Jordan Hedley backstops Coventry Blaze to 4-3 overtime victory

Danny Stewart’s Coventry Blaze consolidated their grip on second place in the Elite Series standings with a 4-3 overtime victory against the Nottingham Panthers.

Coventry netminder Jordan Hedley played a vital role, making 41 saves as the Blaze absorbed wave-after-wave of Nottingham pressure.

Despite taking only three shots in the opening frame, Coventry entered the first intermission with a one-goal advantage thanks to Tristan Keck’s seventh goal of the tournament. Assisted by Mike Hammond and Nick Jermain, the Canadian winger fired into a gaping net at the backdoor.

Nottingham continued to dominate the shot count after the break, equalising through Christophe Boivin with 62 seconds remaining in the second period.

However, the game remained tied for only 51 seconds, with Keck firing home on the breakaway to hand Coventry a 2-1 lead heading into the final frame.

Handed an abundance of space on the powerplay, Luke Ferrara doubled Coventry’s advantage with eleven minutes left on the clock.

However, the Blaze’s lead wasn’t to last. Austin Cangelosi converted a five-on-three opportunity with eight minutes remaining to cut Coventry’s lead in half before Mark Matheson shot through traffic to level the scores four minutes later.

After a last-minute powerplay passed Coventry by, thanks to a combination of blocks and saves, the game headed to overtime with both teams walking away with at least one point for their efforts.

Following a spell of early Coventry pressure, Nick Jermain circled back into the defensive zone to allow his teammates to make a line change. With fresh faces on the ice, Jermain slid a direct pass to defenceman Chris Pohlkamp along the right bords, starting a fateful attack for Stewart’s side.

Moments later, Ross Venus reacted fastest on the edge of the crease to scoop a loose puck over Ben Bowns and into Nottingham’s net.

“We played great,” Panthers head coach Tim Wallace said after the final buzzer, “when you play that way, you win nine times out of ten. I’m happy with our group, they deserved so much better, it’s as simple as that.”

“I’m happy with every guy who played for us tonight and they deserved better [than to lose in overtime.”

Coventry Blaze head coach Stewart said: “It was nice to get that extra point but my feeling is that [the game] probably shouldn’t have got there.

“I liked our compete and the fact that we didn’t switch off and kept battling. Fortunately, we got one at even strength and walk away with the extra point.”

Three Stars:

1^st – Jordan Hedley: With 41 saves on the night, Jordan Hedley could yet play his way into Pete Russell’s national team. The 24-year-old controlled his crease with confidence, tracking the puck impressively throughout the game. Hedley left the ice with a 93.18 save percentage: imposing.

2^nd – Tristan Keck: Incredibly, Tristan Keck has registered at least a point in each of his eight Elite Series appearances. The Canadian continued his impressive start to the tournament with a brace against the Panthers, reasserting his status as one of the Elite League’s breakout stars.

3^rd – Nick Jermain: With the clock ticking in overtime, Nick Jermain displayed impressive composure when circling back into his defensive zone to allow a Coventry line change. Without Jermain’s patience in possession, the puck probably wouldn’t have fallen for Ross Venus to score the game-winning goal. It’s the kind of play that warrants third-star recognition.