THE same number of points were available for winning Heat 12 as for any of the other 14 heats in this match - but as turning points go, this was the race which totally changed the complexion of the meeting.
The Buildbase Bees were down to five riders, and with guest Lewis Bridger having completed his rides, it was looking as though their chances of victory would depend entirely on perfect performances from Chris Harris and Edward Kennett across Heats 13-15.
And that was never going to be easy with Lakeside skipper Adam Shields looking to be in fine form, and with a lively supporting cast in Jonas Davidsson and Kauko Nieminen.
With Nieminen and former Bees favourite Stuart Robson coming to the tapes in that Heat 12 against Ricky Wells and Filip Sitera, the form book had to suggest a Hammers heat advantage - and, most likely, a major one.
But that form book was most gloriously turned upside down as Wells made the start of his Elite League career from the inside and then proceeded to ride four perfect laps for a race win which was greeted like almost no other so far this season.
What made it doubly satisfying for the Bees was that Sitera had trapped alongside Wells, blocking out Robson, and the Czech maintained second spot throughout despite a heart-stopping moment when he lifted off turn four third time around.
It gave Robson the chance to move through on the inside, but as Sitera shut the gate Robson fell and the Bees had undoubtedly turned the match in their favour.
Until that stage, it looked like a double-dose of bad luck much earlier would conspire against the Bees, who had made a more than reasonable start to proceedings on a night where they would necessarily be in a tactically defensive mode.
Shields served notice of his intentions with a fast win in Heat 1 as Harris was blocked in traffic, eventually going round Davidsson at the end of the second lap, and then it was Robert Mear who marked his first-ever Brandon ride with a win in Heat 2 ahead of a frantic battle for second place.
The positions swapped on numerous occasions, initially with Sitera relieving Robson of second, and then with Robson and Jordan Frampton seeming to trade third on successive corners before Robson lost his momentum for a split-second going into the last lap - enough for Frampton to secure a point.
The third shared heat followed in Heat 3 as Kennett just trapped on Nieminen and led him by half-a-bike into turn three, which was enough for him to control the race, and the opening exchanges were completed when Bees edged ahead in Heat 4 with Bridger out-gating Lee Richardson and Frampton holding off Mear for third.
Heat 5 was shared as Kennett squeezed around Shields off the exit of turn two, whilst Wells was reeling in Davidsson before going too wide on the third bend and losing his chance of making a pass.
But then came the Coventry misfortune, first ahead of a Heat 6 from which they could have expected to take points - Bridger being sent back 15 metres for exceeding the time allowance after he suffered trouble at the start-line.
After a re-start when Mear went down in a hard-fought first bend with Harris, the Bees skipper took the re-run when Richardson left a gap on the third bend to exploit, but Mear defended his line well and ensured no way through for Bridger.
Still, Heat 7 looked initially promising for the Bees - but the effects of a sudden rain shower would be particularly felt by Frampton, who led into a third bend whose surface had completely changed on the second lap and promptly spun around and fell. That caused panic behind as Robson avoided him but Sitera ploughed into the debris, and already injury-hit Bees were relieved that both of their men were eventually able to walk away.
With the main rain shower passing almost as quickly as it had started, the Hammers took full advantage of their second chance in the re-run with Robson switching back inside Sitera off turn two to partner Nieminen to maximum points and put the visitors ahead.
And they looked set to record damaging back-to-back 5-1s when Davidsson led from start to finish in Heat 8, but the chase was on for Bridger throughout the race and eventually he managed to split the pairing going into the final bends, taking second from Robson. That race was also the last of the night for Frampton, who was taken to hospital for checks on his ribs and arm.
Bees were still in need of some big results, four points down, and they did well to edge two back in Heat 9, first with Kennett moving inside Richardson off the first bend and then with Wells, who had made an early mistake to lose third place to Mear, catching and re-passing the Hammers reserve around the outside on lap three.
Heat 10 produced close action between all four riders going up the back straight, and as Davidsson took the advantage Harris and Bridger went either side of Nieminen into turn three, the Lakeside rider falling as he went into the bend. However, he did manage to clear the track which was good news for his team-mate, who kept the Hammers' two-point lead intact.
Harris took his rider replacement outing in Heat 11 and put in his most convincing ride thus far with a rapid win over Shields - who received a hefty knock on the back straight when Sitera clipped his rear wheel and was very lucky not to go down heavily. Sitera's race was lost, but he was still in the meeting, and how crucial that was to prove.
Without question the events of Heat 12 changed the mood of the stadium and the mood of the Bees riders, and Wells' win will do his confidence the power of good - whilst the role of Sitera, doubtless uncomfortable from his earlier spill, should not be under-estimated.
And for the final three races, the belief was there that it ought to just be Coventry's night, in spite of all the injury setbacks of the last fortnight.
Shields still had a say in that, using the favourable gate one to good advantage in Heat 13 as the Bees had to concentrate on seeing off Richardson, who at one point threatened to go between Harris and Kennett off turn four before dropping back.
Bees, two points up, therefore had a chance to close the meeting out in Heat 14 and were two laps from doing so before Nieminen made a smart move down the inside of Sitera going into the third lap to take second place. Even so, Kennett's fourth win of yet another impressive performance moved Bees closer to victory and even gave them an outside chance of taking three points from the match.
That they didn't quite achieve it was all down to an outstanding ride by Shields in Heat 15, albeit not one which could salvage a draw overall for his side as team-mate Davidsson - who carded a remarkably symmetrical scorechart - was never really a factor in the race.
But Shields, who suffered a seriously broken back less than twelve months ago, was simply superb in holding off Harris, especially as it looked to all the world that Harris had made it inside him on lap two, only for Shields to fence scrape back around the outside in thrilling style.
It probably left the Hammers with some mixed emotions as the Bees were clearly vulnerable in a number of situations yet they couldn't quite take advantage of it - for Coventry, when riders are missing in such great numbers and with all of the setbacks coming at once, any kind of win will keep their Elite League total ticking along.