Just over a minute into 3 on 3 overtime, Brett Ferguson bagged the winner as the Flames picked up a 2-1 Cup win at Coventry Blaze.
An opportunity challenged first 40 minutes of the contest where Flames held an 18-6 shot advantage, saw limited scoring chances with 1st period goals by Kobe Roth less than 4 minutes in, and Peter Crinella’s equaliser at 8:02 as the only offensive marks by the time the 3rd period began.
A more even exchange of shots in the final set, 9-8 to Flames, changed nothing on the scoreboard leaving a necessary 4th period where Ferguson’s heroics decided the evening.
Eamon McAdam had just a single blemish while making 13 stops on 14 attempts. Tarun Kozon in Coventry’s net was 28 for 30.
“It was a bit of a stop-start choppy kind of game for both teams,” admitted Paul Dixon, “but that often does favour the road team and it was a great to convert it to a win.”
“I think we had more territory over the course of the evening, but both teams kept the higher quality scoring opportunities to a minimum and that certainly reflected in the scoreline.”
“We definitely need the Cup points so getting the winner and taking 2 points from the evening may make a big difference to our seeding so we are happy to be loading up for home on the back of a successful outcome.”
