The Taylors Butchers NIHL Coventry Blaze hosted the Widnes Wild hoping to repeat the win from their first fixture but the Wild left with the points this time after a physical 7-3 loss for the Blaze.
The first period was a defensive affair with neither netminder really having to make a save as each defence proved their worth and the period finished scoreless. Widnes came closest as the puck trickled between netminder Chris Gills legs but he managed to spin round and throw himself onto the puck.
The youngsters on the team have played brilliantly all season and tonight was no exception as Philip Mulcahy works behind the net, finding man of the match Matthew Maurice to the side. Maurice passes in to Arthur Brookes who fires it past Nicole Jackson. Widnes tied it up a few minutes later as Lee Pollitt fired in a tight angle shot, they then took the lead as Filip Supa scores on a breakaway. Supa got his second to extend the lead minutes later, catching the Blaze defence slacking as the pass from Calum Ruddick leads him through. Coventry pull one back after a strange deflection sends the puck off the boards in the other direction behind the net. Netminder Jackson doesn’t even see the puck behind her but Mulcahy sees it and gets a very easy goal to make it a one goal game going into the final period.
Mulcahy gets his second of the game as Luke Smith passes across the goal and Mulcahy deflects the puck goalwards, tying the score at 3-3 but Widnes score a minute later. Everyone crowds the net, trying to get the best touch in a goalmouth scramble but Supa manages to chip the puck just over the outstretched leg pad of a prone Gill for his hat trick goal. Ben Brown fires from the right hand side and rings the puck in off the left hand post and two minutes later Supa scores again. This time he hits it from the right hand side and in off the left post underneath Gills leg, this would be Gills last action for the night as he is replaced by Sam Ellis with seven minutes remaining. Sam Dunford gets the Wilds final goal of the night as he goes one on one with Ellis, Philip Pollok the only one close enough to make any defensive play but Dunford holds him off before putting it past Ellis to finish off the game 7-3.
Next weekend sees the Blaze face massive rivals Solihull Barons at 5pm on Saturday.
Report by Marcus Gambrill
Photo by Scott Wiggins - www.scottwiggins.co.uk