-3 before the second intermission.
Coventry had an opportunity to build momentum early in the third period with a powerplay chance, but they failed to convert.
Moments later, Mark Cooper dashed any comeback hopes, scoring unassisted at 48.02 after pouncing on a loose puck.
Just 54 seconds later, Gabe Bast added a fifth for the Giants, firing past Robson with precision.
Belfast rounded off the scoring through Scott Conway with a sixth goal late in the game, courtesy of a fortunate bounce off the backboards that sealed the 1-6 victory.
Photo credit: Scott Wiggins
