Cardiff Devils 3 - 2 Coventry Blaze

Faceoff: 19:00 - 10/03/12

Cardiff Devils fought  back from 2-1 down to beat the Coventry Blaze in overtime and keep their great recent run of wins going.

Despite a spirited start from the visitors, it was the Devils who dominated most of the first period. After going close to scoring several times Cardiff were given a 5-on-3 powerplay and when Scott Matzka centred the puck, Kenton Smith somehow forced the puck over the line from close range.

Despite outshooting their opponents, the Devils couldn’t find a second goal and just before the end of the period the Blaze made them pay, Matic Kralj bringing the puck out of the corner before firing it into the roof of the net.

Cardiff continued to pressurise the Coventry net for long spells, but midway through the second period it was the Blaze who took the lead. Kralj broke down the right wing before firing the puck across to Robert Farmer at the far post whose miss-hit shot flipped into the air and over Lyle into the net.

Before the end of the period the match finally burst into life with Bryan Jurynec being thrown out of the game for a cross-check to the back of Vanderveeken’s neck whilst he was lying flat on the ice.

With ten minutes remaining of the third period the Devils finally got the equaliser they deserved. After several big checks along the boards had created a turnover, Adam Harding skated back in front of the net and was in the right place at the right time to force a Hirsch rebound back into the goal.

Both sides went looking for a winning goal, but in the end the match was decided in overtime. Phil Hill carried the puck into the Coventry zone before dropping the puck back to Stuart MacRae who ripped a shot past the netminder into the top corner to seal the win.