Blaze earn one-goal aggregate advantage

Photo: Scott Wiggins

Coventry will take a one-goal lead into their Premier Sports Challenge Cup second leg next month thanks to a 3-2 home win against Belfast on Wednesday night.

After a few good chances at both ends, including an excellent CJ Motte poke check to deny a Giants 1-on-0, the deadlock was finally broken in the latter half of the first period by Evan Bloodoff who tipped Nathanael Halbert's one-time from the blueline with 16:19 gone. 

Belfast levelled with a lovely JJ Piccinich snipe through traffic 2:35 into period two, but were to lose Ben Lake five minutes into the period for a nasty knee which saw him ejected on a major penalty. 

No goals came on that penalty, but when Picciich was sent to the box for hooking the Blaze needed just eight seconds before Halbert put them back in the lead at 33:23. 35 seconds after that, Evan Bloodoff put them into a 3-1 lead that they held into the second intermission.

Piccinich got the Giants back to within one 7:41 into the final period with the final touch on a bouncing puck past Motte to set up an entertaining final 12 minutes. David Goodwin thought he's tied it not long after but the goal was washed out on the ice for the puck not having crossed the line. With no video review available in Coventry again, the decision was unable to be reviewed and the call stood.

Jaane Laakkonen almost put the Blaze back two ahead inside the final few minutes, but at the other end the Blaze had Motte to thank after stopping an excellent rush from Scott Conway to preserve the one0goal advantage the Blaze will take into the return leg.

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