The Flyers and Blaze were meeting for the penultimate time this season with the hosts looking to shake off the disappointment of their midweek Challenge Cup Final defeat. Mat Robson was once again in net for the Blaze but the home side were without the injured Sam Ruffin and scratched Matthew Gleason. The Flyers didn’t have their troubles to seek with Josh Winquist and Simon Despres joining Mason Alderson and Johan Porsberger on the sidelines through injury. Christian Purboo got the start in net for the second consecutive road game.
It was a stop start opening to the game with the Blaze called for a couple of icings inside the opening minute. The first shot of the game came in the 3rd minute as Purboo blockered away a floated puck on the net by Archie Hazeldine. A minute later and Robson had his first touch as he paddled away a low shot by Ethan Somoza from the slot. A lot of the Blaze shots early on were being blocked by sticks and bodies of the Flyers so Purboo was not too busy. In the 7th minute Ian Scheid tried to go high on the short side of Robson who saved with his shoulder and then had Somoza land on top of him just outside his crease but play was waived on. The Flyers took the lead at 07:18 when Ethan Hadden put the puck on net from the slot and Robson let out a rebound that was collected by Ben Brown who showed great patience and a calm finish top shelf to record his first ever professional goal. The visitors doubled their advantage at 09:56 when Garet Hunt fed Andrew McLean coming in off the blue line and his shot was deflected to Justin Ducharme at the side of the net who beat Robson. In the 11th minute Robson shrugged off a shot by Somoza from the left circle. In the 12th minute Adam Robbins walked in from the left wing and tried to out wait Purboo who stayed with him to snag the puck with Logan Neilson being called for a slash on the play. Purboo made a big pad save on a one timer by William Boysen but the Flyers broke the other way when Ducharme stole the puck in his own zone and went in on Robson as Saucerman held him and the referee signaled a penalty shot. Ducharme tried to get Robson to bite but he tracked the Flyers forward well to throw a glove out and snag the backhand effort. With the penalty almost expired the Blaze got on the board as a Jordan Power shot was blocked in front of the net and Robbins was on hand to sweep the puck home for the powerplay goal at 13:02. The Blaze were level at 13:51 when a shot on net from the corner by Connor Russell was again blocked around the crease and eventually forced home by Artem Buzoverya. In the 16th minute Milan Lucic tested Robson from a face off win with a snap shot and a minute later Robson gloved a shot from Jeremy Masella in the slot. Purboo made a blocker save in the 18th minute and the Flyers went the other way and Robson covered up with Hunt lurking around his net.
In the 22nd minute Hadden and Rowan Mills were around the crease but couldn’t get the puck to go as the Blaze eventually scrambled the danger away. Purboo blockered a wrist shot from Colton Saucerman out of play in the 23rd minute. Blaze moved the puck around the Flyers zone moments later and got Purboo moving from side to side but Mike Pelech from the circle missed the gaping net. Ducharme then drove the net and Robson came up with a huge save as he got the cuff of his glove on the puck to keep it out. Moments later however a quick up pass by Scheid released Ducharme at the Blaze blueline and he wired the puck into the top corner glove side from the tops of the circle to give the Flyers the lead again at 24:43. Kevin Moore called his time out and it worked wonders as within a minute the Blaze turned a deficit into a lead. 14 seconds after the restart the Blaze caught the Flyers on an odd man rush and Elijiah Barriga from the slot worked the puck to the back door where from a couple of feet out Boysen slammed the puck past Purboo with 24:57 on the clock. At 25:41 the Blaze had the lead as Grayson Constable with the puck up at the point found the stick of Grant Mismash in the slot and his redirect found the top corner of the net. Jack Hopkins stole the puck in the 30th minute and his shot forced Purboo to kick the puck out with his pad but the puck bobbled on Saucerman on the follow up. A shot from Brown in the 33rd minute was bobbled by Robson and the puck was swept off the stick of Mills in the slot. Moments later a give and go involving Keaton Jameson and Neilson saw the latter try to stuff the puck home with a shot between the legs but it was just off target as Robbins was penalised on the play for a hook. The Flyers powerplay struggled to get anything set up and the Blaze created two odd man rushes and scored shorthanded on their second which was a 3 on 2 as Power sniped the puck past Purboo from the circle at 36:35. The Blaze completed the kill. In the 38th minute Masella just couldn’t keep control of the puck at close quarters as it slid off his stick and wide of the Blaze net.
Neilson went down the right wing in the 42nd minute and his pass to Jameson at the lip of the crease was just too tight in on Robson who was able to block the tip. The Blaze goalie was again tested in the opening minutes of the period as he held a shot from Brown from the slot before he kicked away a shot from Lucic. Power drove the net in the 45th minute and he tried to go short side on Purboo who got just enough on the puck to keep it out. Robson blockered away a shot from Scheid in the 47th minute and the Blaze went the other way with Brynley Capps in all alone on Purboo who stayed patient and got enough on the puck to deny the younger. Purboo made a pad save on Boysen in the 49th minute and a minute later the Fife keeper gloved a shot from Saucerman following a tic tac toe play in the high slot. The Blaze however lit the lamp again at 50:04 when Saucerman put the puck towards goal from the point and Mismash produced a deft tip in the slot to guide the puck into the far side of the net. Robson made a big pad save from close range on Jameson in the 52nd minute and in the 54th minute Robbins was all alone on the edge of Purboo’s crease but the Flyers goalie fronted the shot to make the save. The Blaze added another goal at 56:50 when Constable went down the left wing and his centering pass was shoveled high into the net from close range by Robbins.
Pic Credits – Coventry Blaze
Flyers are next at home on Sunday 22nd March when they entertain the Manchester Storm – tickets can be bought online here: Tickets – Fife Flyers or look out on social media channels for box office opening times.
