Four-goal first period helps Flames to road win

Photo: Mark Ferris

A four-goal opening period helped Guildford Flames to an eventual 6-3 win in Machester over the Storm on Wednesday night, live on Premier Sports.

The Flames had to do things the hard way, however, after they found themself behind inside the opening minute - just 41 seconds had been played when Stephen Johnson poked home from the top of the crease after good work from Ryan Barrow. 

Ian McNulty levelled a little over a minute later when he picked the puck up behind the Storm net, skated out, and wristed home from the circle. With 2:53 on the clock, Johan Eriksson put the Flames ahead with a bottle-popper, before Ryan Tait netted shorthanded at 9:17 to put the Flames two ahead. McNulty poked a loose puck home from close range with 1:51 left in the period to give Guildford a 4-1 lead after 20 minutes.

8:17 into period two, Cole Carter got Storm back to within two after a defensive mixup from the visitors, but just 34 seconds later the Flames had re-established their three-goal lead when Sam Marklund tipped Jordan Klimek's past Hayden Lavigne. 

Barrow added a late goal for the hosts to pull the score back to 3-5 with 2:17 to play, but Daniel Tedesco finding the empty net with 80 seconds remaining cemented the Flames' win.