Giants edge Blaze at Skydome

Photo: Scott Wiggins

Steven Owre put Belfast Giants ahead for the first time in the game with 7:33 to play which was enough to give his side a Sunday evening win over Coventry Blaze.

The home side had an excellent opening period and were deservedly two ahead at the first intermission. Nathan Ripley forced the puck over the line in close for the game's opening goal at 7:12, with Colton Yellow Horn digging out a rebound from a Marly Quince shot just before the 12-minute mark.

The Giants were level thanks to two goals in 97 second-period minutes. Will Cullen picked the puck up at the blue line, pulled a nice move around the on-rushing forward and wristing home at 27:08, before Lewis Hook slapped home a fortunate bounce to tie things up - his first goal since returning to the team.

All square heading into period three, Kim Tallberg but the Blaze back ahead 59 seconds after the restart by excellently gloving down a rebound and volleying the puck home. The Blaze could and should have extended their led but were unable to find another goal on a 90-second five-on-three advantage. That missed opportunity came back to haunt Danny Stewart's men in the last 12 minutes of the game. Darik Angeli levelled at 48:36, before Owre got the final touch after a Cullen slapshot to get the puck over the line as the Giants skated with a two-man advantage at 52:27. Tallberg thought the Blaze had equalised in the dying stages but the puck was shovelled away from Jackson Whistle's net before Owre scored on the empty net to finish the game off with 25 seconds to go.