Manchester Phoenix 6 - 3 Swindon Wildcats
Kovar x3, Psurny x2, Bentham Kostal, Hoog, Nell
Manchester Phoenix managed to finally record their first win of 2014 after securing a win over the Swindon Wildcats at the Altrincham Ice Dome winning 6-3, thanks to a Hat Trick by Czech forward Robin Kovar as they shrugged off their 5-2 loss to Basingstoke the night earlier.
Phoenix were boosted for the Sunday game, by the return of Steve Fone between the pipes for Manchester, after the netminder had missed the Bison encounter with an illness and so the Sheffield born shot-stopper got off his sickbed to help his side earn a big win, especially with the Bison losing in Telford.
From the opening face-off, neither side really got to grips with the game but did see Tony Hand create the first shot of the game himself. When the Phoenix Player-coach got the puck in the middle of the zone and his slap shot zinged off the bar and away to the corner, as it had Lyle beat in the Wildcats nets.
Swindon found themselves on the penalty kill after 3.19 in, when Steve Whitfield got called for Tripping after he brought down a Manchester player.
Manchester managed to make the extra man advantage count in their favour, with the home side taking the lead on the powerplay through a Robin Kovar poke at 5.11.
Within a couple of minutes of taking the lead in the game, Swindon then turned the game on it`s head. As at 7.59 the Wildcats with one of their first attacks in the game, saw Sam Smith skate towards goal and with the puck lost at the front of the home sides net. Henri Sandvik then his shot saved by Steve Fone, but the rebound got turned in by Jan Kostal as the Cats made it 1-1.
Then the visitors made from trailing to leading in no time at all, as they made it 2-1 after a Ryan Watt looked to be getting dealt with easily by Fone, but much to the embarrassment of the Manchester netminder. With the netminder scooping the puck back towards him to cover it, instead he seemed to knock it through his legs towards the back door. Where upon Jonas Hoog was on hand to tuck home for a bizarre goal at the 9.16 mark, to put Ryan Aldridge`s men a goal up in the contest.
Swindon then grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck as they looked to insert their dominance for the rest of the period, with the Wildcats pressuring the Phoenix defense and causing them mistakes and just flat out frustrating the home team.
Manchester`s play had become extremely disjointed and they looked like a side that was all at sea and lacking in shape and idea of what they were doing, though to have to give a tonne of credit to the visitor`s for the way they played and stifled the home side play.
Swindon was looking more like the home side than the away team, due to the way they were bossing Phoenix around the ice and putting the hits on their opponent`s as they looked very much like Manchester did at the start of the season.
It shown as well, that the home side were certainly missing a key player like Bakrlik out on the ice, with Manchester not having a player of his qualities that could hold the puck up and torment the opposition`s defence much like he does for the Phoenix.
For the good play Swindon had in the first, they only shot it 7 times in the opening twenty and yet they went in leading 2-1.
Second period saw the Manchester defence in a tangle to start with, as they struggled to stop the early Swindon attacks with them throwing themselves into the path of the Wildcats players to block shots.
Manchester eventually edged their way back into the game as they made it an evenly contested match, with them taking the game to Swindon.
The Wildcats were still shading the play and despite Aku Pekkarinen being called for Roughing at 24.56, the home side made nothing at all of the following power play thought it nearly saw Swindon score shorthanded.
Then at the halfway stage of the contest we saw the turning point in the match, with Manchester firing in 3 quick goals after 83 seconds that saw them take full control of the game from that point on wards.
Manchester`s first goal was scored by Michal Psurny with the assist going to his fellow Countryman, when Czech defenseman Robert Schnabel played the puck back to the forward and his shot found a way in past Stevie Lyle for 2-2 at 30.44.
Phoenix then looked like the 'old Phoenix’ as they quickly broke down the left wing with Jack Watkins sending Liam Chong dashing down the wing, before passing to the back post where Richard Bentham skated to the front of the net and neatly finished off the move, beating Lyle in the Cats goal for 3-2 that came at 31.08. That then saw Ryan Aldridge call a time out to try and gather his troops together after the double strike.
Less than a minute later, Robin Kovar then scored his second goal of the game as good play by recent signing to the Altrincham based outfit in Jaroslav Cesky, saw him cause Swindon problems before making space for Kovar to fire home in the top corner for a 4-2 Phoenix lead at 32.03, after that goal the home side never looked in any danger again.
Stevie Lyle looked like a rabbit in the headlights of a car most of the game as he made some weird saves over the game as he had to deal with the home team attacks, with the Cats massively on the back foot now as Phoenix looked like they were queuing up to score at times and see a complete reversal of the opening period play.
Phoenix had dominated the second period after they led by two goals, to see them head into the final intermission leading.
The Third period saw Phoenix fall asleep in the opening few minutes of the period as a pass by Jonas Hoog saw the returning Aaron Nell to the Wiltshire club slam home the puck, with Fone unable to make it to the other side of the net and Nell buried it a 4-3 score at 43.01, to give Swindon a little sniff of a comeback.
Ryan Watt then picked up a Hooking call at 44.19 to see the home side back out on the powerplay and from it saw Phoenix regain the two goal cushion again, thanks to Michal Psurny smacking in the rebound for 5-3 at 45.21, to see Phoenix virtually wrap up the points and see them head to their first win in 2014.
Swindon had two more power plays efforts within the final ten minutes of play, but Manchester held them off and nearly saw Michal Psurny score an outrageous goal for the home side, when the Czech forward skated round the back line and then took it wide of Lyle before sliding the puck past and unluckily, struck the far post and go safe.
Robin Kovar then added the exclamation point on the game as the forward completed his hat trick at 54.43 to see his shot beat Lyle for a Phoenix 6-3 lead and saw them move within two points of current EPL leaders the Basingstoke Bison with the Phoenix gaining two points back on them, after they down Saturday night.
Next weekend will seem like a revenge mission for Manchester, which sees them face both recent conquerors of the Phoenix in the last few games. With them travelling back down the M6 South to the Coventry Skydome, where they take on the Milton Keynes Lightning on Saturday before they then take on the leaders Basingstoke Bison on Sunday with Manchester possibly having the chance to go back top depending on results.
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LEAGUE TABLE
English Premier League
|
GP
|
W
|
OTW
|
OTL
|
L
|
GF
|
GA
|
Pts
| |
1 |
Basingstoke Bison
|
34
|
20
|
4
|
2
|
8
|
132
|
95
|
50
|
2
|
Guildford Flames
|
35
|
21
|
2
|
3
|
9
|
150
|
108
|
49
|
3
|
Manchester Phoenix
|
31
|
20
|
3
|
2
|
6
|
145
|
86
|
48
|
4
|
Milton Keynes Lightning
|
31
|
16
|
4
|
0
|
11
|
128
|
105
|
40
|
5
|
Sheffield Steeldogs
|
34
|
11
|
2
|
6
|
15
|
118
|
145
|
32
|
6
|
Bracknell Bees
|
34
|
9
|
3
|
3
|
19
|
106
|
140
|
27
|
7
|
Slough Jets
|
31
|
12
|
1
|
1
|
17
|
106
|
130
|
27
|
8
|
Telford Tigers
|
32
|
11
|
2
|
0
|
19
|
103
|
124
|
26
|
9
|
Swindon Wildcats
|
30
|
9
|
3
|
1
|
17
|
95
|
114
|
25
|
10
|
Peterborough Phantoms
|
32
|
9
|
0
|
6
|
17
|
107
|
143
|
24
|
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