Short benched Blaze battle for tight road win

Photo: David Williams/James Assinder/Rebecca Brain

Coventry got their first road win in the Premier Sports Challenge Cup with a tight road win over the Devils in Cardiff.

Short-benched with injuries and suspensions, the Blaze shocked the sold-out crowd at Ice arena Wales with two goals in the opening period to take a commanding lead in the game.

A well-placed stretch pass from Ryan Penny set Janne Kivilahti through on the breakaway to beat Taran Kozun and put the Blaze one up after 5:19. As the period neared an end, the Devils were guilty of over-complicating in their own end allowing Luke Ferrara to turn the puck over and set up Kivilahti in front for his second of the game.

The hosts missed two powerplay chances early in the middle period as Coventry held strong to keep their two-goal lead into period three.

Motte continued to thwart the Devils from finding a way back into the game until late on. His shutout was denied by Trevor Cox at 58:39 to which then set up a tense finish. The Devils' forward had a similar close-range chance on a rebound with a minute left on the clock, but Motte stuck out a pad and kept the puck out.

Coventry's 2-1 victory puts them in a good position to advance to the Challenge Cup Quarter-Finals, putting pressure on Manchester to win both of their remaining games and by big margins.