MANCHESTER PHOENIX 5 - 3 SHEFFIELD STEELDOGS
Thursday Night at the Ice Dome in Altrincham saw the "Northern Derby" in the EPL between the Sheffield Steeldogs coming ov`er Pennines to take on the hometown Manchester Phoenix. The Build-up to the game was given an extra bit more 2bite". With the Release of the forward Derek Campbell Tuesday evening and by Thursday morning news came through that Manchester had signed him on a short term contract to cover for Injury problems. As D man Robert Schnabel has an injury and would be out for about 4 weeks.
So fans not only in Manchester but around the league and even the Elite League was asking would this be a good signing or as many predicted a terrible mistake by head coach Tony Hand. So this made the game a bit more spicy, especially with him making his debut against his old team. And not forgetting also that another new player had joined the Phoenix in a new forward, 5"10 Dumfries Native Bari McKenzie taking over from the out-going Scott McKenzie who went back to former club the Telford Tigers last week.
So after the lights came back on ,after the Phoenix entered the ice and had the national anthem. All the smoke had cleared..with the usual sounds of the smoke alarm ringing throughout the rink. The fans were ready, the players were ready the big question was, Was Derek Campbell ready or would he play like he had for Sheffield where he was slow, uninterested and very penalty prone with silly calls.
The game started off with both side have early chances and them making good plays and was a really open game in the first few minutes of it. Fone was back between the pipes sporting a white generic helmet as opposed to the union flag with the Phoenix logo he has. But the Phoenix D was tested abit with some quick play by the Sheffield forwards and were clearly up for the task and game. Phoenix were the first side to get into penalty trouble as they were called for TOO MANY MEN at 6-51. As Referee John Tiprott called it as we spent the 1st period with only 2 officials Jan Posladek as Lineman & Tiptrott more commonly a linesman when at the dome, but was donning the Water wings!
Sheffield didn`t really get set up well and looked abit like the Phoenix on the Powerplay, but just like a Phoenix Powerplay they conceded, as Campbell poked the puck off Duncombe stick towards the boards. Hand pick it up near the team benches and waited for Campbell to join the play as it was a 2 on 0. Hand waited for the Netminder Flavell to make to a move and softly passed it across to Campbell who cooly slotted it home to score Shorthanded and put up the Phoenix 1-0 at 7-29 in the 1st period.
Phoenix doubled the lead at 11-07 when Phoenix was peppering Flavell in the nets and from some good recycling down low in the Sheff zone Boothroyd and Duggan assisted for Flaten to score after his effort dropped in as the netminder thought tried to hug his near post only for it drop in after a couple of seconds.
Phoenix then had McKinney go to the box for Tripping called by linesman Jan Posladek at 15-10.
Better was to come for Hands men as they went 3-0 up thanks to James Archer, new boy Derek Campbell combining and finding Andy McKinney skating on goal to make it 3 gola lead at 17-09. Phoenix were in complete control after the Second goal as the 2 goals quickly scored seem to put Sheffield head down and looked lost. As the normal physical play and cheap shots we have come to expect from them, seems to have completely evaded them this season, Barring the War of the Roses 1st leg,that i attended.
However the 3 goal lead lasted less than 2 mins as the Steeldogs pulled a goal back through Craig Elliott assisted by Steve Duncombe and Lloyd Gibson at 19-11. And so the Phoenix faithful were in good spirits as they went into the Intermission 3-1 up after 20 mins of the game.
End OF 1ST PERIOD: MANCHESTER PHOENIX 3 - 1 SHEFFIELD STEELDOGS
2nd period, Phoenix looked to have fell asleep and took Christmas too literally "spreading Christmas cheer" and gave a gift of a goal to the Visitors quickly into the 2nd. As Duncombe scored to make it a 1 goal game and Steeldogs made it 3-2 Phoenix after 21-35. Phoenix was under the cosh for a bit as Sheffield pressed for the equalizer and Fone made a good save, as well as Neil catching a puck in the air and throwing it to the boards as Fone was down from making a save.
Then came the almost inevitable.. Payette the Sheffield player-coach hadn`t made much impact on the game with his normal rough style of play. So as he was trying to get his team to spark, he focused his intentions on James Archer who plays Payette fantastically and gets under his skin easily. He slashed and punched nothing was happening then Campbell joined in and so they scrapped, both got a few punches in and neither gave up ground lead to it being a draw. So as both Combatants headed to the Penalty box at 26-55, there was a great trick played on Payette by Campbell more on that later.
But Penalties dished out by Liptrott was 2+2 for ROUGHING for Andre Payette and Campbell received 2+2 for ROUGHING & an additional 2 min Misconduct penalty (?!) But Payette somehow escaped with just the roughing call.
After the penalties and a call on Sheffield for ICING INFRINGEMENT at 35-33 Payette blew his top and lost the plot!..here comes the trick i mentioned! What had occured was when Campbell went to the penalty box he had Payette glove under his arm. and had stuck it under the penalty box bench in Phoenix one. So he was not amused yelling, hissyfitting and stropping and even having a good old tantrum at the ref for his missing glove and becoming like the ice hockey equivalent of Michael Jackson with the one glove!
So as his teammates tried to drag him away from the officials and couldn`t , he chose to sit the 2mins for his side to try and cool down. And the Steeldogs were the more likely side to score in the 2nd period as they frustrated the Phoenix and were getting back into it more ,from Phoenix having defensive lapses and Campbell forgetting he didn`t play for the visitors anymore as he coughed up a loose puck right on the stick to their forward but he shot it high over Fone in nets. McKinney put a big hit on a Duncombe and then moments later a hit by Duncombe himself was called Clean when some thought it was a high stick as McKinney was down just outside the Sheffield crease.
And with a couple of mins to go Steve Duncombe gave a horrible looking CHECK FROM BEHIND on Ciaran Long, when the Phoenix forward never saw him coming and his face was planted head first into the board, asyou could hear both sticks and his head hit the board clearly down the other end, that was at 38-33 . So the horn sounded on the Eventful 2nd period. With Sheff ield players shouting at the phoenix pen box over Glove-gate and Payette remonstrating with the 3 Officials now on ice. Tony Hand wasn`t best pleased either as he Slammed the home changing room door as he was last to enter in it.
End of 2nd : MANCHESTER PHOENIX 3 - 2 SHEFFIELD STEELDOGS
The final period was a a tight one, as both teams tried to gain the upper hand, as Sheffield was still trying to find the tying goal and Phoenix to get the extra goal need to kill the game your thought. Phoenix were put on the Penalty Kill at 41-17 when Richard Bentham was adjudged to have pushed a Steeldogs D man in nets knocking it off the moorings causing a break in play and so was given 2 mins for INTERFERENCE .
Nothing came of it and Sheffield pressure had finally paid off as ex-Phoenix defenseman Pavel Gomeniuk struck a shot past Fone to tie the game at 3-3 at 45-23 as the Ukrainian got the Steeldogs tails wagging again. And was all to play for now,at times it seemed cautious by both sides then manic in bursts.
Phoenix then found themselves on the Powerplay as Duncombe was called for SLASHING and not much in way of attempts. And then they again were awarded a Powerplay as this time it was Lee Haywood turn to make a trip to the Away Penalty box AT 53-10 & then 10 second later James Archer was in the box for TRIPPING.
So Phoenix were Shorthanded for tiny bit and came the Breakthrough. James Neil found Tony Hand and his pass found Michel Psurny unmarked and his ripped one past Flavell for 4-3 with 4:45 remaining in the game.
Hand called a Timeout to tell his team to not let this lead slip away as they have done alot this season as i`ve mentioned in previous blogs.
So with time counting down it was Typically Derek Campbell to have the FINAL WORD on this game as Phoenix pressured the Steeldogs in their zone and Bentham pass from Archer was feed across to Campbell who was skating across from the far side tipped it in for 5-3 and completed a great night Against his own- employees with the "Gordie Howe Hat-trick" (1 fight, 1 assist and 1 goal).
The horn sounded to bring an end to the game as a Phoenix win to take them into a tough xmas program as they travel to Slough Jets & Peterborough Phantoms at weekend before a mini Christmas break. And return home to face the Telford Tigers led by Scott McKenzie.
FINAL SCORE: MANCHESTER PHOENIX 5 - 3 SHEFFIELD STEELDOGS
The MAN OF THE MATCH awards were given to
Sheffield: #71 Edgars Bebris and Phoenix was Debut boy and the posting 2 Goals an Assist and fight Derek Campbell who else!
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