Mid-term Report: Coventry Blaze
Photo: Scott Wiggins
Coventry Blaze had an excellent start to the season and were among the top four sides in the early part of the table.
A reverse of fortunes of late with a six-game losing streak including an exit from the Challenge Cup has seen the Blaze slip to the eighth in the table, only a win ahead of Manchester chasing that final playoff place. However, with a victory on the road in Dundee the Blaze now have the chance to start a new run this weekend when they face the Storm and Stars - two games that could really effect their next few weeks.
See what Danny Stewart thinks of the season so far in the video above.
We've also got the thoughts of Chris Pryke who covers the Blaze with reports in the Coventry Telegraph Coventry Observer:
"Coventry Blaze fans will be hoping that Sunday’s 5-3 win over the Dundee Stars marks the first step to the team returning to the scrappy, combative, never-say-die attitude and form they showed in the early part of the season.
After starting the campaign with a win in Sheffield, the Blaze briefly found themselves second in the table in the season’s early going. An impressive four-point weekend on the road in Scotland in October, coupled with a second win in Sheffield, a 9-2 home victory over the Clan, and a first win in 14 attempts against the Giants, suggested this season could be different to recent ones which have seen the team having to fight until the very end simply to secure a playoff spot.
A spirited comeback against the Guildford Flames saw the team secure the point it needed to clinch home ice advantage in the one-off ‘play-in’ game against the Storm in November for a place in the Challenge Cup Quarter-Finals. But a heart-breaking 3-2 loss, with a mistake leading to the winning goal with just two minutes to go, started a six-game losing streak that only ended with Sunday’s win in Dundee.
Things also haven’t been helped by the long-term absence of ever-improving British defenceman David Clements, and Finnish forward Janne Laakkonen. Despite the recent run of difficult results, there have been many positives in the season’s first half. Special teams have been a marked improvement and Charles Corcoran, the former Dundee Stars forward who signed late in pre-season, has been an offensive catalyst, while Evan Bloodoff has continued the scoring form he showed with the Fife Flyers. Perhaps the highlight of all has been the form of Great Britain forward Luke Ferrara who is set to have a career year and currently leads the team for goals. On the blue-line, captain Drew Schiestel has added poise and experience to young roster, while the efforts of the three first-year pros, Dillon Eichstadt, Johnny Curran and Chris Pohlkamp have more than paid back the faith head coach Danny Stewart showed when he signed them.
If the costly mistakes can be ironed out, more consistency can be found, and the team can retain the spirit and attitude that were evident in the season’s early weeks, then there’s still much to play for this season.
Mid-season verdict: A return to their early-season form and fight, coupled with better consistency, should see off the familiar late-season scrap to secure a playoff spot."
