Cardiff Devils 2 - 3 Coventry Blaze

Faceoff: 18:00 - 03/03/13

The Cardiff Devils put in another huge effort for their third game in three days and were unfortunate to come away with nothing against the Coventry Blaze.

Josh Bruce opened the scoring for the Blaze after 4 minutes when his powerful slapshot could only be partially saved by Chris Whitley and the puck tricked over the line. Within two minutes the Devils were level though, Chris Blight taking advantage of a collision between Peter Hirsch and Mike Egener to tap in Max Birbraer’s pass.

A Chris Jones Interference penalty then gave the Blaze a powerplay, allowing Shea Guthrie to fire the puck high over Whitley to restore the lead for the visitors.

Another powerplay opportunity early in the second period gave Coventry the chance to extend their lead and they grabbed the opportunity with both hands. After a powerful Brad Leeb slapshot had whistled past the post, Adam Henrich got a hold of the loose puck and set up Greg Leeb to fire into the net to make it 3-1.

Both sides had chances to score as the action moved from end to end but when Derek Campbell was sent to the bin for tripping it was the Devils’ turn to score on the powerplay. Mark Richardson’s ripper from the blue line couldn’t be held and Max Birbraer got the final touch to the bobbling puck and force it over the line.

Cardiff’s chances of finding an equaliser were dealt another blow when Jesse Gimblett was injured after falling to the ice awkwardly midway through the third period. It didn’t stop the remaining Devils putting in a huge effort though with their fans cheering them on and creating a fantastic atmosphere in the Big Blue Tent. But despite a late penalty against Egener and Whitley pulled for the extra skater, the Devils couldn’t find the equaliser they deserved and the Blaze managed to hang on for the win.