COVENTRY Blaze secured a first Elite League win of the season with a penalty shoot-out victory at Glasgow Clan before suffering defeat against Sheffield Steelers.
Danny Kristo’s penalty earned Blaze a 6-5 away win at Glasgow’s Braehead Arena with the forward also on target in a 5-2 home defeat against Sheffield at the Skydome Arena.
The results mean Blaze sit sixth in the Elite League table after four matches.
Against Glasgow, Blaze took the lead after just 33 seconds through Tyler Kirkup’s strike before Kim Tallberg scored on the powerplay at 16.14 to double Coventry’s advantage.
Glasgow reduced the deficit through Michael Pelech on the powerplay at 22.44 only for Blaze to restore their two-goal lead just 14 seconds later as Kirkup grabbed his second of the game.
And Coventry looked to be in total control when captain Brady Norrish scored Blaze’s fourth of the game at 31.13.
However, the home side responded as Nate Kallen scored a quickfire double with goals at 34.30 and 37.28.
And Pelech then scored his second of the game at 38.59, tapping home on the line, to level the game up at the end of the second period.
Coventry reclaimed the lead courtesy of Kobe Roth’s rebound goal only for Darien Craighead to equalise for Clan at 51.55 to take the game to overtime which ended goalless.
The teams could not be separated after five shots apiece in the shootout before Kristo found the net and Blaze netminder Nolan Kent made a crucial save to win the game for Coventry on his first start for the club.
Against Sheffield, Blaze never recovered from a slow start to suffer a second defeat against the Steelers this season.
The visitors took the lead through Brett Neumann’s goal at 13.08 before Robert Dowd doubled the away side’s lead on the powerplay at 16.01.
Sheffield struck again through Mark Simpson at 24.14 before Dowd’s second of the game on the rebound at 35.01 left Blaze with a mountain to climb.
Blaze eventually troubled the scoreboard when Kristo netted at 48.56 against hid former club before Roth struck on the powerplay at 53.53 to further reduce the deficit.
However, Sheffield settled the game at 56.26 as Mitchell Balmas completed the scoring after Blaze pulled netminder Taran Kozun for the extra skater late on.
Coventry are next in action at home to Belfast Giants on Saturday, October 21 with the face-off at 7pm at the Skydome.
