Coventry Blaze Ice Hockey Club in Coventry

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Hull Stingrays 2 Coventry Blaze 8

Review posted by Editor George

04/02/2012

Coventry Blaze thrash Stingrays in Hull Owen Fussey scored a hat-trick and Peter Nylander registered his first goals for the club as CPP Coventry Blaze defeated Excel Hull Stingrays 8-2 at Hull Arena in the Rapid Solicitors Elite League. Coach Paul Thompson had demanded a reaction after heavy 6-1 back-to-back defeats to Nottingham Panthers – and he got one. Blaze, out-shot Stingrays 21-7 in the first session and took control of the game with three goals inside 160 seconds. Greg Owen put them ahead on the powerplay in the 16th minute and this was followed by two goals in the space of 24 seconds scored by Fussey, his 27th of the season, and Nylander with a great shot and his first goal for his new club. Then Blaze stretched their lead with powerplay goals from Matic Kralj and Fussey just 17 seconds apart making the score 5-0 by the 23rd minute. Blaze goaltender Peter Hirsch was solid in the Blaze goal as Stingrays created a couple of chances. Then Mike McLean hit the bar for the Blaze on a breakaway. Stingrays player-coach and former Blaze Captain Sylvain Cloutier (we still love you Clouts) got his side on the scoreboard in the 38th minute. Then there was a fight at the end of the period with Kralj and Jason Silverthorn of the Stingrays dropping the gloves. Fussey scored on the powerplay to claim his hat-trick and Nylander and Kralj made it 8-1 before Stingrays pulled netminder Christian Boucher, with back-up Andy Brummitt taking over. Thompson then handed some ice time to 16-year-old back-up goalie Adam Goss – replacing Hirsch – for the final eight minutes. Goss was beaten by Andy McKinney (powerplay) with two minutes left but Blaze celebrated only their second win in eight games on the road. Thompson, whose side take on Fife Flyers at the Skydome tomorrow night, said: “Once we went four or five up, Hull became very flat and we went on for a comfortable win. We looked the hungrier team. “Our powerplay has been struggling of late but we scored four tonight, it worked really well for us. “Goals have been hard to come by in the last three or four weeks as well as wins on the road. “But Nylander is looking better and better, Fussey got a hat-trick and some of our big players got on the end of some nice plays. “I am pleased we got the road win and now we want to make it a four-point weekend. Hopefully that does our confidence the world of good.” On Goss, Thompson added: “He is a 16-year-old Coventry kid and he is a big part of our junior system. “He will want his goal back but he made two or three good saves. He did not have time to be nervous because he didn’t know he was going in.” Blaze take on Fife Flyers at the Skydome in the Rapid Solicitors Elite League on Saturday February 4 (7pm face-off). Tickets can be purchased by ringing the Box Office on 02476 630693 (option 0) or by booking online at www.coventryblaze.co.uk.