Season 2016-17 Week 30: Play-Off Week 2 – Sheffield, Telford, Guildford

A look at the premature end to the play-offs for the Phantoms, and an end of season sign off from ‘beyond the blue line’ …

Sheffield Steeldogs 2 Peterborough Phantoms 6
Peterborough Phantoms 5 Telford Tigers 2
Guildford Flames 5 Peterborough Phantoms 2

So that’s that.  The dust is settling on the Phantoms’ 2016-17 season with the players and fans merely observers as Telford, Guildford, Milton Keynes and Basingstoke contest the last silverware of the year.

Last week’s Saturday night home fixture against Telford was a must-win – Guildford had beaten Sheffield on Friday which meant that the only way that the Phantoms could reach the Coventry jamboree would be to win out against the Tigers and the Flames, and hope for a miracle from the Steeldogs in their final game against Telford on Sunday.

As it transpired, despite the fact that the Tigers crushed the Steeldogs on Sunday to ensure their place in the final four, the Phantoms’ victory against the Tigers was a perfect example of just how good the Phantoms have been this year and how, when everything clicks, there is no better team on home ice in the league than Slava Koulikov’s men.

Buoyed by a bumper crowd boosted by good numbers from Telford, the Phantoms showed great intensity from the off, took the lead with barely a minute on the clock through Ales Padelek in a whistle-stop first period that saw James Archer answer the call to defend his netminder after Sam Zajac had upended Auzins behind his net.  Honours to Zajac, but good work from Archer in defending his goat tender nevertheless.

The Phantoms’ first period lead was chalked off within two minutes of the start of the second period as Clarkson fired in a blueliner on an early powerplay, but the Phantoms wouldn’t be undone – Bebris levelled with a powerplay goal of his own to restore the Phantom’ lead at the end of two periods, and though Jason Silverthorn scored for the visitors in the third after Bebris had tucked away his second of the evening, Petr Stepanek and Robbie Ferrara ensured the play-off race would be taken to the final round of games.

There have been some terrific games in Peterborough this year and this was another, underlining the quality within the Phantoms’ organisation as the Phantoms capably dealt with an outfit that had put seven unanswered goals past them during the previous weekend.

The Guildford game on Sunday was lost in the third period, following a first period lead as Pliskauskas cancelled out an early Savage strike and Robson had scored the go ahead goal before McKinney tied things at two in the second frame.

Guildford is a tough place to go and the Phantoms haven’t found wins easy to come by at The Spectrum, but I suspect that had Telford not been thrashing the Steeldogs to secure their own play-off berth the Phantoms may have had enough to pull off a rare win in Surrey.  As it was the Flames scored three in the final stanza to wave goodbye to the EPL with a win on home ice, including a short-handed strike from McKinney that sent the Phantoms home thinking of what might have been.

Whilst players like Auzins, Stepanek and Padelek grab the glory, and in a sense that’s what the more highly paid imports are here to do, it is important to recognise the importance and impact of the British players in this Phantoms’ roster.

In some senses it is unfair to single out players for their contributions, but it is appropriate to recognise one or two of our Brits here.

Levers contribution to the team cannot be underestimated; though Marc missed a number of games through injury he remained the top scoring British player at the club, and his influence spreads much more deeply than simply notching goals and racking up assists.

Weldon and Norton have had good seasons too.  Whichever line Weldon is on he gives his best and even when a game looks lost Will Weldon can be called upon to scrap for a face-off, be counted alongside Levers on a PK, or throw himself at the puck to make a last ditch stand.

Tom Norton is one of the best Brit D men in the league and Robbie Ferrara has proven his worth to the Phantoms throughout the season, while James Ferrara and James Archer seemed to be going from strength to strength as the season ran its course, with the home play-off games being amongst the best performances from the pair this year.

In his breakout year in the EPL Owen Griffiths turned up to play every game ended the year as a key forward, often facing off against much more experienced opponents.  Owen is hugely popular at the club and alongside the names mentioned above Levers, Weldon, Norton, the Ferraras and Archer, I would hope that he returns next year.

Defensively Tom Stubley had a promising year and with Robson and Russell missed large parts of the year through injury I suspect that getting back up to speed late in the season was difficult for them both, but I would be happy to see both return – with a good preseason they should be at the heart of the Phantoms defensive ranks next year.

With Coventry looming Phantoms’ fans will be disappointed that their team will not be there.  From my point of view I do not believe that there was too much focus on the cup final which meant that crucial league points were dropped giving the Phantoms a less favourable group in the play-off shake up.  Results against Telford and Guildford had been good at home in the regular season, and I just don’t believe that it would’ve been easier to play MK or Basingstoke for the right to play in Coventry.  Whilst observers have pointed to a home defeat against the league’s basement club, Bracknell, as being key, I can’t help but feel that things are far less clear cut.

In essence, if the Phantoms hadn’t had such a disastrous middle period in Telford in the play-offs, or if they’d played with the intensity of the home win against Telford against Guildford the previous week (a team they’d beaten three times in the league already, including two wins by five goal margins early in the season and a 7-6 hangover victory the night after losing the cup-final) then the Coventry dream would still have been alive.

Guildford came into Peterborough believing they could win, and following the heavy defeat in Telford you couldn’t help but sense that the Phantoms just didn’t believe they were going to win that home game against eth Flames.

Nevertheless, I think the team did run out of steam, largely due to the impact of the cup final defeat in Milton Keynes in which the Lightning outplayed the Phantoms at home, and squeezed past them by the narrowest of margins.  By that point of course, Martins Susters was long gone, but statistically at least, the mid-February departure of a player that by all accounts was unhappy in Peterborough was a change to the roster that saw a promising goal scoring forward leave the club at a point where it would’ve been impossible to get a replacement.

I’d like to finish this piece with a big thank you to all of the ‘beyond the blue line’ readers – there will be more from me in the not too distant future about my take on the future of the league, and why, whilst I think that whilst Dave and Jo Lane’s terrific business model has appeared to have worked here in Peterborough I worry about the sport at our level going forward, but for now, in advance of Coventry 2017 I’ll sign off.

I’ve written 204 ‘Beyond the Blue Line’ posts since I started this blog back in July 2013 and in the meantime there has been almost 34,000 views from people who have stopped by to get their fix of EPL hockey, the Phantoms, and at the very beginning, Wolverhampton Wanderers too.

Thanks for calling in, and all being well there’ll be more from me in advance of the 2017-18 season.

My role at the club has changed over the last couple of years to being the main commentator on the Phantoms’ live streams, which has made writing that little more difficult as it is virtually impossible to make notes whilst presenting a game for an online audience, but I hope readers have enjoyed the stuff I’ve put together nevertheless.

It’s time for a break – enjoy your summer, and let’s hope the Premier Ice Hockey League is a going concern in the autumn.

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 29: Play-Off Week 1 – Sheffield, Telford, Guildford

Peterborough Phantoms 12 Sheffield Steeldogs 0
Telford Tigers 7 Peterborough Phantoms 0
Peterborough Phantoms 1 Guildford Flames 3

A week is a long time in politics, and as it transpires it is in hockey, as the Phantoms have seen the memories of their comprehensive victory in their first play-off game against the Sheffield Steeldogs fade rapidly in their rear view mirror with successive defeats to the Telford Tigers and the Guildford Flames.

Despite the margin of victory against the Steeldogs it was difficult to benchmark the quality of the performance; the old adage about teams having to beat the teams in front of team is true, but the Steeldogs were uncharacteristically poor, and Greg Wood’s men couldn’t get a foothold in a game that got away from them quickly as the Phantoms rattled in goal after goal.

Stepanek and Pliskauskas filled their boots with four goals each, ably assisted by Levers, Norton and Darge in a game that felt completely different to so many games between the Phantoms and the Steeldogs in recent years, including the play-off quarter final last year.

The Phantoms returned home on Sunday after a mauling of their own by the Tigers in Shropshire on Saturday evening.  The game-sheet will show that the Phantoms shut out the Tigers in two periods, but an aberration of a middle period saw Telford strike seven times in 16 minutes, including four goals in eight minutes, to kill the game as a contest.

Guildford were top of the play-off pile going into Sunday’s game against the Phantoms with two successive wins, and the Phantoms knew that realistically they would need something out of the game if they were to be in with a chance of qualifying for the finals weekend in Coventry.

At the risk if being accused of saying ‘I told you so’, I felt there was a marked difference between the Phantoms and the Flames in warm up – the Flames looked confident, were striking the puck at goal confidently at Mike Will and his back-up Skinns, and were playing with smiles on their faces in anticipation of the game ahead, whilst the Phantoms looked much quieter, possibly due to the pressure building from the cup-final defeat against Milton Keynes and the loss in Telford.

As it transpired, the Phantoms held the Flames in a scoreless first period, with the balance of play being held by Guildford who were ahead on points at the first intermission.

Veteran defenceman Danny Meyers got the scoring underway with a powerplay goal on 25 10, floating the puck over Auzins’ shoulder as James Archer sat a tripping penalty, and Hemmings finished a fine move from low in the right face-off circle less than two minutes later to give Guildford a two goal lead.

The Phantoms huffed and puffed but created little in response until late in the second period when Tom Norton thought he’d bundled the puck home until referee Szucs washed out a goal that he had initially given, but at the end of a period that saw the Phantoms continually turn the puck over to the Flames and invite pressure upon themselves, they were fortunate to just be trailing by the two goals.

With the Phantoms looking unlikely to get back into the game Wehebe Darge reduced the arrears with a little over five minutes of the game remaining, sweeping the puck past Will after great work from James Archer.

With time left and their tails up maybe there was a chance that the Phantoms would get something out of the game and keep their play-off push on track?

Unfortunately for the Phantoms this wouldn’t be the case.  Darge scored on 54 48, and just 31 second later McKinney put the puck in the net for the Flames once more after linking well with Satek as the Phantoms committed men forwards.

Takeaways

1. Sad to say, but the Phantoms were second best against the Flames, and yet they might have snatched something out of the game. Defensively they coped with the pace of Satek better than they had last week (or Holli from MK the week before), but at the end of spells of extended pressure from the Flames the Phantoms were just grateful to clear their zone, which usually meant the puck was picked up by their opponents on their own blue line, enabling them to exert pressure once more.  Inevitably, this pressure led to the Phantoms misplacing passes and turning the puck over too frequently, which again mean they were spending long passages of play on the back foot.

2. Going forward the Phantoms created little in 50 odd minutes; Pliskauskas had the best two chances for the Phantoms in the first period but Mike Will dealt with these capably, and it is hard to remember too many clear cut opportunities for the Phantoms until Darge scored.

3. From the gantry the Phantoms’ best performers were Archer, Griffiths, Darge and Auzins. Auzins made a couple of saves in the second period that at least at the time gave some hope to the Phantoms’ fans, and the work rate of the other three saw them stand out.

4. In recent weeks we have seen flashes from Phantoms’ forwards, but there was little from the top players against Guildford to suggest that they would be able to unlock the Flames’ defence. In a game of small margins the Phantoms and the Flames shared 40 shots on goal evenly, but it is telling that the Phantoms only had 6 shots on goal in the last period after fourteen in the first two frames, and after having just 10 shots in goal through forty minutes in Telford on Saturday.  It may be too easy an observation to make, but no matter how much the Phantoms throw the kitchen sink at sides in the final period (and against Guildford it was very much a case of too little, too late) it is essential to get greater offensive momentum much earlier in these big games, and especially when defending what has been a good home record.

5. There may still be a way to Coventry for the Phantoms of they can beat the Steeldogs on Wednesday and if Guildford beat Telford. This would set up a thriller against the Tigers here in Peterborough on Saturday and require the Phantoms to win their final game in Guildford on Sunday.  There’ll be observers who have the maths off-pat and will be able to tell you which permutations will allow the Phantoms to get through, but I think it’s safe to say that a win for the Tigers v Guildford on Wednesday will just about eliminate the Phantoms.  A win in Sheffield for the Phantoms and a Flames victory over Telford, however, might set up a thrilling weekend with everything to play for.

See you 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.

 

 

 

Season 2016-17 Week 28: Guildford Flames

Peterborough Phantoms 7 Guildford Flames 6

Dead-eye Greg with a third period leveller from the blue line!

After the cup-final defeat to Milton Keynes this felt like a game that the players didn’t want to play and the fans didn’t really want to watch, and yet getting back on the horse the night after a gut wrenching defeat might have just been what the doctor had ordered.

Make no bones about it, the Phantoms’ players were disconsolate after losing a second consecutive cup final, and anyone who suggests otherwise is misguided.  And who should be in town?  Why none other than the Guildford Flames, who had won the three games against the Phantoms in Surrey, whilst the Phantoms had accumulated eleven goals (with one against) in two games here in Peterborough, notching 5-0 and 6-1 victories early in the season.

Surely the game was going to go to the Phantoms, then, and give the Peterborough side a crack at third place in the league?

Well almost, but not quite.

In a scrappy encounter that will have given the coaches more to think about than they might have anticipated the Phantoms won by the odd goal in thirteen, having fallen behind to an early Satek short-handed goal, taken a 3-1 lead by the first intermission through Norton, Pliskauskas and James Ferrara (the prettiest of the bunch, fired high into Mike Will’s net, above his outstretched glove)

The second period saw the two teams share four goals as Satek, Pliskauskas, Ferrara (Phantoms’ MoM) and Santavuori all found the goal to give us a 5-3 scoreline after forty minutes, before what turned out to be a crazy final stanza that saw a further five goals.

The Flames pressed hard at the start of the final period; their trade mark crisp passing and thoughtful build-up exposed the Phantoms time and again.  Santavuori had scored the final goal of the middle frame, and in three and a half minutes from 48 09 the visitors scored another three unanswered goals, through Sihvonen, Satek (for the hat-trick) and Maslonka, though the Guildford bench and most of the crowd had thought that Maslonka’s goal was actually a lobbed shot from Danny Meyers, making his 1000^th pro-hockey appearance.

The Phantoms had managed to virtually snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, but when the next goal came, it came from the most unlikely of sources, as popular D man Greg Pick lashed one in from the point to tie things up at six, much to the appreciation of the crowd.

With six minutes left the Phantoms pushed for a winner, and were rewarded when Ales Padelek’s pin-point shot found the top right hand corner of Will’s net on 57 39 as Jens Eriksson sat out what looked a fairly soft interference call, to conclude the goal scoring in what had been a roller-coaster of a game.

Takeaways

1. Sometimes it’s not how you play, it’s whether you win. The Phantoms needed a result after the defeat against the Lightning and though it wasn’t pretty the victory was the only thing that was important with play-off games, and as it transpires play-off games against the Flames to come.

2. The game should’ve been dead and buried after forty minutes with the Phantoms 5-3 up, but as we’ve seen this year the Phantoms have the potential to concede in quick fire fashion. Maybe with confidence knocked and minds not fully on this game it was always going to be a scrappy affair, but as we’ve seen against the Steeldogs and Bees leads can quickly turn into games where you are chasing a score that you hadn’t anticipate, and in those situations you either need plan A to work, or plan B, or a little slice of luck.  The first and third of those saw the Phantoms home in this one.

3. As in previous games here in Peterborough, Michal Satek looks like the real thing – scorer of three goals and deserved winner of the MoM beers, Satek showed a quick turn of pace and fine skill. The Phantoms can be susceptible to the fast breakaway and need to guard against being outnumbered against players such as Satek, and Holli from the Lightning.

Danny Meyers was the Flames’ go to guy on the powerplay and Jens Eriksson was the other Guildford player that stood out.

4. Two PP goals will have given the Phantoms a lift after their shut-out last night, but they still need more pucks on goal and to be following rebounds up.

5. The Phantoms’ play-off group is determined; despite a shot at third in the league they finished fourth and will play the Tigers, Flames and ‘Dogs. Phantoms are going to need points against Guildford and Sheffield to progress, and would be hopeful of something at home versus Telford.

It’s going to be a tough one, but I’d prefer this group in qualification than the one with MK, Basingstoke, Swindon and Hull.  I’ll go for MK and Basingstoke from the latter group, and crossed fingers and everything else for the Phantoms and then the Tigers from the other.  But what do I know?  I still thought the Phantoms would win the cup at two down in the last period …

See you 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.

Game Night Report: Guildford Flames

Saturday 2^nd April 2016: EPL Play-Off Semi-Final
Peterborough Phantoms 1 Guildford Flames 4

MoM: Darius Pliskauskas

There would be no repeat of last year’s play-off success for the Phantoms, who came up against a Guildford side that took a lead in this semi-final late in a tight first period through Tom Duggan, who swept the puck home from the slot with on 19 29.

Phantoms’ fans had seen their side threatened in the early minutes of the game and had thought that the Flames had taken the lead on 3 38 as Guildford celebrated what they thought was the opening tally, only to see the officials wash the ‘goal’ off as the puck was adjudged to have been kicked into the net.

The Phantoms came up against a net minder in top form, with Guilford’s Ullberg saving from both Craig Scott and most notably Darius Pliskauskas at the end of a fine move, and Duggan’s goal came at a time when the Phantoms had been exerting pressure on the Guildford net.

The opening phase of the second period saw the Phantoms take the game to the Flames, though Janis Auzins was almost caught out of position after five minutes after clearing the puck from behind his goal, only to scramble back and make a diving stop from a Kristoffersson shot.

In the second half of the period the Phantoms almost benefitted from two penalties called on Matt Towe and Lee Esders for hooking and tripping respectively, and it would be Pliskauskas once more with the best opportunity,  but there would be no way through Ullberg.

In a game where the second goal would be crucial good link up play between Kristoffersson and Ozolins on 38 17 would see Auzins outnumbered and beaten once more, with Ozolins eventually putting the puck in the net, making the score 2-0 to the Flames after forty minutes.

The Phantoms came out for the final period fired up by their travelling support and a rallying call by Lloyd Gibson, and had an early powerplay opportunity as Godfrey was giving a holding penalty.  Unfortunately for the Phantoms there were no clear cut chances fashioned, and just as the penalty expired Ben Campbell benefitted from a turnover and slid the puck past Janis Auzins on 43 18  for a 3-0 lead.

The remainder of the game saw the Phantoms exert pressure without creating too many clear cut chances as the Flames smothered whatever was thrown at them, confident in the knowledge that they didn’t need to push forward themselves given their lead.

With nineteen seconds left Milan Baranyk scored a consolation for the Phantoms with a backhander from the edge of the crease, but any thoughts of a dramatic comeback were extinguished as six seconds later the Flames took control of the puck and scored an empty net goal through Andy McKinney.

Guildford took their chances and nullified the Phantoms offensive threat; they deservedly progress to the play-off final against Milton Keynes, with a 4:00pm face-off.

Man of the Match: Darius Pliskauskas (Phantoms) and Tom Duggan (Guildford)

After falling behind in the first period and despite conceding another goal in the second, the Phantoms had managed to stay in touch with the Flames throughout the first forty minutes, and though Ullberg was in good form in the Guildford goal the Phantoms lacked enough of a spark to fashion clear enough chances, even whilst marshalling their four powerplays.

The Flames weren’t challenged as much as the Phantoms would’ve wanted in the final period; at two goals up a Phantoms’ goal could’ve shifted momentum significantly, but Campbell’s strike, capitalising on a turnover with just three minutes of the period gone killed the Phantoms’ threat.

Baranyk showed plenty of energy as the game closed out, but his goal was a case of too little, too late, with just seconds left to play.

Though the league results between these two sides were split evenly, when it mattered, in the cup final and again here in the play-off semi-final, the Flames experience and game-plan secured the result.  Guildford capitalised on Phantoms’ errors, took their chances, and smothered the Phantoms as the game progressed.

On reflection the best team won in this semi-final, and congratulations should be extended to Guildford who triumphed against Milton Keynes in the final on Sunday.

The Phantoms’ season closes out with a degree of disappointment in not picking up silverware after such a strong performance in the league, but for the first time since 2009 the Phantoms have proved to be a real force in hockey at this level.  The quality of the league continues to improve and with roster changes a certainty the Phantoms will need to be prudent in their recruitment both on and off the ice if they are to improve on this year’s record.

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: Guildford Flames

EPL Challenge Cup Final Second Leg
Wednesday 3^rd March 2016:  Peterborough Phantoms 5 (6) Guildford Flames 3 (12)

How important the final twenty minutes in Peterborough on Thursday were in the context of the season, time will only tell.  Whatever happened (or didn’t happen) in the first leg of this cup final in Guildford on Wednesday had meant that the Phantoms had fallen to an uncharacteristic 9-1 reverse; despite losing by only one goal at the end of the first period, the Flames found the net on four occasions in both the second and third periods, with Marc Levers’ solitary goal scant consolation for the team or the travelling support.

Looking for a quick start the Phantoms start positively in the return tie before Guildford took a hold on the game, scoring through Kristoffersson with 7 26 on the clock.  Somewhat against the run of play Ales Padelek drew the home side level some seven minutes later, bundling the puck home moments after Lloyd Gibson had been felled, and during the second period the two sides traded goals and penalties in what was a hugely entertaining affair.

Scott Robson gave the Phantoms their first lead of the evening with a 34^th minute powerplay goal, finishing off a fantastic pass from Craig Scott, unmarked at the back post, though the lead would only last for four minutes, as Eriksson would score his first of the evening to tie the scores at 2-2.

The travelling contingent were enjoying their evening and managed to get a reaction from Janis Auzins, as Kristofferson and Pick drew penalties for an altercation around the Peterborough goal before Marc Levers restored the Phantoms’ lead, finishing off a Milan Baranyk pass, and Erikkson took advantage of a turnover in centre-ice, raced into the Phantoms’ zone, and lashed the puck high into Auzins’ net.

So back to the final twenty minutes then.  The Flames were never going to throw their eight goal margin away; in terms of getting their hands on the cup their work had been done in the home leg.  But the fact that the Phantoms took the home leg through a second goal on the evening from Levers, who batted the puck out of mid-air into the net on 48 18, and Will Weldon a minutes later, following up a shot from Darius Pliskauskas may well be crucial in terms of lifting the team, and certainly a fan base who were shell-shocked after the hiding they had received in Guildford.

Coach Koulikov has been brutally frank in his assessment of that performance in Surrey, and demanded a significant improvement from his team, and that is what he got.  At times on Thursday the Phantoms found the Flames hard to live with, and were pinned in their own zone by quick, physical play, combined with accurate passing.  There were occasions when the Phantoms third and fourth lines were being faced by players with a wealth of experience, such is the depth in the Guildford roster, and where the Phantoms found that misplaced passes and turnovers in key zones were punished.

Nevertheless, once the Phantoms took the lead for the first time, through Robson, they grew in confidence and composure, and were able to fight their way to a victory in a fixture that should they have lost heavily would have had serious ramifications for the rest of the season.

Congratulations to the Flames; they deserved to lift the cup, and for the most part the game was played at high pace, and in the right spirit.  The Phantoms challenge had been blown away on Wednesday, and despite losing on Thursday Guildford showed was a good outfit they are.

MoM:  Scott Robson (Phantoms) & Tom Duggan (Guildford)

Robson took his goal well and contributed what is becoming increasingly familiar from his highly effective offensive D man role.  Auzins routinely made a number of excellent stops, and Tom Norton’s performance was impressive too, though I would’ve given the beers to Marc Levers for his two goal display.

Ullberg made key saves for the Flames early on, and Duggan, Campbell, Myers, Kristoffersson and Eriksson all shone.

Finally, a word on the Peterborough crowd.  Despite Wednesday’s result they turned up en masse on Thursday and supported the team even though they fell behind early on and struggled to hold on to their lead in the second period.

Over the next few weeks the games should all be like cup finals (or at least Thursday’s version) as the Phantoms look to secure the highest league placing that they can, and so have an element of choice in their quarter final opponents.

All eyes on the race to the quarter-finals from here.

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: Guildford Flames

Saturday 19^th December:  Peterborough Phantoms 6 Guildford Flames 2

On a night of surprising results the Phantoms extended their lead at the top of the EPIHL with what felt like one of the most complete team performances of the season, as visitors Guildford, fresh from adding top marksman Janis Ozolins to their ranks, were swept aside by a comprehensive scoreline.

The game started frantically, with the puck being moved at pace from end to end, yet with barely 90 seconds of the game gone Edgars Bebris fired the Phantoms ahead with a back-handed flick that beat former Phantom Stephen Wall at his near side and which sparked a period of high quality hockey from Slava Koulikov’s men.

Both Bebris and Milan Baranyk were on fire in the opening frame; shortly after Bebris’ goal Baranyk fed Lloyd Gibson with a precision pass but the Sheffield man was unable to jam the puck under Wall, and moments later Baranyk set up Ales Padelek who was also foiled by the Flames’ netminder.

The Phantoms would extend their lead on 8 01 as roles were reversed as Baranyk received a pin-point delivery from Padelek and converted to make the score 2-0.

Guildford clearly saw the threat coming from Baranyk and mid-way through the first period the Phantoms forward and the Flames’ Sam Godfrey were involved in handbags and subsequently each took two minute penalties.

The first twelve minutes or so of the period saw excellent hockey from the Phantoms, though as we approached the buzzer the Flames exerted pressure themselves; Auzins saved well from Campbell as Guildford looked to find a way back into a game in which they had been second best up to that point.

In many ways we have seen precious little of the more overt physical side of the game this season, but this was a night that saw plenty of big hits and with four and a half minutes remaining of the period tempers boiled over with an altercation between Greg Pick and Andrew McKinney as the Flames swarmed round Auzins’ goal.  Both combatants landed a few shots before the officials broke separated them, with honours even and the crowd on their feet.

The period finished with the Flames on a powerplay with Cam McGiffin sitting a tripping call yet it would be the Phantoms and not the Flames who finished the opening frame in a more threatening manner as Craig Scott and Bebris pushed the visitor back despite their numerical advantage and almost hit a third.

It didn’t take long for the Phantoms to extend their lead at the start of the second stanza.  McGiffin’s penalty was killed and with 2 14 gone Ales Padelek’s one-timer from the tightest of angles marked the Phantoms’ third of the evening after strong work by Gibson and Jason Buckman.

In an even phase of the game chances were created and missed at both ends; Piatak hit the post for Guildford and Darius Pliskauskas found iron himself from a shot from the blue line.

Martins Susters was boarded by McKinney, who was penalised for the offence, and Milan Baranyk was unlucky not to draw a similar call with the officials looking on.

As we approached the last five minutes the Flames pinned the home side in their own zone and the complexion of the game changed, as Matic Kralj swept in Guildford’s first, with 4 31 remaining, and 75 seconds later McKinney tipped a Quiney shot which trickled over the line to make the score 3-2.

The Phantoms had struggled to clear their zone and at that point of the game were less fluent than they had been in the opening period.  Momentum had shifted to the visitors and there would be more action before the second intermission.  Both sides were finishing their checks; first McKinney on James Ferrara and then Marc Levers on Ozolins, which sparked a flashpoint as both Godfrey and Duggan man handled Levers, with the latter landing blows both before and after the Phantom covered up on the ice.

Much to the crowds’ disappointment Duggan was only given two minutes for roughing, but it did break up the Flames’ pressure as the Phantoms were able to conclude the period on the powerplay.

The third period started as the second had ended.  Bebris took a tripping penalty to give us 4-on-4 hockey for 36 seconds and the following 1 24 Guildford powerplay was killed.  The Flames’ numerical advantage allowed them to build momentum again, but they would be unable to find a way past Janis Auzins.

Crucially for the Phantoms the sixth goal of the evening was scored by Craig Scott.  Bebris finished a big check on Quiney behind the Flames’ goal and passed to the Canadian who finished with ease on 44 46.  Within the following minute the Flames had hit the post once more through Esders, and from a Guildford point of view the game was gone; Darius Pliskauskas added a fifth for the Phantoms with a deft back hander that sailed over Wall’s blocker with 8 27 remaining, and Scott scored his second of the evening firing through Wall’s five-hole with just under four minutes to go, to make the score 6-2.

MoM:  Janis Auzins (Phantoms) & Ozolins (Flames)

From front to back this was a great team performance.  Auzins did what Auzins does week in, week out confidence builds from the belief that he will stop anything that is thrown at him, but the Flames struggled to contain Bebris and Baranyk in the first and last periods, and Craig Scott’s goals sealed the deal near the end.

A couple of words for a couple of the other Phantoms tonight – Jason Buckman had an impressive game, and the influence that Marc Levers has on this team cannot be underestimated; his craft and guile is at the heart of an awful lot that come off for the Phantoms.

As for the Flames – Kralj was influential, and Ozolins’ influence grew the longer the game went on.

With both Basingstoke and MK losing this evening the Phantoms are five points ahead at the top of the league and will be top for Christmas.

Not bad at all.

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: Guildford Flames

Sunday 1^st November:  Peterborough Phantoms 5 Guildford Flames 1

Doesn’t time fly when you are enjoying yourself?  Over a quarter of the season gone, and the Phantoms have made a start that few of us would have dared to have hoped for.

I’m writing this column the day after that terrific 5-1 victory against the Guildford Flames, reflecting on what was one of the most effective performance by the Phantoms this year.  The lads took an early lead, defended with great resolve, and then took their chances to give one of the strongest sides in the league a real thumping.  The Phantoms sit in second place in the league with games in hand on the sides around them, and are well placed for a cup semi-final spot as we speak.

As for the Flames?  It’s been all change in Surrey, with the departure of Longstaff, and Savage, and the arrival of three new imports in Kralj, Piatak and Eriksson, and going into this game both Kralj and Eriksson were above the Phantoms’ highest point scorer, Darius Pliskauskas in the stats charts. Guildford occupy their customary top four position, are packed with experience, and will surely be one of the top sides in the EPL again this year.  This game would be a key match-up – could the Phantoms stretch their lead over the Flames to three points, or would both of the sides end the evening on 21 points?

The game started in a cagey manner with both sides testing each other out, but the threat from the Flames was there for all to see in a period where they outshot the Phantoms twelve to seven, and yet went into the break two goals down, as firstly Ales Padelek and then James Ferrara gave the Phantoms a two goal lead after less than eight minutes.

Padelek’s goal was scored after 42 seconds after a dump from Scott Robson that was won by a battling Lloyd Gibson on the boards, and the popular import benefited from Gibson’s pass to finish from close in.

Despite lots of possession and pressure from the Flames, the Phantoms extended their lead on 7 41 as James Ferrara fired through traffic on a powerplay as McKinney sat for boarding.  The first minute of the powerplay saw the Phantoms struggle to get set up around the Guildford goal, but once they did Ferrara would find himself in acres of space and have time to pick his spot.

The remainder of the first period, and indeed the majority of the second saw the Flames pin the Phantoms in their own zone.  Darius Pliskauskas almost connected with a Padelek pass across the crease and Marc Levers had a golden short-handed opportunity snuffed out by Rockman, but in truth it was Janis Auzins and the defensive qualities of the team from front to back that ensured that the Phantoms went into the second break a goal to the good.

The second frame saw the Phantoms calling upon their penalty kill unit on no less than three occasions in the first nine minutes, as firstly Tom Norton (tripping) and then Greg Pick twice (boarding and delay of game) took their turns in the penalty box.  As legs grew tired and the Flames pegged the Phantoms back on 30 36 as Kevin Phillips tapped in a rebound from a Matt Towe shot to halve the arrears and bring the away team deservedly back into the game.

Given the pressure that had been exerted upon the Phantoms you could be forgiven for thinking that Guildford were in the ascendancy as momentum had tilted in their favour.  Auzins was called upon to foil Kristoffersson with a pad save after a 2-on-1 break, and  If ever there was a key moment in the game it occurred on 37 04 as Scott and Weldon linked well and fed Eddie Bebris, who restored the Phantoms two goal lead with a bullet from the left hand face-off circle.  The way that Bebris punched the air after scoring gives some measure of what that goal meant to him and the team; the 3-1 lead after forty minutes giving that little bit more breathing space going into the final period.

The final period started explosively as Padelek benefitted from an error on the Guildford blue line after just thirty seconds and with a quick forehand-backhand combination the Czech forward lifted the puck over Rockman for his second goal of the evening and a 4-1 Phantoms lead, and Darius Pliskauskas scored the final goal of the night with 1 18 remaining, firing an opportunistic backhander into the net to cap off a fine evening.

MoM:  Padelek (Phantoms) & Phillips (Guildford)

This was a fine result against a top team.  In the absence of Milan Baranyk, and following the disappointment of losing the shoot-out against Hull last weekend, the Phantoms’ big players certainly impressed.  Padelek got the MoM beers after two beautifully taken goals, and Darius Pliskauskas was hugely influential, and productive, as he has been throughout October.  Eddie Bebris had possibly his best game this year in a Phantoms’ jersey.  It becomes a cliché to praise Janis Auzins, but his performance against Guildford was of the highest quality.  One save from Kristoffersson stands out, but a save percentage of 97.37% on 38 shots gives you an idea of how impressive the Latvian stopper was.

Keeping things tight at the back has been a feature of the Phantoms’ play this year, conceding just 37 goals in 15 games at 2.46 goals per game.  Just for reference, last year’s average was 3.39 which is some indication of how well the all Brit defence have performed alongside their net minder.

The Phantoms defended well and forechecked hard; once more Lloyd Gibson and Craig Scott made a telling contribution.

As for the Flames?  Kristofferson, Meyers, and especially Towe impressed, and fortunately for the Phantoms, Erik Piatak had a quieter game than he had when the sides met earlier in the season.

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: Guildford Flames

Saturday 19^th September 2015:  Guildford Flames 3 Peterborough Phantoms 2

Sporting contests often come down to fine margins.  With Guildford leading 3-2 and the clock showing 4 32 remaining in the game, James Ferrara fired a rocket from the blue line which crashed into Greg Rockman’s post, only for the puck to fly back into play rather than settling in the net, and seconds later the former Phantom saved again from the Peterborough captain to preserve the home side’ lead

With Phantom’s pressure building Coach Koulikov pulled Janis Auzins with 97 seconds to go, and the away side so nearly snatched an equaliser that had seemed unlikely twenty minutes before, as Craig Scott almost benefitted from the Phantoms’ numerical advantage.

Nevertheless, it would be Guildford who had the puck in the net one last time, and though that tally would be washed out with only 16 seconds to go, the Flames would protect their lead and take the points.

The Phantoms were on the back foot with as little as 26 seconds of the first period gone.  Piatak won a face-off in the Phantoms defensive zone and Kristoffersson smashed a one timer past Auzins to give the Surrey side an early lead which they added to barely three minutes later.  The Flames were playing high tempo hockey, with crisp passing and aggressive movement which saw Dixon feed Kristoffersson for his second of the evening.

Guildford netminder Rockman had little to do in the opening phase of the game, though the second Flames’ goal sparked greater pressure from the Phantoms, Pliskauskas going close before Craig Scott finished from what was only the visitor’ second shot of the game on 4 51 to make the score 2-1.

Midway through the opening frame the Flames conceded a couple of penalties as Lundin and Kristoffersson sat for elbows and charging respectively, but the Phantoms would be unable to find a way through, and through  a combination of good fortune, poor finishing, and stout defence the score would remain 2-1 at the first intermission.

Following his year in Peterborough, Phantoms’ fans know how dangerous Erik Piatak can be, and as Lloyd Gibson sat a boarding penalty it would be the Slovakian forward who would extend the Flames’ lead from the slot on 23 16.  The Phantoms faced considerable pressure for significant parts of the middle period, and Scott Robson in particular was on hand to clear his lines.  Following Piatak’s powerplay strike the Phantoms’ penalty kill unit were called upon again, as first Eddie Bebris and then Tom Norton would take slashing penalties in quick succession.

Guildford shaded the shots on goal but in truth could’ve extended their lead, and whilst the Phantoms showed quality in flashes they were forced back by a Flames side who play well on their big ice pad, cheered on by over 1700 fans.

The final period saw the Phantoms start strongly as both Pliskauskas and Levers brought saves out of Rockman, and Peterborough hopes were ignited as Scott reduced the arrears with 51 31 gone.  Two minutes later, with little over six minutes to go Will Weldon calmly cleared the crease with Auzins beaten and the Flames odds on to finish the game, and though James Ferrara and Craig Scott came close to sending the game into overtime, the Phantoms would taste defeat for the first time in eight outings.

Guildford are big, fast and play physically, and the Phantoms knew this would be a tough challenge.  Even so, there will be a sense of disappointment at giving the Flames a quick lead which the Phantoms ultimately couldn’t claw back.

On another night the puck would’ve beaten Rockman to tie the game up at the death, but tonight the Phantoms could only think of what might have been.

MoM:  Tom Norton (Phantoms) & Marcus Kristoffersson (Guildford)

Tom Norton took the honours for his part in a defensive rearguard, though Ales Padelek stood out for the Phantoms in the first period, Scott Robson in the second, and Craig Scott is rapidly becoming the go to guy.

For the Flames Piatak was effective in the face-off circle, and Kristoffersson threatened throughout.  Matt Towe was powerful in front of goal and linked play well, and Ben Campbell contributed to a strong offensive performance.

It’s been quite a run for the lucky Greg Pick jersey since the MK Lightning game the week before the quarter final tie in Swindon, with seven league and play-off games since a defeat.  Time for a change.

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.

Close Season Update (4) – EPIHL ins and outs, part 1

#33 Janis Auzins, one of the stars from last season

With only two weeks to go before the first pre-season game it is time to have a quick peak at some of the other teams in the EPIHL and reflect on one or two movements and additions to rosters up and down the country.

Whilst the Phantoms had their roster signed and sealed pretty swiftly after the final buzzer in Coventry it wasn’t the same story everywhere, with one or two names still being added to locker rooms across the league, and some signings yet to be announced or made.

In Basingstoke the Bison’s big signing appears to be the additional of import netminder, Slovakian Tomas Hiadlovsky, who has been recruited from the Elite League’s Edinburgh Capitals, which means that the Hampshire club are joining the Phantoms, new boys Hull and the Steeldogs in having an import netminder.

It’s a gamble, for sure, and it will be interesting to see what teams do in overtime, as the new 3-on-3 format leaves coaches a decision to make if their single import is in goal.

By the way – isn’t the answer to leave the import nettie in, rather than introduce someone who is cold and has been sitting on the bench for an hour?

Basingstoke have also recruited impressive forward Shaun Thompson from the Manchester Phoenix in adding to a team who perennially challenges for honours.  Despite the loss of experience with Nicky Chinn, Michael Wales and Dean Skinns, I’m sure that the Bison will once again prove to be there or there abouts.

Almost as soon as last season started news of changes to the Bracknell Bees roster started to filter through, and I fully expect them to be a much improved outfit this year.  The Bees have lost hot prospect Vanya Antonov to the Steeldogs, and seen imports Hubacek and Strycek move on, but have recruited experience in David Savage (from Guildford), and two imports that that made an impact on the league last year – Bakrlik from Manchester, who I have to say is a player I’ve admired for a couple of years and who I would’ve liked to see in a Phantoms’ jersey, and Milan Kostourek, a 38 goal and 69 point forward, from Milton Keynes.

We’ll also see a return to the EPIHL for former Phantom and treble winner to boot, Callum Fowler, who has been lighting up the NIHL with the Invicta Dynamos for the last five seasons.

The Guildford Flames have said farewell to David Longstaff after five years with the club and after a glittering career and over twenty years, ‘Lobby’ returns to the Whitley Warriors in a player/coach capacity.

The Flames also see four of their imports from 2014-15, Tvrdon, Kvetan, Kútny and Kohut depart, to be replaced in part by Matic Kralj (Beibarys Atykrau, Kazakhstan), Jens Eriksson (Lyon,France), and a familiar face to Phantoms’ fans in Erik Piatak (signed from Gornyak Rudny, Kazakhstan).

Piatak has the ability to score prolifically, though at times gave the impression of not relishing the more physical aspects of the league, despite picking up plenty of penalty minutes himself when playing in Peterborough.

Nevertheless, to think that Erik scored 32 goals and 75 points in all in a poor Phantoms side that failed to make the play-offs, indicates what he might bring to Guildford.

Piatak will be joined another former Phantom in Stephen Wall who has moved to Surrey from Milton Keynes and will share net minding duties with Greg Rockman.

The Hull Pirates are hurriedly putting their roster in place under Dominic Osman.  They’ve brought in an import netminder from Sweden in Jon Baston, Mario Mjelleli, a forward from Holland, and in Jan Platil, they have signed a player who has great experience and who is no stranger to the penalty box.  Certainly one to watch!

Of course, the Pirates have also recruited both youth and experience in former Phantoms Warren Tait (Nottingham Lions) and James Hutchinson, and Mason Webster, who rather surprisingly has signed up on Humberside.  Good luck to Mason, another player I would’ve been happy to see pull on a Phantoms’ colours for another year, as he embarks on his first full season at this level.

Putting a side together quickly must have been a real challenge for the owners up at Hull; it’ll be interesting to see how quickly their blend of youth and experience, alongside some imports who are new to the league gel.

In a summer of apparent uncertainty for the Manchester Phoenix, key netminder Stephen Fone has signed on for another season, as has top import Robin Kovar and the experienced Luke Boothroyd, James Archer and Ben Wood, who have all got plenty of seasons with Manchester under their collective belts.

The Phoenix have brought in Elite League and GB experience in the form of D man Mark Thomas (Sheffield Steelers), Ben Russell from Milton Keynes,  and former Telford Tiger Gareth O’Flaherty has joined after a year in the Elite with Coventry.

The Phoenix have also brought in a name that many in these parts will recognise, in Trent Hope, son of former Cardiff Devils and Peterborough Pirates Shannon Hope, and two new imports in Stanislav Gron (Cortina, Italy) and Nico Aaltonen (Arlan Kokshetau, Kazakhstan).

As ever, it’ll be interesting to see how the new guys settle; one thing is for sure, and that is the Phoenix have seen bags of experience leave the club over the past couple of months and there will surely be challenges in playing in Deeside, as we saw when MK played in Coventry.

I’ve written in these posts before that I have liked the way that Tony Hand’s sides have played and hope that they can be successful going forward in these challenging times.

Keep an eye on ‘beyond the blue line’ for a look at the line-ups for the remaining EPL teams.

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: Guildford Flames

Peterborough Phantoms 5 Guildford Flames 4

MoM: Darius Pliskauskas

Though Saturday evening’s overtime win against Sheffield secured two valuable points in dramatic fashion, the manner of the performance on Sunday brought even greater satisfaction as the Phantoms bagged a four point weekend in beating the second placed Guildford Flames despite being short of three players (Robson, McGiffin and Bebris) from the night before.

This was an evening when the import forwards worked tirelessly to secure the win, with Baranyk and Kumeliauskas performing heroically and Darius Pliskauskas putting in what may well have been his best performance of the season (or at least since his return from injury) as he bagged a brace and could’ve scored more in an authoritative display.

The game started with intensity and managed to be played at a high pace throughout. Early on Greg Pick and Marcus Kristofferson were jawing each other, and later in the period Mckinney and Webster spent time sharing views, but in between Luke Ferrara opened the scoring with a deflected shot that deceived Hadfield on 3 06. The Phantoms were good for their lead, and though four penalties would be evenly shared in the first twenty neither side could make their numerical advantage count.

Auzins saved well from Kristofferson and at the other end Luke Ferrara broke smartly and deked Hadfield, only for the Flames’ stopper to pull off an excellent save.

With little over six minutes of the period left Guildford pulled level as Campbell and Longstaff exchanged passes, with the latter firing past an outnumbered Janis Auzins.

The first period had seen six shots on Auzins and rather remarkably twenty five on Hadfield, yet the scores were tied at 1-1 at the break.

Within a couple of minutes of the start of the second period Jez Lundin took a penalty for holding a Phantom player’s stick, and despite the fact that the home side were on the powerplay they nearly conceded a short-handed goal twice in quick succession as both Duggan and Towe were foiled by Auzins.

These first few minutes of the second frame were Guildford’s best of the evening as the exerted pressure on the Phantoms, who in turn struggled to smuggle the puck out of their own zone. Generally speaking the sides were fairly equally matched, with the Flames possibly shading proceedings until the Phantoms scored two goals in as many minutes.

First, Luke Ferrara scored his second of the evening, shooting into a gaping cage after being set up by a pin point Slava Koulikov pass 6 46 minutes into the period, rapidly followed on 8 33 by a sublime Darius Pliskauskas goal, the product of fine interplay with Koulikov once more.

The Phantoms two goal lead would last for just 12 seconds, as a Roman Tvrdon shot took a horrible deflection to beat Auzins and reduce the Flames’ arrears, and with less than three minutes of the period remaining Kristofferson would equalise, scoring an excellent powerplay goal when the Flames PP unit passed the puck with speed and accuracy in the Phantoms defensive zone before Tvrdon placed his shot beyond Auzins.

Momentum had moved in the Flames favour, so great credit to Darius Pliskauskas, who scored the Phantoms’ goal of the evening to restore their lead. Koulikov was involved yet again, but the plaudits should go to Pliskauskas who showed superb control in teasing the Flames’ defence before sliding the puck home as he fell to the ice.

Before Guildford drew level yet again after 46 11, there were chances for both teams, with Kohut going close for the visitors and Kumeliauskas hitting the post. Duggan did tie things up, however, expertly tipping a Kristofferson shot whilst he shielded Janis Auzins.

On three occasions in the final period Phantoms’ forwards were pulled down by Guildford players desperate to keep their opponents at bay. Baranyk, Levers and Kumeliauskas all might have had a shout for a penalty shot, stopped forcibly as they were by Kvetan (twice) and Tvrdon, and despite the fact that penalties were called, no penalty shots were awarded, much to the dissatisfaction of the home crowd.

Liddiard thought his shot had given the Flames the lead twelve minutes from home, but the puck had found the side netting, and it would be Phantoms’ player coach, Slava Koulikov, who would grab the game winning goal, on a 5-on-3 powerplay opportunity with just under six minutes remaining.

In a tense finish Baranyk and Duggan had words, and Weldon took a stick to the head from Lundin, though from the main stand it looked accidental.

Hadfield was pulled with 48 seconds left, and four seconds later Baranyk sat for two minutes for using his elbow, giving Guildford’s powerful offence a 6-on-4 advantage.

Nevertheless, the visitors couldn’t find a way through, meaning the Phantoms recorded their second win of the weekend.

MoM: Campbell (Flames) and Pliskauskas (Phantoms).

Darius’ goals were the highlight of the evening, but a mention in dispatches to four-point Slava Koulikov, to Luke Ferrara who stood tall all weekend, and to the defensive prowess of the whole bench as they covered for Robson, McGiffin and Hutch’s absences.

For the Flames Hadfield pulled out a number of smart stops, but the player who impressed me most was Kristofferson, who posed a threat throughout.

For the second night running the Phantoms comfortably outshot their opponents, though their margin of victory was a single goal in both games.

The powerplay has stuttered of late, but in truth Hadfield made saves on the Flames penalty kill on several occasions that on another night would’ve given the Phantoms the opportunity to put the game to bed.

On to Swindon and MK next Saturday, the final weekend of the regular season, with the game against the Wildcats giving the Phantoms the opportunity to tie up fourth place.

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.

 

15^th March 2015