MANCHESTER PHOENIX 6 - 2 BASINGSTOKE BISON
 |
| CROWD Waiting to get in |
Less than 24 hours after the heartbreaking exit in the EPL CUP to Guildford Flames, Manchester Phoenix took on Basingstoke Bison a team which was 5-0 up in the season series as Phoenix had struggled to get to grips with the drilled disciplined side coached by Doug Sheppard. Manchester have always had a blind spot when it comes to playing sides coached by Sheppard, As they were outplayed by his former side Slough Jets and were beaten by his former team in the EPL PLAYOFFS Final last season.
This season they have had the Indian sign over Tony Hand going into this game,having won every game this season. So with the Bison in recent games capitulating over recent weeks and the previous night ,overcoming a tough Topsy turvy game against Slough winning 5-4 on penalties, The Phoenix were going into the game on the back of 3 successive wins with the win over the League Champions Guildford the night before in the cup being the most standout result.
Basingstoke were missing 6 personnel in their squad as Alex Symonds, Kurt Reynolds, James Smith, Andy Melachrino, Jacob Heron and one of Phoenix favourite pantomime villains Nicky Watt. Manchester were missing long term absentee ,Starting Goaltender Steve Fone through injury.So like Saturday night Andrew Jszczyk retained his place between the pipes as the Home side set their sights on beating the only team they had yet to beat!
The game was played in front of a Packed out Altrincham ICE DOME the first sell out since the old Elite days, When they played a Elite League KO cup match in a nearly full house against strangely enough the Basingstoke Bison and won 6-1 that night! WAS THIS AN OMEN?
 |
| FULL ICE DOME |
The Teams came out and after the National Anthem was played the game was under way and off we went. The chants of "PHOENIX!" were ringing around the rink from opening face off, as it was the hometown team that got off to a great start as they tested Stevie Lyle in the Bison net from the off and pressured him alot in the early stages of the game.
The line that was causing alot of problems for Guildford the previous night was doing the same against Basingstoke too. As the 2nd line with Archer, McKenzie and Duggan running rings around the Bison defense with their quickness and so was no surprise when that line opened the scoring in the game. When Bari McKenzie combined with James Archer for Tom Duggan with a quick release shot that past Lyle for 1-0. His defenseman looked to have screened him outside his crease for the goal it looked like, So Phoenix drew first blood at 2-32 into the game.
Worse was to happen for the Bison as at 3-41, Some quick movement of the puck by the Manchester forwards led to Michal Psurny making it 2-0 for Phoenix, And Phoenix were in full control as Basingstoke looked to left their game on the coach, As they were poor compared to previous matches between the 2 sides. Lyle didn`t look as confident as he normally does and his defensemen were going walking about leaving him hung out to dry a fair few times.
Tom Duggan was the first player sent to the penalty box as he was called for HIGH STICKS at 5-13, But a good defensive effort by the Penalty kill and the netminder too meant no breakthrough for the away side. Most of the period was played along the boards as both sides tried to grind their opponents and play a tactical game. The game was not a fast flowing run & gun game that was pleasing to the eyes, But it looked like a tactic that finally Phoenix could use against the Bison as the herd struggled to deal with it.
Phoenix clearly dominated the 1st period as Bison was struggling to get anything going at all and looked a very frustrated side indeed, And so as we approached the break Andy McKinney was sent to the box for TRIPPING at 18-24 and on the Bison power play nothing was being created much in the way of chances for them. Then as the puck fell onto the stick of Joe Greener on the blue line he seemed to throw one on goal and it went straight in as the young netminder was screened by the group of players in front of him with just 2 seconds left of the 1st period at 19-58.
Basingstoke weren`t testing the young goalie in the Phoenix nets too much at all as Phoenix were holding their shots off to the outside, And shots were missing the target or they were just unable to generate any plays at all. The late goal by Greener coming on the back end of the last period had certainly given them a confidence boost and could easily have swayed the game in favour the opposition.
Basingstoke seemed lacklustre and looked a completely different side to the one had visited Manchester on the 2 previous occasions. Where they soaked up pressure and countered but this was far from a side that looked capable from it, whether it was down to a bad night at the office or they were in a mini slump they were not playing the seem type of game compared to normal.
And Manchester were countering their guest with good play as they continued the puck by the boards but, at the same time so were the Bison more so than Phoenix. Then at 28-54 Tom Duggan was up ended by Greg Chambers with an apparent elbow on the Phoenix forward which drew blood and so we had a delay as they scraped the blood of the ice. So with play ready to resume Referee gives Player coach Tony Hand a 10 minute ABUSE OF OFFICIAL for something he must have said as he was incensed with no call from the play against Chambers.
So moments later Joe Miller then went to the box for HOOKING at 29-17. Then we had a mini wave of goals at the end of the 2nd period, First off Jaroslav Cesky struck a fantastic goal over the shoulder of Jsczczy in Phoenix nets with the smallest of gaps and his accurate shot rung in off the pipes for 2-2 coming at 37-51. Phoenix responded under a minute later as Liam Chong Feed Andy McKenzie and as he skated 1 on 1 against Lyle he pulled him all over with some dekes and slid it between Lyles legs for a 3-2 lead at 38-50. And to round of the period, Ondrej Pozivil and Michal Psurny set up Joachim Flaten to make it 4-2 at 39-25 and that was the killer goal really.
3rd period, Bison stalwart Tony Redmond was sent to the box for HIGH STICKS as he caught Tom Duggan accidentally and so sat at 43-20 along with Joe Greener who was given a 10 minute ABUSE OF OFFICIAL too. By the time Redmond had parked his backside in the box he was back out again, as from face off in the Herd zone Pozivil gave it to Psurny who somehow managed to get it high up and the puck find a way in, As he scored the Power play goal as Lyle seemed to have covered the whole net, goal was clocked at 43-34.
Last action of the game in the 3rd period was James Archer getting a loose puck and taking a quick wrist shot at Lyle which beat him to make it 6-2 at 45-49. Phoenix picked up a ICING INFRINGEMENT penalty at 57-58, But was killed off successfully and so the end of 60 minutes, send the Packed out crowd home with a big smile after a fantastic weekend for the Manchester side beating both Top 2 teams in the league.
STATS
SHOTS ON GOAL:
Andrew Jaszczyk 20 SHOTS faced 90.00% Stevie Lyle 36 SHOTS faced 88.89%
PENALTY MINS:
PHOENIX : 16 BISON :14
LAST MINS OF GAME!
No comments:
Post a Comment