Teenager Ross Venus grabbed Blaze's fourth goal against Vipers

Coventry Blaze coach Paul Thompson was left frustrated after his team slumped to a 5-4 defeat by Newcastle Vipers.

Despite winning at Dundee the night before, Blaze lost at home on Sunday and have just that one win in seven.

Thompson told BBC Coventry & Warwickshire: "For two periods it looked like we were still on the bus coming back from Dundee.

"Everything they threw at the net bounced straight on a stick for a tap-in. We had chance after chance."

Blaze outshot their opponents by little under three to one but went behind to first-period efforts from Jamie Tinsley and hat-trick hero Patrik Forsbacka.

Robert Farmer pulled one back before the visitors raced into a 5-1 lead with Mike Prpich scoring in-between two more strikes from Forsbacka.

Coventry rallied in the third with three unanswered goals from Aaron Nell, Greg Owen and Ross Venus, but it was not enough for the home side.

Thompson lamented the form of his imports and added: "Four Brits score all our goals tonight and we've got other people in the team who are supposed to be picking up the pieces from a goal-scoring point of view.

"A great effort in the third but you can't start playing four goals behind and try and play catch up."

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