By Luke McGinnis
Scott Dutertre’s side are coming off a three-point weekend, which included a shootout win over the Glasgow Clan. Evan Brand netted his first professional goal against the Braehead side, before Rasmus Nousiainen scored the equaliser with 35 seconds left in regulation. Nousiainen and Sebastian Bengtsson both found the back of the net in the shootout.
“We were happy with our effort this past weekend,” reflected Dutertre. “The key for us is going to be consistency. We need to bring that kind of effort every night.”
The last time the Stars and Blaze met at the Skydome, Coventry skated away with an 8-2 victory. Griffin Ness and Colby MacArthur scored twice for the Blaze, while Carson Musser, Brynley Capps, Jaxson Ezman and Matthew Gleason all found the back of the net.
“Last time we were in Coventry we had a few breakdowns in our end, we didn’t get a lot of traffic around their net, and unfortunately, we didn’t get some saves when we needed them,” added Dutertre. “I think it’s important for us to have a good start and work on keeping the puck in the offensive zone early.”
Overall, Kevin Moore’s side have compiled a 6-2 record in regular-season play, with victories over the Stars, Manchester Storm, Fife Flyers, Sheffield Steelers and Nottingham Panthers.
William Boysen leads his side in scoring with eight points in as many games, followed by Griffin Ness, Jaxson Ezman and Matthew Gleason on seven. Evan Fitzpatrick and Sisu Heikkeri have both been sharp between the pipes for Coventry, with the latter having been in net for both of their victories over Dundee.
“Coventry is a team that plays hard and doesn’t deviate from their game plan. We need to do our job, be consistent, and play it within the details of our game,” concluded Dutertre.
