REPORT: Clan suffer on the road in Coventry
A big week of games in the fight for the play-offs began in disappointing fashion as Aspray Glasgow West sponsored Glasgow Clan were beaten 8-1 on the road at Coventry Blaze.
It was far from Clan’s night as Coventry got the jump in the first period and never looked like letting go in a frustrating night for Malcolm Cameron and his men, despite a late consolation to deny Blaze netminder CJ Motte a shutout.
There was an early chance from Mathieu Roy, trying to find Nolan LaPorte on the far right looked promising until it was gobbled up by Blaze netminder CJ Motte.
The home side took the lead on the powerplay a couple of minutes later as Janne Kivilahti fired in at Shane Starrett’s glove side to put them in front.
It took five minutes for Coventry to lengthen their lead after Johnny Curran showed great industry ti drive forward and try a low shot on Starrett.
The Clan goalie did what he could do then, but could do nothing about the rebound as the puck popped loose for Janne Laakkonen to finish it off.
David Clements made it three with a blue line shot that arrowed into the Clan net for Blaze’s second powerplay goal of the night.
Malcolm Cameron called a timeout and while it settled things down for a little while, Coventry bolted on a fourth to end the period.
Kivilahti redirected it from close range from Joey Raats’ speculative pass into the centre from the left and the home side were 4-0 up.
It was a mountain to climb for Clan and soon it was five, courtesy of a Luke Ferrara shot from the slot after he was teed up by Ross Venus.
Ryan Penny whacked in a sixth around the halfway mark to add misery to the visitors, with Starrett’s night ending there, allowing Jordan McLaughlin to take over in net.
From here, Clan started to look more of a threat, although chances from Colin Campbell, Guillaume Gauthier and Mathieu Roy came to nothing.
Curran scored his second and seventh for Danny Stewart’s side on a breakaway early in the third as the Blaze continued to exercise their offensive lines.
Mitch Cook added number eight shortly after and although Colton Yellow Horn got Glasgow’s only goal of the game late on, it was an off-night the players will want to put right this weekend against Dundee Stars.
Photos by Scott Wiggins
