Season 2016-17 Week 3: Milton Keynes Lightning

Peterborough Phantoms 2 Milton Keynes Lightning 5

MoM: Petr Stepanek

After a terrific penalty shoot-out win in Basingstoke the Phantoms were brought back to Earth in the first period on Sunday against their nearest and dearest, the MK Lightning.

The visitors led by three goals at the first break, through Mikolaj Lopuski on 3 35 and a Frankie Bakrlik double, firstly finishing after great approach play by former Phantom Craig Scott with barely six and a half minutes gone, and then again after eleven minutes, just seven seconds into a penalty incurred by Will Weldon for a check from behind.

The Phantoms started the period promisingly enough, but Pete Russell’s men had the home side chasing shadows for the majority of the opening twenty minutes, and in truth might’ve put the game to bed before the first intermission.

The fourth goal would be crucial, and it would’ve been curtains for the Phantoms if Milton Keynes were to have extended their lead.  Fortunately for the home support the Phantoms started the second period with far greater intensity than they had shown in the first, and on 23 11 Ales Padelek fired into the left side of Odrobny’s net to reduce the arrears.

The remainder of the second period saw the Phantoms exert plenty of pressure without finding a way through, and it would be the Lightning that would get the next goal, through Milan Baranyk with thirteen minutes remaining.

Marc Levers extended his scoring spree with fifty three minutes on the clock to make the score 2-4, and Bakrlik scored an empty netter, and his hat-trick goal to boot, with the last touch of the game as the bell tolled on a 5-2 defeat for the Phantoms.

Five Takeaways

1. Without wanting to be accused of stating the obvious, the Phantoms can’t give teams the head start they gave the Lightning and expect to salvage something out of the game. MK will be a really good EPL outfit this year – their opening six games of the 2016-17 season have given some indication of the way that they intend to leave their mark on the EPL in their last season and they’re just going to be strong enough to find the win with the roster they have.

2. We got another big performance from Petr Stepanek; the only thing missing from his display was a goal, and he provided a highlight real moment in skating through the neutral zone and the Lightning’s defensive zone before seeing his effort snuffed out.

3. This wasn’t Janis Auzins, or the defence’s finest moment. There were too many times where Auzins was caught out of position and Milton Keynes turned the Phantoms D and go behind them too frequently in the first period especially, and at the death too.

4. Marc Levers has played a key role in the Phantoms’ early season wins. Make no bones about it, Levers’ experience is key at the moment, and his point a game ratio at present makes him the Phantoms’ current top point scorer.

5. Which brings us to scoring. Last year the Phantoms had a pretty hot season.  Sure we were disappointed that we didn’t win the league after going so close, and that shellacking in the first leg of the cup final was pretty galling, but the reason the Phantoms didn’t do better than they did was their lack of firepower, even with Craig Scott and Milan Baranyk.  It’s early days, but the Phantoms need to step up the offensive side of their game – currently only the bottom two sides, Bracknell and Manchester have scored fewer, and they’ve just had a double header weekend against each other where they’ve scored plenty.

As for MK?

 I said in commentary that I’ll miss these games, and I will.  The Phantoms’ recent league record against MK isn’t great, but the intensity and atmosphere in these match ups make them a highlight of the season.

The Lightning came out of the traps quickly and employed such an aggressive forecheck that the Phantoms struggled to clear their lines.  When they did, they were more often than not forced into turning over the puck.  MK broke with pace, passed well, and in Mikolaj Lopuski they seem to have a real find.

MK did take too many penalties, and despite scoring a hat-trick Frankie B incurred Mr Thompson’s wrath too frequently, and unnecessarily too, in my book.

Final Thoughts

MK were deserved winners, though I have a sense of frustration in that the Phantoms went toe to toe with the champions elect through two periods; but for a horrible first stanza we might have seen the Lightning’s unbeaten start to the season challenged.

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 Instagram its_phil_smith and follow for regular Phantoms updates.

Season 2016-17 Week 2: Basingstoke Bison

Peterborough Phantoms 2 Basingstoke Bison 1

Game winning goal scorer – Ben Russell

The Phantoms stood tall after an away defeat against the star studded MK Lightning on Saturday evening, securing the points through Ben Russell’s game winning goal on 29 33, the puck driven into the bottom left hand corner of Tomas Hiadlovsky’s net after Joe Baird had equalised Marc Levers’ opener in the first period.

The Phantoms had a number of powerplay opportunities through the first two periods, including 1 42 of 5-on-3 at the end of the first, and though Hiadlovsky was under pressure there were precious few scoring opportunities created in a tight, but enthralling encounter.

Five Takeaways

1. This was a huge win for the Phantoms at home, given the defeat in Milton Keynes on Saturday and the fact that next weekend sees the reverse of this weekend’s games – Basingstoke away on Saturday, and MK at home on Sunday evening. I’ve said before that I’d expect Pete Russell’s Lightning and the Bison to be up there challenging for honours, and that I’d expect the Phantoms, Sheffield and Swindon to be fighting for league places, but bringing home the win was crucial to keeping the season on track.

2. The key to the game from my perspective, notwithstanding Ben Russell’s pinpoint shot from inside the left hand face-off circle, was the defensive performance demonstrated by the Phantoms throughout the game and most notable in the first nine minutes or so of the second period. That was the phase of the game where the Bison exerted most pressure on Auzins’ goal, and where the defensive rear-guard was most called upon.  Though Janis Auzins was voted Man of the Match (more on that later) the team defended well from front to back, and the start of the second period saw the Phantoms defending as if their lives depended on it, as they did at the death, when Will Weldon performed wonders to snuff a chance out by throwing himself on the ice to block a goal scoring opportunity.

3. Ales Padelek was fantastic for the Phantoms last year, and is immense this year already. His strength on and off the puck, his work rate, and team centred ethos is a lesson to all players in a Phantoms’ locker room.

4. It may be a coincidence in that Matt Thompson was the referee both this evening and last week against Swindon (and this is absolutely not about referee bashing; I know, it’s a tough job done in difficult circumstances), but the Phantoms just can’t afford to have Petr Stepanek sitting in the Penalty Box for extended periods – two penalties this evening, and two last week.

5. Man of the Match. Bit of a gripe here, and Janis Auzins’ save percentage was over 97% this evening, but I think there were other candidates who deserved it more.  Owen Griffiths had a massive night, and I’m sure he’ll get the goal he needs soon.  James Ferrara and Tom Norton were also two Brits that stood tall in a great team performance.  Perhaps someone needs to give greater guidance to the people making the MoM selection or change the way the award is chosen?

As for Basingstoke?

They’ll be up there, and desperate to win next week when they take on the Phantoms down in Hampshire.  I thought there was something missing  in their performance tonight – they felt just a little less tenacious and threatening offensively than last year, with Karpov needing greater support from the other forwards, and there were too many occasions when they seemed to expect more time than they are going to get here in Peterborough.

I thought Kurt Reynolds and Shaun Thompson stood out, though Hiadlovsky took the beers for the MoM performance.

Next week should be interesting, to say the least!

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 Instagram its_phil_smith and follow for regular Phantoms updates.

Introducing … Ben Russell

Welcome Ben(! (photo courtesy Lucy McGill)

Amongst the changes to the Phantoms roster over the summer one of the additions that I most welcomed was that of Ben Russell.  With a number of defensive players leaving Peterborough in the summer it was pleasing to see a young talent come into the locker room with bags of experience (over 140 EPIHL games with MK and the Manchester Phoenix, plus games in Canada and the US).

Ben gives us an insight into his career, life in the EPL and his favourite opponent …

I’d like to welcome Ben to the Phantoms, wish him every success for the season, and say a big thank you to Ben for putting this Q&A together!

Name: Ben Russell
Age: 22
Position: Defence

Job outside hockey?
At this moment in time, I’m in that transition between university and the real world.  I have a job as a Youth Custody Care Officer lined up for January, however I am currently trying to find something to fill the gap for the next few months.

Favourite NHL Team & reason why?
Montreal as it was the first team I saw play Live out in Canada.

Favourite hockey player and sporting hero?
P.K Subban, and I don’t really have a sporting hero as such, but I’m loving Anthony Joshua at the moment.

Do you follow any other sports?  Do you have a favourite football team?
Only football really, and I support Liverpool.

Favourite film?
I have a few favourites, but if I had to pick one it would probably be ‘Gladiator’.

Favourite movie star?
Morgan Freeman and more recently Tom Hardy.

Favourite singer/band?
Don’t really have a favourite singer or band; I like all sorts of music.

Can you describe your hockey pedigree – where, why and when did you start the sport, and where have you played?
 I think the first time I skated was when I was eight.  I went down with my family and there was a King’s game on that evening.  I was always a sporty kid so I said I wanted to give it a go and fourteen years later I’m still playing!

I have been pretty lucky actually and I owe a lot to the sport and to my family for allowing me to experience hockey over in North America.  In total I spent five years there.  My first in Quebec, then I moved onto the Ontario Hockey Academy in Cornwall, Ontario for three years whilst still in high school, then finished off with a year of junior hockey in Utah.  I have very fond memories of my time over there and still keep in touch with many past team mates.

Is there anyone you modelled your style on, or as a player/coach has been a big inspiration to you?
I don’t think so, I never really looked at a player and thought that’s how I want to play.  Obviously you look at guys like Patrick Kane and Sidney Crosby and think it would be pretty cool to be that good.  I think my style of play originated from my final year in Ontario where I played on an incredibly talented team.  We lost 2 games all season, never lost a game in tournaments and swept the entire playoffs which were a 7 game format of four rounds, the same as you see in the NHL.  I think my coach that year, Luke Beck, taught me an awful lot about the game and how each guy has a different role and explained to me what mine would be that season, and that’s the same type of player I am today.  He told me to always battle hard and do the little things right and not worry about points and that’s the kind of player I am today.

The 2015-16 campaign is now well behind us, but how do you reflect on last season with the Manchester Phoenix? 
It was an incredibly tough year.  It was a year that was unexpected.  I sort of always imagined myself staying in Milton Keynes and obviously when the changes were made I was left without a team.  Tony took a chance on me and I’m grateful and happy that he did.  I think for me as a player it was a good year.  Due to being so short staffed I played in situations that I wouldn’t normally play in previously.  I got an awful lot of ice time and it only helped me to improve and become a better player.  Although it was a tough year both on and off the ice, I had a lot of fun up there.  The guys were great and I’ve got a huge amount of respect for the fans that stuck by us and made everything possible.

What was the highlight of the season for you personally?
Has to be having a port cabin as a dressing room on game day’s haha!  In all seriousness I think the highlight for me was the ice time and having the opportunity to play in defence with some really experienced guys who helped me develop a lot.

Which factors led to you signing for the Phantoms?
Hockey wise, I like the direction Slava has taken the club and how he continues to get impressive results with such a small budget compared to the likes of Guildford and Telford.  I never understood it myself, but after the last few weeks of being around the guys and in the dressing room I can see why.  I heard great things about the club from people who play and have previously played here and it ticked all the right boxes for me at this stage in my career.  I had also just finished my degree and was looking for work.  Playing in Peterborough has allowed me to have more options in terms of where I can work and also play.

One of the greatest talking points this summer has been the change to the EPL’s import rule.  What do you make of the fact that clubs are now able to add an additional ‘non-EIHA trained player’ to their rosters, meaning that teams will be able to dress five imports?
With the elite league having such a high number of imports, I think to then up the limit in the EPL was a strange decision to put it politely.  I could write an essay on the reasons as to why I personally don’t think it’s a good thing but time will tell how it goes from here.

What can Phantoms’ fans expect from the team this coming season?  What would be a successful season for the Phantoms and Ben Russell in 2016-17?
I think the fans can expect some fast and exciting hockey.  We have a great mix of players from goal scorers to guys who do their jobs right and work hard.  We may not have many big names or guys who put up serious points, but I think the team we have is going to cause some serious upsets this year.  Obviously a successful season is to win trophies.  On a personal level it is also to win trophies.  It’s a team sport and only a team can win trophies and to be a successful player you have to be on a successful team.

And finally

Which is your favourite rink to play in, and why?
Has to be Milton Keynes.  Not only is it my home town rink so I enjoy going there and playing in front of family and friends who can’t always get over to Peterborough, but it’s good to go in there and play against some good friends and try to gain bragging rights!

Your most embarrassing moment as a hockey player?
Breaking my skate blade, falling over and giving the other a team a breakaway which they scored!

Who are your favourite EPL opponents?
Milton Keynes

Most difficult (individual) opponent that you’ve matched up against?
A guy that stands out is Frankie Bakrlik. He’s a big guy who can do pretty much everything.  I’m also not looking forward to playing Robin Kovar as he used to embarrass me in training last year when we did 1 on 1 drills!

Biggest memory of playing against the Phantoms?
I actually played my first ever competitive game in Peterborough.  It was U10s and I think we lost something like 22-0! Another good one is when I somehow managed to get a goal and 3 assists in one game during my second year with MKL.

Have you got a message for the Phantoms’ fans as we approach the new season?
It was always a horrible place to come and play but it’s different when the noise is on your side.  Keep up the noise and the passion on game nights and stick with us.  It may take a few more weeks to get the wheels turning but when they do I’m excited to see what the club can achieve this season!

Great stuff – thanks Ben!

If you like these Q&A pieces you could check the ‘interview/Q&A tab on the website – there are plenty there with Phantoms past and present.

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 Instagram its_phil_smith and follow for regular Phantoms updates.

Season 2016-17 Week 1: Sheffield Steeldogs and Swindon Wildcats

Sheffield Steeldogs 2 – 1 Peterborough Phantoms
Peterborough Phantoms 6 – 1 Swindon Wildcats

Happy Days! Owen Griffiths and Sunday’s MoM Tom Norton

Well now.  The game on Sunday in Peterborough gave the Phantoms’ home supporters their first opportunity to see their new team in league and cup action, and gave the team an opportunity to get points on the board after a frustrating opening night defeat in Sheffield.

Whilst the Phantoms fell short on Saturday in Yorkshire as Andrew Hirst converted two mid-period powerplay goals and the Phantoms lacked an offensive threat (and yet, despite being outshot could’ve snatched something at the death after Hadfield turned the puck over and Owen Griffiths couldn’t convert), Sundays result gave the Peterborough Phantoms a real lift going into two tough weekends.

On paper I tend to group teams like the Steeldogs, Wildcats and Phantoms together and suspect they’ll be vying for similar positions in the league,  though it always strikes me that Swindon have an embarrassment of riches up front, with Kostal, Nell, Malasinski and Hoog being joined by Max Birbraer and the on loan Ben Davies (Braehead) too.

Early on in the game – after Toms Rutkis had levelled Petr Stepanek’s first minute opener for the Phantoms, Janis Auzins was absolutely sensational.  For those of you that have followed the blog over the past two year you’ll know just how highly I rate the big stopper, but on his day he is just about the best I’ve ever seen, and at 1-1 he kept the Phantoms on an even keel where a lesser netminder would’ve conceded.

Darius Pliskauskas got on the end of a James Archer pass to give the Phantoms a lead on 10 39, and in two sensation minutes of 4-on-4 hockey, as Stepanek and Kostal both took two minute minors, the Phantoms effectively put the game out of the reach of the Wildcats with shots from range, firstly from James Ferrara, followed by a beauty from Tom Norton.

The Wildcats would’ve wanted a solid start to the second period, but conceded in the first minute, just as they did in the first, Ales Padelek sweeping home, and Martins Susters finished the scoring from close range with over ten minutes on the clock, on 49 37.

A minute later saw the last flashpoint of the game as Kyle Smith took exception to being hit on the boards, which sparked a fracas with Tom Norton, who initially looked as though he didn’t want to engage, and who eventually got the decision.

Five Takeaways

1. Janis Auzins. Just wow.  He likes to leave his crease, which can be a risky strategy, but his immense saves kept the Phantoms in the game once more
2. I’m impressed by Stepanek; big, strong, and good hands. He’ll be a big success if he carries on like this and I can’t wait to see the Stepanek-Birbraer centre ice hit on the video – it was the kind of collision that needed a sound effect, like in the old cartoons
3. The Pliskauskas-Towner-Archer line was a real handful and a real joy to watch. Will James Archer be the most important signing of the summer?  (clue here – I suspect so …)
4. Tom Stubley, Owen Griffiths, Martins Susters are young lads all making a good impression, and thanks to some intelligent line management from Koulikov the forwards had plenty of ice time – and not just once a lead had been established. Make no bones about it – the coach is happy to put responsibility on these young shoulders, which is especially the case  for Tom Stubley, who I think looks a great pick up.  Sure, he’ll make mistakes, and I’d prefer him to clear his own zone rather than hold the puck and invite another challenge, but it’s clear he will grow in this team.
5. Defence isn’t just about the two D men on the ice, and the Phantoms need to defend as a team to reduce the shots on goal. SOG stats aren’t everything, but if there are upward of 35 per game you may well struggle to bring home the W

As for Swindon?

Threatening in patches, but undone in a blistering first period spell.  The second and third periods were much closer, so much more reflective of Phantoms-Wildcats games of the recent past, but this evening the firepower that I reflected upon earlier didn’t click well enough to take control of the game.

 

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 Instagram its_phil_smith and follow for regular Phantoms updates.

Captain’s Log … Welcome back, James Ferrara

Hockey’s back, and welcome to the fourth season of ‘beyond the blue line’!

In the time that I’ve been doing these pieces the player Q&As have always been popular, and non-more so than those with Phantoms’ captain, James Ferrara.

This is the fourth time that James has contributed to ‘beyond the blue line’ with a pre-season message (see the others here: 2013-14 here http://wp.me/p3I8ZK-2i, 2014-15 herehttp://wp.me/p3I8ZK-7F and 2015-16 here http://wp.me/p3I8ZK-cU ), and just like the others I think this makes a really good read, giving an insight into James’ thoughts on last year, changes to the league, and of course his hopes and aspirations for the coming season.

Once again, I’d like to thank James for taking part, and wish him, and all of the Phantoms the very best for this new season!

Hi James!  What have you been up to since the end of the season?  
Since the end of the season we I have enjoyed some family time at home, we’ve had some day trips to zoo’s for example, and had a week’s holiday in Turkey.  I was quite busy in our final term at school before the summer holiday completing transition for our new intake of students so that took up a lot of time since the end of the season.

All the players have been given strict training regimes so I have been working hard on this to get ready for the new season – it has been a good summer!

Now the dust has settled on the 2015-16 season, how do you reflect on how the Phantoms’ performed last year? 
Overall we can be very happy with what was achieved in terms of being extremely competitive in all 3 competitions and coming so close to winning silverware.  I am proud of our performance last season. We again were able to out-perform most people’s expectations, but our ultimate goal was to win silverware so in that sense we have unfinished business.

Do you look back at 2015-16 as a successful year for yourself and the Phantoms?
Yes I do, to make the final of the cup and finish as league runners up above the likes of much bigger spending teams is definitely a successful year, but as I said previously we have unfinished business and would like to take home silverware this season. 

One of the greatest talking points this summer has been the change to the EPL’s import rule.  What do you make of the fact that clubs are now able to add an additional ‘non-EIHA trained player’ to their rosters, meaning that teams will be able to dress five imports?
I was initially disappointed with the way the announcement was made as it happened mid-way through the summer break and some teams, including ourselves, were already most of the way through the recruitment process for the new season.

There are arguments either way for the change of the rule but ultimately it seems like most teams have strengthened their goaltending by signing an import netminder.  Unless teams regularly play 4 lines they will be giving less opportunities to their British players to play key minutes for their team, and with the Elite league also increasing their import quota by 1, British players have less opportunities in both leagues. Time will tell as to the effect of this but I fully trust and support Slava’s planning and recruitment this summer, and the decisions he has made based on his beliefs.

How will the Phantoms sticking with four imports have an impact on the team?
It won’t have any impact if we play as a team like in recent seasons and we all buy into Slava’s philosophies to make us successful.

Of course, there are changes to the Phantoms too.  Jason Buckman is obviously joining the coaching team, and there has been greater turnover of players this off-season than last.  Despite a significant core of the team from the last two years returning there will be a number of new faces, from the experience of new import Petr Stepanek, James Archer and Ben Russell, to the younger recruits – Glossop, Towner, Stubley and Griffiths.

What can Phantoms’ fans expect from the team this coming season?
I think the fans can expect us to come out fighting every night. Having a mix of youth and experience will enable us to play with a lot of energy and be fearless, and I fully expect some of the new faces to shine and make a name for themselves this year. The returning core of the team (players, and Jason stepping into a coaching role) will be key in helping the new faces settle and I think we will surprise a lot of people as we as a team become accustomed to each other.

The last two years have seen the Phantoms emerge as a real force in the league. When you did this piece last year you said a successful season for the Phantoms would involve an improvement in our league position and hopefully adding silverware.  The first of those targets was accomplished, and we were close to hitting the second, though of course bettering our league placing from last year would mean winning the title this year! 

In an increasingly competitive EPL, what would be a successful year for the Phantoms and James Ferrara in 2016-17?
I think finishing in the top 4 in a league which has again improved in quality would be successful. Our ultimate aim is to win silverware so I hope to make good progress in all 3 competitions in order to help us achieve this and make amends for narrowly missing out last year.

For me personally, I will contribute whatever I can in order to help us be successful as a team.

Have you got a message for the Phantoms’ on the eve of the new season?
Be as loud and proud as ever, support the new faces and show them the positive spirit the rest of the team have witnessed so frequently and we will do our best to provide some exciting hockey games this year. I have a lot of belief in our team so get behind us in what looks to be an exciting EPL season.

Thanks James!

If you like these Q&A pieces you could check the ‘interview/Q&A tab on the website (or this link https://blueliner66.wordpress.com/tag/interviewqa/ )– there are plenty there with Phantoms past and present.

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 Instagram its_phil_smith and follow for regular Phantoms updates.

Game Night Report: Milton Keynes Lightning

Sunday 4^th September 2016:  Phantoms 3 (PSO) MK Lightning 5 (Aggregate 7-6)

The returning James Archer

With another pre-season weekend under their belts in what was a competitive workout for these two sides, the Phantoms lift the Ashes trophy once more, with Sam Towner converting his penalty shot after six rounds of shots had failed to find a winner.

In truth, this was some battle for the Phantoms, who had taken the first leg 4-1 in Buckinghamshire on Saturday evening.

MK came to town short of a couple of imports (including their new net-minder) and former Phantom Tom Carlon, whilst the Phantoms saw James Archer on the ice after a gruelling return trip from New Zealand on Wednesday and the first appearance on home ice of Petr Stepanek.

Blaz Emersic opened the scoring with a bullet to Auzins’ stick side after 8 20 to give the Lightning a first period lead, swiftly followed early in the second period by a goal from the impressive Sam Jones, and by a sublime powerplay strike from Milan Baranyk (who, respectfully appeared to enjoy the most muted of celebrations, as is often the case when a player scores against their former employers); with less than half of the game played MK were three up and the aggregate scores were level.

The first few minutes of the second period saw the Lightning dominate, and were it not for a spectacular spinning save from Janis Auzins from a short-handed MK attack the Phantoms may well have been dead and buried.  Pressure was beginning to take its toll and the Phantoms were struggling to get any offence going until Ales Padelek picked up a loose puck in the slot and hit it past Hedley on the turn to reduce the arrears, less than a minute after Baranyk’s marker.

With 15 seconds left of the second period, and after Scott Robson had left the game following an incident on the boards with Bakrlik, Lewis Hook restored MK’s three goal lead on the night, making the score 1-4, the sides back on equal terms with twenty minutes to play.

The sides traded two more goals in the final period.  Petr Stepanek danced through the MK defence to make the score 2-4 after 44 minutes, and with 50 minutes played the irrepressible Frankie Bakrlik tied things up once more, sending us into an additional period, and ultimately a penalty shoot-out.

Those present on a cold night in Deeside last year might remember the Phantoms going eight round of penalties before prevailing against the Manchester Phoenix, and we nearly a similar number of shots this evening as Stepanek and Chamberlain scored for their respective sides, and a combination of some uninspiring penalties and solid net-minding kept the scores even until Towners’ shot sent Hedley’s water bottle flying as his top-shelf shot settled the game.

MoM:  Susters (Phantoms) & Scott (MK)

Though Martins Susters was voted MoM, there were one or two other highlights from my perspective.  Griffiths, Towner and Stubley all did well – it was great to see one of the new guys hit the winning penalty shot, and on more than one occasion Tom Stubley played out of defence with no small amount of skill.

Darius Pliskauskas looked sharp, and Padelek showed what an important player he will be for the Phantoms this year, as did Marc Levers and Robbie Ferrara, who both made significant contributions.

It was home fans’ first view of Petr Stepanek, and on tonight’s showing he’ll be a favourite, combining physical prowess with good hands and a keen eye for goal.

It was quite strange seeing Milan Baranyk and Craig Scott back on Peterborough ice in MK jerseys having seen them skate so many times for the Phantoms.  Baranyk had a 1+2 evening whilst Scott contributed his customary assist.  They’ll contribute big numbers for MK this year, and the Phantoms’ supporters will miss them, but on tonight’s showing there will be plenty in the Phantoms’ new roster to get behind.

It’s likely that neither coach will be too dissatisfied with their teams after this encounter.  If you lose pre-season challenge games commentators will say that they are a good work out and it’s not about results, but seeing the smiling faces at the end of the evening suggests that this is another step in building the team ethos that has been invaluable during Koulikov’s reign.

Let’s get on to the real stuff next week!

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 Instagram its_phil_smith and follow for regular Phantoms updates.