Coventry injury woes go from bad to worse

The latest addition to the Coventry Blaze injury list is now much longer than first thought. Forward Russ Cowley will now be laid up “indefinitely” after tearing his medial collateral ligament against Dundee last Saturday night. This leaves the Blaze with a huge hole in the roster; Cowley is a versatile player who can log top 6 forward or top 4 defenseman minutes.

“Russ is absolutely distraught. He is our most experience Brit and you cannot replace him.” said Paul Thompson. “But we have started well with a short bench and the guys are good professionals, we will just have to get through this tricky period as best we can.”

Thompson is not wrong. The loss of Cowley leaves the Blaze with seven recognised forwards available on the roster plus converted defenseman Matt Selby, assuming he is made available from the NIHL Blaze. With Mike Danton still not hearing from the UKBA over his visa, the Blaze will be incredibly stretched as they enter the important double header weekend against Sheffield.