Thursday 2 October 2014

ICE HOCKEY: Phoenix Back To Winning Ways

 

















   Manchester PHOENIX  3 - 2 Peterborough PHANTOMS




An injury-hit Manchester Phoenix team finally got their season back on track this past weekend, with a four point weekend rounding it off with their first home win of the season, edging out the newly rejuvenated Peterborough Phantoms 3-2, with a short bench that got shorter as the game went on.


Phoenix in these early formative stages of the EPL season so far have struggled to find their form, with injuries hampering their line-up, namely losing Czech forward Frantisek Bakrlik and then this past week lost Jacob Corson-Heron, after a freak accident in training that left the forward with a suspected Broken collarbone and only saw Shaun Thompson aggravate an old injury too.



Opening stages of the contest saw a fairly cagey game to start, with neither side able to settle down and had the net minders being called upon to make some early saves for both teams through it. 

With 3-57 gone in the game, it brought the game opening goal of the contest through former Phantoms player James Archer, as the forward once more haunted his former side, after some passing around the side of the net by Michal Psurny and Tony Hand, then led to the player-coach passing out the puck out in front and Archer buried it by Janis Auzins in the visitors goal for 1-0.



The home side should have doubled their lead, when a mistake by the Peterborough defence saw Phoenix have a glorious chance to move further ahead, when Ben Wood managed to beat Auzins to the loose puck and played the puck towards Jack Watkins and he somehow managed to miss the target after some good work by Wood, as the third line was showing hard working as ever.  


Peterborough looked lost in the opening period and had Manchester looking good for their lead. 

Then at 16-57, the hosts then grabbed an insurance marker in the game with Psurny and Hand setting up Archer again after his initial shot was blocked by Auzins, but his momentum saw him put home the rebound and force it in for a 2-0 score line.


In the second, Peterborough came out the much more aggressive team and upped their game, as the East Anglian visitors pressured the Phoenix defence into making a few errors that saw their style of play difficult for the short benched home side, as they exerted a fair bit of energy. 


Eventually the visitors picked up a goal through Lithuanian forward Darius Pliskauskas, after he took a pass from Edgar Bebris and player coach for the Phantoms in Slava Koulikov, as he started the move off and saw Pliskauskas dance through the back line of Phoenix to fire past Steve Fone for 2-1 at 24-17.


That goal seem to wake up the home side, as they improved their play as the period progressed and went on to look the more threatening as the period went on too. 

Phoenix had a good chance when Robin Kovar and Adam Walker broke away on a 2 on 1 opportunity, but Auzins managed to stop the Scottish forward as Walker attempted to take it round the netminder. 


Jack Watkins came close too for the hosts, after his shot was stopped by the Phantoms netminder and was clueless as to the whereabouts of the puck and thankfully for him, his team mates cleared away defenseman.



First penalty of the game came against the visitors, when Tom Norton tripped up Jack Watkins on the Phantoms blue line and sat in the penalty box for two minutes at 35-54.

Former Phantom Joe Graham then sat for two minutes himself, as he was called for Tripping at 38-34, when he was adjudged to have to brought down Luke Ferrara in his own defensive zone. 

Manchester was doing well killing off the Phantoms powerplay and nearly  got better for them, when Michal Psurny managed to break away on goal but James Hutchinson got his stick up to stop the Czech forward from getting a clean shot on goal and took one for the team being penalised for Hooking.


There was deep concerns right at the end of the period for the Phoenix, when James Archer got a bump in the crease from getting tangled up with a Peterborough man and saw him tumble into Janis Auzin. 

The result saw the forward in discomfort and holding his knee, with the netminder immediately calling for the trainer to come over as he was clearly in pain, as both sets of players looked on with concern, before Archer was helped off the ice and done for the night. 




The final period saw the Phoenix on the powerplay and were  unable to do much with the man advantage, as Auzins made a couple of saves but there wasn`t to many troubling shots in all fairness, but did see the net minder a fair bit unsure as he gave up a fair few rebounds in the game.

 At 43-04 the Phantoms penalty kill unit got more ice time when Cam McGriffin served a two minute penalty for Tripping and saw the home side grab a powerplay goal, through the unlikely goal scorer in James Neil. 

The Nottingham born defenseman skated into the slot at just the right time and beat Auzins with a wrist shot to go 3-1 up, with Tony Hand and Michal Psurny assisting at 44.44.


Peterborough then had a powerplay themselves, after Robin Kovar was given a High Sticks penalty at 47-49 and had the home side digging deep in their reserves now, with the home side losing the services of both James Archer and defenceman Johan Burlin in the final period.  Kovar took a quick trip back to the penalty box soon after, when referee Tom Pering called him for Cross Checking this time and what seemed a questionable call at 51-14. Marc Levers almost grabbed a goal back for the visitors, but Steve Fone was alert to make a double save to deny him and help out his weary defence.


Manchester`s lack of bodies was taking it`s toll now on them and were creaking at the back line and it didn`t help matters either, when Kovar was called for Hooking at 59-17 and meant that Peterborough used their wildcard in the form of the extra attacker.  Peterborough`s powerplay lasted all off three seconds, when a face-off win by Pliskauskas, saw Edgars Apelis shoot from the blue line and his shot was deflected in past Steve Fone for a 3-2 score, as James Ferrara was credited with the goal and had twenty-nine seconds to net a tying goal.


The sound of the horn was music to the Phoenix`s ears, which saw their players dropping like flies during the game and more importantly, finally saw them take a four point weekend and break their duck at home this season.

 It was also Steve Fone first win of the season, as his goal tending came to the rescue of the home side on many occasions throughout the final period.


As i mentioned it was four point weekend for the Phoenix, as they traveled down to the Skydome Arena on Coventry Saturday evening to take on the Milton Keynes Lightning and won 4-1, with goals from Robin Kovar, Michal Psurny and two for Swedish D man Johan Burlin.

 ========

League Table

GP Pts
1. Basingstoke Bison 4 8
2. Manchester Phoenix 6 7
3. Peterborough Phantoms 6 6
4. Sheffield Steeldogs 5 6
5. Swindon Wildcats 5 6

========







Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)