Eight-star Blaze bounce back with emphatic win
The DPD Coventry Blaze produced an eight-star performance on 2 Tone Night, powering to an emphatic 8-2 victory over the Dundee Stars in the Motorpoint Elite League at Skydome Arena on Sunday.
Fresh from a narrow shutout defeat against the Belfast Giants on home ice the previous night, the Blaze responded in style, with Griffin Ness and Colby MacArthur both scoring twice in a dominant display.
In-form Jaxson Ezman opened the scoring at 2:54, reacting quickest after Artie Buzoverya’s shot was blocked before firing past Dundee netminder Vladislav Pestov. Coventry doubled their advantage just over a minute later at 3:59. Good work from Matthew Gleason created the opportunity for defenceman Carson Musser, who unleashed a powerful shot to make it 2-0.
The Stars pulled one back at 15:39 after catching the Blaze during a line change. Travis Ewanyk found Matthew DeBoer in space, and he made no mistake, beating Sisu Heikkeri to reduce the deficit to 2-1.
The hosts reasserted their authority in the second period. Nick Grima’s shot produced a rebound from Pestov, and Ness was on hand to finish at 24:04, restoring Coventry’s two-goal cushion.
Ness struck again just 27 seconds before the end of the period, completing a neat move after William Boysen’s feed to give the Blaze a commanding 4-1 lead. The forward’s two-goal contribution would earn him Man of the Match honours.
Coventry wasted little time extending their advantage in the third period. Just 43 seconds after the restart, Gleason finished off a well-worked move, with Grima providing the assist to make it 5-1.
Dundee responded at 44:25 when Gary Haden sent Joshua Nelson through on a breakaway. Nelson slipped the puck between Heikkeri’s legs to bring the score back to 5-2.
However, any hopes of a Stars comeback were quickly extinguished. Just over a minute later, at 45:42, Colby MacArthur redirected Connor Russell’s shot into the net to restore Coventry’s four-goal lead.
Dundee subsequently changed goaltenders, with Dominick Jaglar replacing Pestov, but the switch did little to halt the Blaze’s momentum.
British youngster Brynley Capps was next to get on the scoresheet at 48:35, using his speed to burst through before firing past the incoming netminder to make it 7-2.
MacArthur completed the scoring with his second of the night, finishing a move orchestrated once again by Gleason. With the Stars goaltender unsighted, MacArthur unleashed a wrist shot to round off an outstanding attacking performance from the home side.
Tempers flared as the game entered its closing stages, with Dundee’s frustration boiling over when Ewanyk and Grima dropped the gloves at 54:32.
When the final buzzer sounded, the Blaze celebrated a convincing 8-2 victory, capping a memorable night honouring Coventry’s rich cultural heritage and the enduring legacy of the 2 Tone movement.