Shoot-out win for Coventry Blaze over Belfast Giants

[dutchman]

Coventry Blaze completed a four-point weekend with a penalty shoot-out victory over Elite League leaders Belfast Giants at the Skydome.


Shea Guthrie

It followed an 8-3 hammering of Edinburgh Capitals in Scotland and leaves the Blaze eight points behind the Giants with three games in hand.

Matic Kralj got two of the Blaze goals, with Rob Farmer scoring the other.

But Belfast came from 2-0 and 3-1 behind to level at 3-3 through Benoit Doucet, Darryl Lloyd and Mark Garside.

Blaze net minder Peter Hirsch saved a penalty in a scoreless overtime and then saved again in the shoot-out as Farmer and Shea Guthrie were on target to secure the two points.

But head coach Paul Thompson was far from satisfied and told BBC Coventry & Warwickshire: "We're just frustrated and annoyed that we give another team that wasn't even in the game a point.

"We're three points nearer Belfast than we were on Friday night. We came back strong and won the hockey game, we're just frustrated we've handed them a point."

Thompson was especially disappointed that Belfast scored two short-handed goals, one during a five on three.

"Our powerplay isn't good enough, we know that," he said. "We're not executing and guys aren't making the plays that we're supposed to be doing. I thought we dominated the game and we just handed it back to them."

Hirsch was the Blaze hero during overtime and the shoot-out but Thompson was critical of his net minder for two of the goals conceded during regulation.

"Hirschy will want both of those goals back and I'm not happy that he lets that type of goal in because that put us under unnecessary pressure when we're dominating the game," he added.

"We'll look at it and get some video out and we'll dissect everything like we do and we'll look to improve our powerplay."