Game Night Report: Hull Pirates

September 26th: Game Night Report: Hull Pirates 2 Peterborough Phantoms 1 (PSO)

We all know that sports fans are a strange breed who often anticipate the worst.  You know the kind of thing I’m talking about – your team might be on a good run, but the end of the streak will be just around the corner, that forward who hasn’t scored in an age will score against your team, and if we’re not at our best we’ll come a cropper against that team that hasn’t won for weeks.

And so it proved to be on Sunday evening when the Phantoms paid their first visit to the Hull Arena, home of the EPIHLs newest team, the Pirates, who came away with a victory that looked unlikely after Darius Pliskauskas gave the visitors a quick fire lead after just nineteen seconds.

The Phantoms were without the injured Milan Baranyk and Lloyd Gibson was also unable to dress as his kit had been left behind in Peterborough, but travelled with Connor Stokes, Brad Moore, Craig Wallis, and James White.

The teams came into the game having experiencing contrasting fortunes on Saturday; the Phantoms eventually prevailed against a relatively short benched Manchester side, whilst Hull were on the wrong end of an 11-0 thumping from league leaders Milton Keynes, and it looked as though the result would go to form as Pliskauskas danced through the offensive zone, undressed Baston, and coolly put the puck away.

Surprisingly, given the way the things started, what followed was a pretty sterile game where neither side dominated, there were relatively few shots on goal, few penalties, and precious little to spark much enthusiasm from either set of fans until the lottery of a penalty shootout.

Instead of capitalising on the early lead the Phantoms struggled to break down the Pirates, and created too few clear cut chances.  The Pirates import net minder, Jon Baston dealt with everything he faced, though in truth he wasn’t stretched too much by a forward line missing Baranyk’s creativity and Gibson’s energy.  At the other end Janis Auzins performed well to keep the Pirates at bay, and deserved the Man of the Match accolade for a solid performance.

Craig Scott and Eddie Bebris linked well in the first period and Martins Susters went close too, but the Hull goal was rarely threatened, whilst at the other end Ralph and Pasi Salonen challenged Janis Auzins without finding a way through.

Though the Phantoms shaded the first period the Pirates started the second well, with Gent getting an early shot off despite considerable physical pressure from the Phantoms as Hull did their best to get a foothold in the game.

As the second period progressed the Pirates early dominance faded somewhat, and the Phantoms had chances of their own, most notably from Pliskauskas, with a shot which struck the base of the right hand post (and which some observers at that end of the rink suggested might have crossed the line before coming out again) with a minute remaining.

An even final period saw Brownley miss a 2-on-1 opportunity and though the Phantoms had a powerplay after Towner boarded Scott Robson, there would be no goal threat from the Phantoms on this occasion.

Statistics don’t always give the full story, but shots on goal were fairly even (30 on Auzins and 28 on Baston) and there were only ten penalty minutes in the game, pointing to the fact that there was little between the two sides.

As the clock wound down with no further goals the home side grew in confidence, sensing they could snatch something, which they duly, did as Gent bundled home a third period leveller 4 10 into the final period.

The Phantoms’ sense of urgency rose in the final minutes with Bebris going close and Weldon missing a chance close in after good work by Pliskauskas, but at the final buzzer a draw was a fair reflection of the balance of play in 60 minutes.

With neither side able to carve out another goal the game entered 3-on-3 overtime and with twenty seconds gone Scott Robson, the Phantoms and their fans, and pretty much everyone in the arena thought that the Phantoms’ D man had scored the winner, only for Robson’s strike to be ruled out as the net was off its moorings.  The Phantoms can count themselves unlucky with this one; if the net had moved in the build up to the goal it certainly wasn’t called, and as there was no crowd scene when Robson beat Baston it would seem that the net minder had moved the goal, and nine times out of ten those goals are given.

Bizarrely, the Phantoms were lined up for the post game handshakes and fans leaving the rink before the Pirates drew attention to the net and the officials washed the goal out.

Ales Padelek scored the first penalty shot after the extra period finished scoreless, but Baston would foil Pliskauskas and Levers, leaving Laine and player coach Osman to score for Hull, wrapping up their first home victory, to rapturous applause.

And so it proved to be the case; the Phantoms weren’t at their best, and the team that had struggled for points got their home victory.

MoM: Auzins (Phantoms) & Gent (Pirates)

Despite a three point weekend, and close rivals Milton Keynes and Guildford losing, the Phantoms will feel this was an opportunity lost.  Hull showed plenty of industry and the longer the game went on with the score being 0-1 they knew that they’d carve out the chances to equalise, which of course, they did, yet the Phantoms failure to press aggressively and take their chances meant they were always going to be vulnerable to the leveller.

Well done to the Pirates, it was good to see old-boys Warren Tait and James Hutchinson once more.

As for the Phantoms, a bad day at the office; up next, Bracknell and Guildford.

The Peterborough Phantoms can be found online at http://www.gophantoms.co.uk/

You can also follow the club on Twitter at @GoPhantoms 

If you have any comments or observations I’d love to hear from you.  Find me on Twitter at   ‏@phil_smith66  and follow for regular Phantoms updates.

 

Game Night Report: Telford Tigers

Sunday 18th October 2015:  Peterborough Phantoms 4 Telford Tigers 6

Just as the Phantoms had won 6-4 in Sheffield on Saturday, the Tigers prevailed in Peterborough on Sunday evening by the same scoreline, as the Phantoms excellent run of form was brought to a halt by a Telford side smarting after losing to Swindon the night before.

The Phantoms need to ensure that they aren’t having to play from behind too often; whilst they allowed the Steeldogs to get a two goal lead on Saturday and still managed to win the game, the Tigers raced to a two goal lead through Hill and Szabo (who would go onto get 2+2) in a first period dominated by the visitors, and would ultimately take the points in a game that saw the Phantoms in the box seat until late on.

The strength and speed of players like Hill, Birbraer, Miller, Silverthorn and Plant put pressure on the Phantoms’ rear-guard from the off, and though the first period was littered with turnovers from both sides, there would be a recognition amongst the Phantoms’ supporters that they hadn’t seen such aggressive offensive play all season.

Hill scored the Tigers’ first, crashing the net and leaving Auzins with little chance and Szabo’s goal on 8 40 could’ve put the Phantoms on the back foot, though they would pull a goal back almost immediately.  Lloyd Gibson chased down a lost cause, broke through the Telford defence and over the blue line, and converted his own rebound to get the Phantoms back in the game at a time where they had been second best.

Gibson’s goal gave Peterborough the momentum they needed, and after a period of pressure and strong work by Craig Scott, James Ferrara bundled the puck over the line for the equaliser.  In the space of two minutes the Phantoms had come back from the brink and erased the arrears, only for Telford to regain the lead two minutes later as former Phantoms, Joe Miller beat Auzins with a precise finish whilst Scott Robson sat out an interference call.

The Miller goal was probably no more than Telford deserved, though Marc Levers would come to the Phantoms’ salvation as he swept in another equaliser for the home side after good work from Darius Pliskauskas, with 4 44 of the opening period remaining.

The first frame was an end to end and a pulsating affair; six goals in twenty minutes had given the crowd plenty to cheer and plenty to look forward too, yet the second twenty minutes was cagier than the first and Ales Padelek’s goal, on 39 22, would be the only tally in the period.  Eddie Bebris took a 2+10 minute penalty for a check from behind which was countered, in part, by a Joe Graham roughing call, and a Phantoms side who had fallen behind twice had managed to carve out a lead going into the last third of the game.

The third period saw both sides fall foul of the officials, with the Tigers taking calls for elbows (Silverthorn), cross-checking (Miller), slashing (Scott), tripping (Birbraer), roughing (Maynard) and Hill (hooking) and the Phantoms becoming increasing aggrieved at the nature of the penalties called upon them, with a bench penalty for an icing infringement, a penalty on Auzins for abuse of officials, another 2+10 for a check from behind on Craig Scott, a boarding call for Weldon, and a personal misconduct for James Ferrara.

The Tigers tied the game at 4 during the icing infringement powerplay, and momentum shifted towards Telford once more.

Crucially for the Phantoms a 5-on-3 powerplay when Miller and Scott were penalised, followed immediately by a full two minutes of 5-on-4 when Birbraer entered the box remained scoreless, and on 45 27 the Tigers benefited from picking up a misplaced pass, and took a 5-4 lead through a Rick Plant short-handed effort.  The Phantoms good work had been undone, and though there was plenty of time on the clock they couldn’t find a way past Sam Gospel; as Peterborough pushed for a leveller Szabo scored his second of the evening on 52 37 which effectively ended the game as a contest.

With four minutes to go Weldon and James Ferrara picked up their penalties (detailed above) and the Tigers had a spell of 5-on-3 of their own.  During the penalty kill Milan Baranyk took a rocket on his pads and fell to the ice, quiteclearly in real discomfort.  Baranyk was helped from the ice, and would not return; hopefully the injury will not be significant.

MoM:  Lloyd Gibson (Phantoms) & Zajac (Tigers)

The Tigers’ leveller at 4-4 and the short-handed goal took the wind out of the Phantoms’ sails, and though the Peterborough bench grew increasingly agitated with some of the calls made, there were opportunities to get back into the game which on another night may well have been taken.  Lloyd Gibson was a worthy Man of the Match, though Scott’s industry deserves praise too, and we’ll surely not have to wait long before Martins Susters’ first EPIHL goal.

Of course, the Phantoms cannot afford to be slow out of the traps, and when you are playing catch-up hockey you are going to lose some games.

Though the Tigers have made a slow start to the season they were pretty impressive on Sunday, with Szabo, Hill, Silverthorn, Plant and Miller all worth a shout for the Man of the Match.

This defeat was disappointing, but is only the second defeat in regulation that the Phantoms have suffered this year.  It has been a fantastic start to the season, and though the camp will feel that it was a game they could, and probably should have won, leading going into the third, it certainly does not mean that there is a major repair job required.

There will be aspects of play that the coaching staff will want to address, but it’s time for the Phantoms to dust themselves off and go again against Manchester and Hull next weekend.

The Peterborough Phantoms can be found online at http://www.gophantoms.co.uk/

You can also follow the club on Twitter at @GoPhantoms 

If you have any comments or observations I’d love to hear from you.  Find me on Twitter at   ‏@phil_smith66  and follow for regular Phantoms updates.

Game Night Report: Sheffield Steeldogs

 

Saturday 17th October 2015:  Sheffield Steeldogs 4 Peterborough Phantoms 6

You know what they say about dogs and new tricks? Well in the Phantoms first meeting of the season with the Sheffield Steeldogs we saw Slava Koulikov’s men come up against some familiar faces in Hirst, Morgan, Duncombe, Elliott and co, and some pretty familiar stuff from Callum Pattison in the first period when he appeared to be sent off the bench to have a word with Greg Pick after the Peterborough player and the Dogs’ Elliott had initially come together.

This was a match with plenty of penalty minutes (20 for Sheffield and 24 for the Phantoms), and though things threatened to boil over during the match, they didn’t until after the final buzzer, when an incident between Phantoms’ skipper James Ferrara and a couple of Sheffield players in the hand shake line up saw players from both sides unhappy with each other and a fair amount of pushing and shoving.

The Phantoms returned from Sheffield with a resolute come-from-behind away win, a Darius Pliskauskas hat trick including an empty net goal, and two picture book goals from Milan Baranyk and Tom Norton.

The Phantoms may have thought they were favourites for this one given their recent form and league position but it would be the Steeldogs who made the more positive start.

An early flashpoint involved the Dogs’ Elliott and Pattison, and Phantoms’ Greg Pick.  Elliott and Auzins bumped behind the goal and Pick came to his net minder’s support, shepherding Elliott back to centre ice, with the two players jawing at each other.  Moments later Elliott left the ice, replaced by Pattison who immediately locked horns with Pick in a duel that looked pretty even, but which saw the Sheffield man pick up 2+2+10 for fighting, whilst Pick got 2+2 for the same offence.

The Sheffield side dominated the early exchanges and took a lead with almost nine minutes of the game gone, as Haywood converted a Lubo Korhon cross from the left, leaving Auzins with little chance as he crashed the net with speed.

There would be no further scoring in the first twenty minutes but there was still time for Robson, McGiffin and James Ferrara to pick up penalties which were all killed by what must be one of the best penalty kill units in the league.

The Steeldogs started the second period as they had the first; they dominated play, pinned the Phantoms in their own zone, and extended their lead 1 32 into the second stanza as Korhon swept in a one-timer from a Bosas pass.

The Dogs’ second strike sparked the Phantoms into life, Milan Baranyk pulling a goal back some 40 odd seconds after Korhon’s goal, with a wrap round effort, and a Tom Norton boomer from the blue line eliminated the deficit completely on 25 28, seven seconds into a powerplay when Bosas was called for interference.

If Sheffield side had the better of the first period, the Phantoms had the better of the second, though the Dogs went ahead on 29 45 through Bosas, only for man of the moment Darius Pliskauskas to look to shoot across Sedlar and fire over his blocker to tie the scores at three on 37 16, and two minutes later Ales Padelek tipped a Cam McGiffin shot to give the Phantoms the lead once more.

The Phantoms had come back from two down to lead after forty minutes, and had converted four of twelve shots which is no mean feat, but could’ve been further ahead given the chances carved out, and if the iron work hadn’t denied Lloyd Gibson when he was clear through on his own against the Sheffield net minder.

The Phantoms gave up another goal with 51 09 on the clock as Squires levelled, somewhat against the run of play, but Pliskauskas scored the game winning goal on 56 32 with a shot from the blue line as the Dogs’ Shudra sat out an interference call, and despite pulling Sedlar with a minute to go it would be Pliskauskas who would conclude the scoring with an empty net effort with a second of the game remaining.

MoM: Baranyk (Phantoms) & Squires (Sheffield)

Though Baranyk scored a beauty I was surprised that Pliskauskas didn’t get the award for his hat trick.  Cam McGiffin took a note out of Tom Norton’s book and got in some advanced positions and got an assist on Padelek’s goal, and Scott Robson’s increasing maturity was demonstrated with some timely interceptions, including a full length diving poke-check to break up a Sheffield attack.

For the Dogs, Bosas seemed to be on the ice more than anyone else, and Korhon is still a top forward.  In the first period Charnock linked well with Elliott and impressed.

Well done to the Phantoms who ground out a victory that they needed to work for, especially after going two goals down in the kind of game that could’ve slipped away when the chips were down and when decisions looked as though they were not going their way.

It was a nice touch for the Steeldogs to recognise Lloyd Gibson’s first return to Sheffield since his summer move, and both he and the other former Steeldog, Eddie Bebris, put in strong performances that could’ve only been bettered if they’d got on the score sheet themselves.

Up next?  The Telford Tigers in a 2014-15 league championship v play-off championship showdown, where the visitors will be keen to avenge their early season home defeat to the Phantoms.

The Peterborough Phantoms can be found online at http://www.gophantoms.co.uk/

You can also follow the club on Twitter at @GoPhantoms 

If you have any comments or observations I’d love to hear from you.  Find me on Twitter at   ‏@phil_smith66  and follow for regular Phantoms updates.

Game Night Report: Basingstoke Bison

Sunday 11^th October 2015:  Peterborough Phantoms 2 (PSO) Basingstoke Bison 1

Wow.  Just when you thought it was all over, up pops the man of the moment, and the game’s Man of the Match, Darius Pliskauskas, raising the roof with a goal with one second left on the clock.  The Basingstoke players, staff and supporters contested the award, but referee Thompson stood firm and pointed to the centre spot to send this hard fought contest into overtime.

There seems to be a real edge to the games against the Bison; whether the origins of that lie in Janis Auzins’ debut last year which saw the Phantoms net minder endear himself to Basingstoke is a matter for debate, but what we do know is that these teams play hard against each other, and no quarter is asked for or given.

The Basingstoke Bison are a real bench mark for the Phantoms; they regularly challenge for honours in a way that the Phantoms have not in recent years (until last year, of course) and the Phantoms didn’t have a great record against them last season, yet in two games in Bretton so far this year the Phantoms have managed to achieve what they couldn’t last year – beat Basingstoke on home ice.

Though the first period was scoreless both the Phantoms and the Bison had their chances.  The home side had almost three times as many shots on goal than the visitors, but both teams worked the net minders.  Weldon and Susters went close for the Phantoms early on, Hiadlovsky stopped a bullet from Darius Pliskauskas, and as the clock wound down performed miracles to keep a low shot from Edgars Bebris out of the net.

At the other end Greener and Long linked well, and Auzins pulled off a great stop to deny Joe Rand, when it looked like he would get the go-ahead goal.

After a couple of penalties for Basingstoke early in the period (Lack and Reynolds), Greg Pick took a roughing call that prompted Will Weldon and Pitchley to discuss their difference, and which saw former Phantoms’ favourite Lack act as the peace maker as tempers frayed.

The start of the second period saw Karpov test Auzins, and the Bison’s Lack picked up penalties for interference (on Auzins) and holding, and Greener for holding, before Aaron Connolly gave Basingstoke a lead on 29 33.  Tom Norton was sitting out a holding penalty of his own when Shaun Thompson fired low and Connolly picked up the pieces to tap the puck over the goal line, sparking great celebrations on the ice.

In such a tight game the first goal would appear to be crucial, and though Connolly’s strike would give the Bison momentum, it would be the Phantoms who would finish the period more strongly as they picked further powerplays as the Bison were called for too many men, and Ryan Watt took a harsh penalty for interference on Auzins.  Tom Norton hit a post with a couple of minutes of the middle frame to go, but apart from the fact that the Phantoms shaded the shots on goal in the second period, there was little to hint at the drama that would follow.

In the final period Basingstoke had five shots on Auzins whilst the Phantoms had eighteen on Hiadlovsky, who was stopping everything the Phantoms threw at him, and who looked much more assured than on his first visit to Peterborough earlier in the season.

With 6 05 left to play referee Thompson penalised Hiadlovsky for delay of game as the net was rocked from its moorings for a third or fourth time but unlike last week when we saw the same offense on a number of occasions from Jordan Hedley, the Phantoms would pick up a powerplay for the infringement.

With 1 19 and 1 00 remaining the Phantoms pulled Auzins in a desperate push for an equaliser that would’ve been deserved on the balance of play, and though it seemed as though the game had been lost, Ales Padelek won a face-off in the Basingstoke offensive zone with 3 seconds left, and passed to Pliskauskas who ripped it into the net to send the home fans into raptures.

Whereas the Phantoms had lost their previous two OT periods this season there would be no further score as the two import net minders had relatively little to do in the extra 5 minutes.

Teams don’t score too frequently on Janis Auzins from penalty shots, and Karpov, Rand and Long all had their efforts snuffed out by the Phantoms goal tender, leaving Darius Pliskauskas, scorer of that heart stopping leveller, to fire top shelf past Hiadlovsky with the Phantoms second penalty, to take the extra point.

MoM:  Pliskauskas (Phantoms) & Hiadlovsky (Basingstoke)

Pliskauskas’ first goal was one of those that will give fans something to talk about, but in interview after the game he remained unassuming, extolling the virtues of a good team performance.  Auzins put in yet another top drawer performance, and Norton, Robson, Scott and Rob Ferrara all impressed on a night when it simply looked like the puck wouldn’t bounce in the Phantoms’ favour.

Hiadlovsky was within a whisker of a shut-out but wasn’t around to collect the beers he’d won as Man of the Match as he’d left for the dressing room after Long’s penalty was saved.  Hiadlovsky had remained in goal whilst the Bison’s Rand took their second penalty shot, but was asked to leave the ice when Long took his, and was clearly unhappy at the close of the game.  Even so, he looked a class act, and will be an asset to Basingstoke.  Karpov has been a top performer at the start of the season, but I liked what Aaron Connolly brought to the game, and Long, Rand and Greener were as tough as expected.

Basingstoke will have thought that a couple of calls, one on Lack and one on Watt for interference were soft, but gave away too many penalties, yet the Phantoms would not be able to make their numerical advantage count until the death.  Credit the Basingstoke PK, though the Phantoms will want better return from so many PP opportunities.

Another four point weekend for the Phantoms, who lead the EPIHL with Milton Keynes, with 16 points.

Long may it continue.

The Peterborough Phantoms can be found online at http://www.gophantoms.co.uk/

You can also follow the club on Twitter at @GoPhantoms 

If you have any comments or observations I’d love to hear from you.  Find me on Twitter at   ‏@phil_smith66  and follow for regular Phantoms updates.

 

Game Night Report: Swindon Wildcats

Sunday 4^th October 2015:  Peterborough Phantoms 6 Swindon Wildcats 1

The Phantoms recorded another home victory with a handsome 6-1 victory against Swindon, meaning the Peterborough side have bagged the four cup points available from the two opening fixtures against Stevie Lyle’s men and sit joint top of the EPIHL.

The two sides came into the game after having experienced contrasting fortunes in OT on Saturday.  While the ‘Cats were getting the better of the Hull Pirates in Humberside courtesy of a Tomasz Malasinski winner in the extra period, a Phantoms’ side that had led Milton Keynes three times fell inside 26 seconds of overtime, for the second OT loss against their nearest and dearest inside a couple of weeks.

Swindon had lost their NHL draft pick summer signing Miroslav Zalesak during the week, and for the third game running the Phantoms were without their d-man, Greg Pick.

As regular readers of this column will know, I have felt that there was barely any difference between these two sides last year, and the Wildcats had looked to strengthen before the start of this season.   Their form at the start of 2015-16 has seen them blow hot and cold, with victories over Telford and Manchester, and defeats to Sheffield, Guildford and MK.

Jordan Hedley has been the main man between the pipes, and went into the game on a 91.9% save percentage, which compares favourably with both Lyle’s 89.5% and our own Janis Auzins’ 91.5%.

Nevertheless, it would be the Phantoms who would triumph in this game, though in truth for large parts of the first forty minutes, and certainly in the first period, the visitors shaded possession, yet the Phantoms held a slim lead even as late as the start of the third frame.

Will Weldon gave the Phantoms a sixth minute lead, tucking in unmarked on the doorstep before good interplay between Nell and Ryhanen saw the latter fire a tracer past Auzins and get the Wildcats on level terms after a first period where Swindon edged the balance of play, but the Phantoms shaded the shots on goal, 15 on Hedley compared to the 11 on Auzins.

If Swindon edged the first period, it would be the Phantoms that had the upper hand for the majority of the second, though there was one more shot on Auzins than Hedley in the second stanza.

Milan Baranyk scored the only goal of the period after great interplay with Marc Levers; the two experienced forwards read each other’s game well and it wouldn’t be the first, or indeed the last time that their link-up play would outfox a Swindon side looking to avenge their opening night defeat.  Baranyk’s shot over Hedley’s glove was a rare moment of quality in what had been a fairly stagnant opening forty minutes.  Nevertheless, a one goal lead is better than no lead at all, and the Phantoms would enter the final 20 with a slender 2-1 lead.

As the penalties were racked up for both sides in the second and third, the game had a disjointed feel about it.  There was little to impress a crowd that was becoming increasingly restless as both teams fought for every puck and who saw the biscuit turned over too many times for either coaches’ liking.  The Phantoms were doing well to preserve their lead and were rarely threatened by Swindon, yet were aware that a one goal lead is easily lost.

The start of the final period saw the Phantoms hit the ground running, with the impressive Padelek extending the home side’s lead after good work from Weldon on the boards.  The passage of play at the start of the third saw the Phantoms press hard, and Padelek made a particularly impressive contribution in this phase of the game, showing accurate passing and great team play, before he finished off a sublime move by lifting the puck into the net with 8 13 of the final period gone.

In double quick time (51 07) Baranyk pounced on a puck in centre ice and skated into the Swindon zone before firing a rocket over Hedley’s glove, to make the score 4-1, which Darius Pliskauskas added to shortly after on 51 44.

The Phantoms had scored three times in three and a half minutes to put the game to bed, but there was still time for Edgars Bebris to score the Phantoms sixth shortly after Selby had been thrown out of the game following an illegal equipment call that turned into the former Bison’s second misconduct penalty of the evening.

Despite a couple of forays into the Phantoms’ zone, the Wildcats would not find a way through to goal, and at 6-1 Peterborough recorded a win that looked far less likely 20 minutes before.

MoM: Edgars Bebris Phantoms & Corey McEwen (‘Cats)

The scoreline shows a comprehensive Phantoms win, but for almost 49 minutes of the game there was little to choose between these two sides.  Padelek and his line mates pushed hard for the third goal and were rewarded with the decisive strike to give the home team a two goal advantage; Milan Baranyk will be delighted to bag a brace, and MoM Bebris capped a fine performance with his late tally.

Though the game sheet will show that the Phantoms blew Swindon away in the third, there was a time when those of us of a nervous disposition could see the Wildcats clawing themselves back into the contest, and so credit to the Phantoms for pressing home their advantage when it came along.

For Swindon Malasinski impressed as he so often does; and on another night Nell would have scored at least once, if not twice, as he flashed at unguarded cages without scoring.

Up next – the long trip to Deeside to play the Phoenix on Saturday, and we will welcome Basingstoke to Peterborough the night after.

The Peterborough Phantoms can be found online at http://www.gophantoms.co.uk/

You can also follow the club on Twitter at @GoPhantoms 

If you have any comments or observations I’d love to hear from you.  Find me on Twitter at   ‏@phil_smith66  and follow for regular Phantoms updates.