Coventry Blaze Ice Hockey Club

Owen Fussey scored a hat-trick and Peter Nylander registered his first goals for the club as CPP Coventry Blaze overcame Excel Hull Stingrays 8-2 at Hull Arena in the Rapid Solicitors Elite League.

Coach Paul Thompson had demanded a reaction after heavy back-to-back defeats to Nottingham Panthers – and he got one.

Blaze, who out-shot Stingrays 21-7 in the first session, took control of the game courtesy of three goals inside 160 seconds.

After Blaze had an early goal chalked off because it had been kicked in, Greg Owen put them ahead on the powerplay in the 16^th minute.

Then two goals in the space of 24 seconds followed from Fussey, his 27^th of the season, and Nylander – a great shot for his first for the club.

The night got even better for Blaze as powerplay markers from Matic Kralj and Fussey 17 seconds apart made it 5-0 by the 23^rd minute.

Blaze goaltender Peter Hirsch stood firm as Stingrays created a couple of chances before Mike McLean hit the bar for the visitors on a breakaway.

But Stingrays player-coach Sylvain Cloutier got his side on the board in the 38^th minute and the period ended with Kralj and Jason Silverthorn dropping the gloves.

Fussey (powerplay) claimed his hat-trick and Nylander and Kralj made it 8-1 before Stingrays pulled netminder Christian Boucher, with back-up Andy Brummitt taking over.

Thompson then handed some ice time to 16-year-old back-up goalie Adam Goss – replacing Hirsch – for the final eight minutes.

Goss was beaten by Andy McKinney (powerplay) with two minutes left but Blaze celebrated only their second win in eight games on the road.

Thompson, whose side take on Fife Flyers at the Skydome tomorrow night, said: “Once we went four or five up, Hull became very flat and we went on for a comfortable win. We looked the hungrier team.

“Our powerplay has been struggling of late but we scored four tonight, it worked really well for us.

“Goals have been hard to come by in the last three or four weeks as well as wins on the road.

“But Nylander is looking better and better, Fussey got a hat-trick and some of our big players got on the end of some nice plays.

“I am pleased we got the road win and now we want to make it a four-point weekend. Hopefully that does our confidence the world of good.”

On Goss, Thompson added: “He is a 16-year-old Coventry kid and he is a big part of our junior system.

“He will want his goal back but he made two or three good saves. He did not have time to be nervous because he didn’t know he was going in.”

Position	Block	Total
1st	Block 12	121
	Block 4	80
	Blocks 1 & 2	78
	Block 11	74
	Block 14	68
	Block 3	67
	Blocks 5	57
	Block 6 & 7	47
	Blocks 9 & 10	39
=	Block 15 & NE	39
	Block 13	34

Blaze hammer Stingrays

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