COVENTRY Blaze saw their four-game winning run in the Elite League come to an end following back-to-back defeats against Belfast Giants and Glasgow Clan.
Blaze twice drew level in their 5-2 defeat at the SSE Arena in Belfast before the home side scored three unanswered goals in the third period.
And Coventry twice surrendered the lead in a 3-2 shootout defeat against Glasgow on home ice at the Skydome Arena.
Blaze’s clash with Belfast took place on Pride Night, celebrating inclusivity and diversity in ice hockey, as former Coventry forward Ben Lake opened the scoring for the Giants at 1.08.
However, the visitors equalised at 7.02 when Kobe Roth scored his 17th goal of the regular season after Ian McNulty’s initial pass hit the skate of Sean Norris.
The first period came to an end with 1.18 remaining after Blaze forward Jack Hopkins took a heavy fall to the ice and had to receive medical attention.
Play resumed after Hopkins was helped from ice and taken to hospital as the Giants reclaimed the lead when defenceman Josh Roach fired past Nolan Kent at 32.02.
Coventry once again drew level at 39.30 when Ian McNulty beat Giants netminder Tyler Beskorowany when one-on-one from captain Brady Norrish’s pass.
However, the home side took the lead for a third time at 52.44 as Bobby MacIntyre took advantage of a delayed penalty to strike.
And Giants forward Daniel Tedesco ended his seven-game run without a goal at 54.03 before the same player completed the scoring at 57.41.
Coventry looked to respond the following night on home ice against Glasgow as Roth opened the scoring for Blaze at 15.52 when he redirected Johnny Curran’s pass into the net.
Glasgow restored parity at 18.52 when Luke Lynch collected a bouncing puck before rounding Blaze netminder Taran Kozun.
However, Roth put Blaze back in front at 22.59 with a smart shot past Glasgow goalie Jake Kielly from Curran’s assist.
Clan’s Michael Pelech had a goal ruled out due to a distinct kicking motion when firing the puck into the net before Gary Haden equalised for the visitors at 49.06 with a tidy finish past Kozun.
Blaze had a late powerplay chance to win the game but were unable to make it count as Kielly made a number of outstanding saves to take the game to overtime.
And JD Dudek hit the crossbar 19 seconds into the additional period while Kozun denied Charlie Combs when one-on-one at the other end.
The game went to penalty shots with Haden the only player to score as Blaze took a single point from the fixture.
