Peter Brads SPORTS Blog: TIGERS WELL & TRULY EARN STRIPES WITH COMEBACK WIN!

MANCHESTER PHOENIX 4 - 5 TELFORD TIGERS

Sunday evening saw the final regular season game of the season in the English Premier League this season at the Altrincham ice dome, As the Manchester Phoenix played hosts to the Bottom of the table Telford Tigers but a lately resurgent Telford Tigers as they hadn`t lost in 3 games to any team and was their best form in the EPL since they came back last year into the league. As they beat Bracknell 5-2 Saturday and Peterborough 8-4 the previous week along with the unbelievable massacre of Phoenix 8-2 the previous weekend.

Manchester had the extra day`s rest as they played on the Friday night at Ice Sheffield against the Sheffield Steeldogs winning eventually after overtime 7-6, This despite throwing away another 4 goal lead once again this season. Phoenix were 6-2 up with 10 minutes to go when they fell apart and conceded 4 goals to go into Overtime and luckily Tom Duggan who was Man of the Match scored his 5th goal of the night to give Manchester the extra point.

So heading into the Sunday clash it was expected to be a bit of meaningless match with neither fighting for anything in the way of qualifying for playoffs as Manchester consolidated their 3rd place spot in Sheffield Friday night nor sadly for Telford they were out of the running a while ago to be fair. As Manchester were hoping for no injuries being picked up before the Playoff quarter finals next Sunday which they were waiting on confirmation on who the Phoenix would be facing due to it being either the Swindon Wildcats or the Bracknell Bees depending on results that evening.

Phoenix drafted in 3 of the Trafford Metros for the game as they were missing forward James Archer who was ill and Czech defenseman Ondrej Pozivil who is struggling with an injury he picked up against Telford last Saturday. So in came Lee Pollitt, Cade King & Jared Dickinson for the Phoenix and Telford team change was Macaulay Heywood coming into the side for the Tigers.

So as the teams entered the ice for the least league game of the season Joy Tottman took charge with Jan Posladek and Kris Wells on the lines, The game started with both sides putting some big hits on one another and was like a playoff type game with the feriouous checking in the plexi glass, Especially from the Orangemen from Shropshire. Phoenix responded with their own hard hitting and also found the opening goal as Play from the first line consisting of Joachim Flaten and Tony Hand fell to Michal Psurny who scored his 41st goal of the season beating the Tigers net minder Declan Ryan in the process at 4-01 to put the Phoenix up 1-0.

The game became a scrappy affair with Telford then picking up by frustrating the Phoenix fast flowing style and Telford had a few chances as they tested the returning Steve Fone to the Phoenix nets. He made a couple of good pad saves from the Tigers forwards and wasn`t showing any hints of rust in his play so far.

A penalty was then called by Tottman on Telford number 14 Tomas Janak for INTERFERENCE timed 7-44 and put Manchester on the power play. The power play can be best being described as atrocious as they had one effort on target as most of it was spent in the Phoenix zone retrieving the puck. One big area for Phoenix has been the power play as they have never looked likely to score on it all season due to the way the set up. So no surprise that Telford killed it off and went back to full strength

Manchester had a couple of efforts but nothing that was too troubling to be honest for Ryan in the period, A lot of sloppiness by both sides made the game largely a scrappy period as both teams were making the game more exciting by the big hit going round the first 20 minutes.

We had one occasion where the physical stuff was getting to the peak and James Preece from Telford and Rob Schnabel from Phoenix were pushing and having some heated words by the boards in the Phoenix end. Telford did get on the scoreboard as Phoenix sloppy play combined with good pressure by the Telford side brought a goal, Phoenix thought they had cleared their lines only for the puck to somehow managed to go in from Telford 79 Thomas Soar and the large contingent of Travelling Telford fans in the Orange end of the rink was partying as they saw their side level the game up at 1-1 at 14-02.

The horn sounded for the end of the first 20 minutes as both teams headed to the locker room with Telford arguably the happier of the 2 sides, as they were frustrating the home side from pulling away and getting a fair few chances.

2ND PERIOD the period was dominated by Manchester as they upped their game a lot than they did in the first stanza. Manchester was troubling the Telford defence as they seemed like they were camped in their zone a lot in the majority of the second. Telford were still in the game but the checking wasn`t as hard hitting in the period as it seemed in the first and that was one reason why Phoenix was taking over. Manchester have been in recent times struggling with physical sides and one reason why Telford was successful over a week back against Manchester was the physical play they were putting on the Altrincham based side. So once the hard play was decreasing so was the game play they were using as Manchester threw off the shackles and was free and playing good flowing hockey again.

Chances was being made and seemed only a matter of time before Phoenix scored to regain the lead and it did, As Ex-Telford Tigers player Andy McKinney and Richard Bentham did good work as Declan Ryan had been pulled out of position Bentham fired at Ryan and looked a dead certainty to go in but a fantastic save by the Tigers goal tender stopped it but only as far as the incoming Trafford Mets player Jared Dickinson coming in to poach the rebound home and make it 2-1 and give the home side back the lead at 27-44.

Telford almost replied instantly as a Telford player skated behind the net found Ex-Phoenix Scott McKenzie and his effort struck the bar and Phoenix were left off as it had Fone beat the shot. But to rub it in for Telford Michal Psurny scored his second goal of the game to extend the lead to 3-1 as again the first line produced again with Flaten finding Hand and his pass to Psurny let the Czech forward skill handled quickly to slide it home near post for his 42nd of the season and looked to have took the game away from Telford goal coming at 30-05.

Then Phoenix looked to have killed the game off with a 4th goal with Bari McKenzie behind the net battling away Tom Duggan picking it up passing it in the slot to Liam Chong and his up it in for 4-1 at 31-27 to give Phoenix what looked like the 2 points and would carry on their winning form to next weekend as Telford heads were dropping and so Tigers Coach Tom Watkins took a time out and the Tigers did respond but Manchester were in complete control of the rest of the period as Tigers were down and out and Phoenix look all but in control of the game now as the horn for the end of the period. As if the first period Telford were happy with going in to the break with then Manchester were cock a hoop in the 2nd break.

3RD PERIOD saw an absolutely shocking opening 3 minutes and one that will give nightmares to the Manchester side. Telford came out for the final period looking like a beaten side and one playing just for pride and so as the puck was dropped the first chance Telford had they took, As James Preece dispossessed Schnabel by the boards he played forward towards Callum Bowley and as he skated in the Phoenix zone he passed across to Thomas Soar again and he dispatched him the pass to cut the deficit to 2 and give the Tigers some hope for the remaining 18 minutes and 52 seconds of the final period as the scored at 41-08.

Then things got interesting even more when 8 seconds after the restart Phoenix won the face off played back to Manchester Phoenix captain Luke Boothroyd and a lapse of concentration by the normally reliable captain , His pass went across ice straight to Bowley and he passed back across to Preece and he finished it off to send the Telford fans crazy in the corner as their hopes of getting something out of the game was rapidly growing as it was Telford in the ascendancy and Phoenix looking shocked and lost on the ice and had lost all train of thought now. The Tigers 3rd goal was timed at 41-16 and Phoenix should have taken a timeout to calm the troops as they were visibly mentally all over the place.

Play carried on and 31 seconds later Telford completed a remarkable recovery as Phoenix were all at sea with their defensive exploits and looked lost with them chasing shadows as panic set in. As Luke Brittle started the play off Scott McKenzie collected the puck in his own zone. The Scot then skated hard down the left wing cut across towards goal lost control of the puck as it headed across the Phoenix crease, bodies all strewn across the front of the Phoenix nets. The puck came to Tigers number 44 their latest import recruitment Tomas Karpov and he put it high up for a 4-4 score line and sent the Telford Tigers fans delirious and a seas of Orange and black was waving around as they couldn`t believe the Unbelievable score line and what they were witnessing and to be honest no one else inside the rink could either.

As it was complete and utter silence in the dome as the Tigers fans celebrated their 4th as Manchester were players and fan were at a loss as what was happening in front of them. Telford took over the game as every attack by the Tigers seemed like it was going to threaten a goal when they skated up into the Phoenix zone.

Phoenix took a while to regain composure as they were being outplayed by Telford and the travelling fans loved it. Fone was keeping Phoenix in it still with some good saves and the Phoenix was grateful that his head was still focused, despite what was happening around him.

Daniel Croft then got sent to the box for 2 minutes for SLASHING at 48-57 and put the Phoenix back on the power play and they need now than ever to try and get the PP working as they had looked awful in their first attempt. Second power play was marginally better as they managed to get a half chance and a Schnabel shot that was easily dealt with by Ryan. Phoenix then had Rob Schnabel go for TRIPPING at 54-57 as he sent a Tigers player sliding across mid ice when in no danger and while on a Penalty Kill, Ben Wood was sent for SLASHING at 56-15 giving Tigers a 5-on-3 Power play,

Thankfully for home side they killed it off and the game was getting stretched a bit now as both sides had chances and were pushing to win it in regulation. So as we entertained the final 2 minutes of the game a puck was knocked into the Phoenix zone and Steve Fone skated out to play the puck but before he could reach it Danny Rose stretched out to poke the puck and the puck finished up in the nets as the Phoenix defenseman couldn`t stop it in time as the red light lit assists going to Luke Brittle and James Preece to help Telford completed one of the most Incredible Comebacks seen at the Ice dome for many years. Phoenix took a timeout at 58:25 to gather thoughts though it should have been called during the early period blitz by the Tigers.

But there was still more drama to come as with Manchester pushing on for the tying goal, puck was thrown up ice towards Scott McKenzie and as he beared down on the Phoenix nets he had Bari McKenzie and Luke Boothroyd on his tail and was hooked down leading to Joy Tottman signalling for a Penalty shot to be awarded. So McKenzie himself took it to the home fans trying to put him off but his effort couldn`t beat Fone as he denied him. Right at the end of the game Phoenix pushed on and a shot went flashing across the crease and there was no white shirt to put home, and then Tony Hand skated round the net and tried to the no look shot and it stopped by Ryan and Telford held on for a famous win and their first ever win at the Ice dome.