COVENTRY Blaze claimed a dramatic 3-2 shootout win against Belfast Giants following a 3-1 victory on the road at Fife Flyers.
Blaze earned two valuable points on home ice against high-flying Belfast at the Skydome Arena as Kim Tallberg scored the decisive penalty shot.
That came after Coventry ended their three-game losing run with victory against Fife in Scotland.
The results mean Blaze sit fifth in the Elite League standings, eight points behind leaders Cardiff Devils with a game in-hand.
Coventry made the perfect start against Belfast as Alessio Luciani broke the deadlock after just 65 seconds after combining well with Nick Seitz in a two-on-one rush which allowed the former to finish into an empty net.
And Blaze doubled their lead at 7.25 as Grayson Constable converted another pinpoint pass from Seitz before Belfast head coach Adam Keefe called a timeout.
However, Belfast halved the deficit at 10.56 when JJ Piccinich capitalised on a turnover in Blaze’s own zone to strike.
And the Giants drew level at 14.39 as Jeff Baum fired a shot through a crowd of bodies in a frantic first period.
Both teams failed to convert powerplay opportunities in a goalless second period while Constable hit the post for Blaze.
The third period proved a tight affair as Blaze successfully killed two Belfast powerplay opportunities while Coventry failed to capitalise on a powerplay of their own as the game went to overtime.
Blaze netminder Mat Robson made a superb save to deny Belfast’s Josh Roach in the best chance of the extra period with the game to be decided via a shootout.
And with the game on the line, Tallberg stepped up in the final round of shots to coolly slot the puck past Jackson Whistle and secure the extra point for Blaze.
That came after Coventry produced an impressive performance to return to winning ways against the Flyers at Fife Ice Arena.
Another quick start saw Blaze take the lead at 4.06 as Brandon Alderson fired a powerful shot into the net from the blue line.
And Coventry doubled their advantage at 12.17 when Mike Regush’s shot through traffic somehow found its way past Janis Voris.
Fife reduced the deficit at 27.11 as Kieran Craig’s tidy finish kept the home side in the contest.
However, Luciani sealed the points for Blaze at 58.57 after coming out of the box following a tripping penalty minutes earlier which Blaze killed successfully.
Coventry are next in action against Sheffield Steelers on Saturday, January 11 with the face-off at 7pm at Utilita Arena.
Blaze then host Manchester Storm on Sunday, January 12 with the face-off at 5.30pm at the Skydome.
