Coventry Blaze Ice Hockey Club Coach Paul Thompson wants to get the CPP Coventry Blaze back to winning trophies.
Last season was a barren season for the Blaze and their fans with unusually no silverware coming to the Sky Dome based club.
Speaking ahead of games this weekend against Hull whose major owners are people involved with the Blaze, Thompson said to the Blaze official website; “I am not going to keep apologising for last year. It was a bad year for us – our first one in 17 years. It happens to every club.
“I know the fans didn’t like it but neither did we. Coventry are not used to it. We want to be competing for trophies again.”
The Blaze take on Hull Stingrays in two challenge matches this weekend, with the first at the Hull Arena on Saturday before the second game at the Skydome on Sunday night at 6pm.
Thompson also said: “We will be getting everyone together for two sessions on Friday, which will be a chance for the players to get their legs moving again before working on some systems. I have a blueprint of how I want my lines to be but until you see it in a game situation you never know how it will work out.
“Clouts [Stingrays player-coach Sylvain Cloutier] has recruited well. He has gone for guys who he has played alongside, who he knows and can trust – and that is not a bad manoeuvre.
“He has got three experienced import defencemen and a couple of very promising young British ‘D’ in Sam McCluskey and Daniel Scott.
“Clouts has also got two lines who can come at you and put some numbers up – last year he had one line and only four players who did that.”
Tickets for both games are availlable.