Carlson wraps up determined win; ICE HOCKEY: Blaze go to depths of strength to claim key Challenge Cup triumph.

Byline: Antony Hopker

Coventry Blaze .............. 4 Hull Stingrays ................ 2 COVENTRY Blaze did enough to secure a Challenge Cup win over a defensive Hull Stingrays yesterday.

A 59th-minute powerplay goal by Dan Carlson ensured the victory in a match that only opened up as the short-benched Stingrays tired in the final period.

Hull were missing two imports - Adam Knights and former Blaze player Curtis Huppe, both suspended as a result of a fracas in Cardiff the week before, while they were stinging after a 9-2 defeat at the hands of Edinburgh the night before. But the visitors got off to the brighter start, taking the lead with a powerplay goal by Konstantin Kalmikov, a sweetly-hit one-timer as the puck was moved across the zone.

Blaze had spent a lot of time working on their own powerplay during the week after an abysmal start to the season and were back on terms after scoring with the man advantage minutes later.

Jonathan Weaver hit a trademark bullet from the blue line. That he was offbalance and fell to one knee as he completed the shot did not matter, becase there was still enough power to get through the traffic and into the net.

Weaver was to shoot wide before Hull captain Jeff Glowa shot over at the other end and Luke Fulghum was unlucky to see the puck roll away when the net was gaping.

Danny Stewart helped inject some life into a lacklustre game in the second period, skating the length of the ice and going in on the goalie, before just missing with a shot on the same play.

Greg Chambers continued his scoring form from the night before with another tap-in as the puck went across the goal on the powerplay, while Matt Reynolds nearly grabbed a shorthanded goal as he burst clear from the Hull zone while his team were killing a penalty.

Joe Henry got his second goal of the season to make it 3-1, meeting a rebound from a Jonathan Weaver shot. Matthew Davies pulled one back for Hull as the puck was shifted to and fro across the zone, pulling the otherwise-tight Peter Hirsch out of position, but Carlson's finish to the most flowing move of the night made it comfortable at 4-2. "It was all about the win tonight," said coach Paul Thompson. "They had five men behind the puck and weren't going to roll over. I thought we were leggy at first after travelling back from Belfast, but I was pleased with the way we moved up a gear after they made it 3-2."

Coventry: 6.44 WEAVER, Campbell (PP); 26.39 CHAMBERS, Campbell, Weaver (PP); 45.19 HENRY, Weaver, Cowley; 58.22 CARLSON, Chambers, Calder (PP).

Hull: 4.10 KALMIKOV, Gomenyuk, Reynolds (PP); 53.16 DAVIES, Esders, Cloutier. Penalty minutes: Coventry 20 , Hull 12.

CAPTION(S):

ON TARGET... Coventry man of the match Joe Henry's second goal of the season put the Blaze 3-1 ahead.