The 2024 BPIHA League Season ended with the Cardiff Huskies winning the league on goal difference from the Peterborough Phantoms, in the final game of the campaign. It was destiny then that saw the Peterborough Phantoms travel Cardiff on Saturday evening in the opening game of the 2025 BPIHA League Season. After a tough game, it was the Phantoms who took the bragging rights, and a statement victory to take the points back to Cambridgeshire with a 5-4 road victory.
Phantoms team included Kevin Briggs, Freya Austin and Robin Martin all making their cmpetitive debut for the team, having joined the sport over the Winter.
The game started with both sides fighing for possession and the Phantoms facing a number of icing calls as they looked to set the high player free. It was the vicitors who took the lead on 4 minutes of the opening period. A good battle for the puck on the half boards saw Stacey Quirk come away with the puck and her pass found Callum Shakespeare. He took the puck to the corner, drew in the Huskies defender before a simple pass to the front of the net found an unmarked Gary Farmer who made no mistake in finding the back of the net.
Huskies came close to levelling the game midway through the period when Tyler Christoper carried the puck at speed out f his zone, but after a big check from Gary Farmer in the Neutral Zone the puck fell to Paul Furber who skated into the zone but could only watch on as his shot from a tight angle was parried away by Gizz Lee in the Phantoms net.
Phantoms were unlucky not to double their lead a minute later when Callum Shakespeare rboke down the wing and found Gary Farmer skating at full speed down the mid-ice. Farmer collected the pass but then watched on as his shot pinged off the crossbar and over the goal. Farmer then turned provider when he found Shakespeare free a few minutes later, but the Phantoms Captain saw his shot well saved by Daniel Hutchinson in the Huskies goal.
With the clock running down to the end of the period, the Huskies got their goal with 2:30 left on the clock. Tyler Christopher fought off two Phantoms players to fire low past Gizz Lee from the slot, to make it a 1-1 game. The goal sparked a frantic final few minutes with both sets of defenders being called into action to block multiple attacks.
Phantoms took the lead again with 1:07 of the period remaining. A face-off in the Huskies zone was won by D-Jay Hall, who pulled the puck back to Stacey Quirk. Quirk found Gary Farmer on the boards and his one time effort flew into the top corner of the Huskies goal to make it Huskies 1-2 Phantoms at the first break.
The second period started at a frantic pace, with end to end action and both netminders pulling off some hilight reel saves. This included Daniel Hutchinson defying the odds and making a magnificant save to deny Gary Farmer on the breakaway.
Huskies Jonathon LeGalloudec sent a stretch pass from his own zone to release Tyler Christoper, but Gizz Lee was stopping everything that was being sent his way by the Huskies forward lines.
The Huskies drew level on 23:43 after defense turned to attack. Phantoms broke into the Huskies zone and Callum Shakespeare forced a brilliant double save fromHutchinson. The Huckies picked up the attack and broke to the other end of the ice where Josh Davies and Emma Reid paired up to get the puck to Tyler Christopher who fired under the diving Gizz Lee to make it 2-2.
Despite both teams having chances there were no more goals in the middle period and the teams went in to the final 15 minutes tied at two a piece.
Phantoms found their 3rd goal after just 3 minutes of the 3rd period! As Cardiff attempted to clear the zone, their pass was intercepted by an unmarked Gary Farmer with space around him. His first shot was saved but the puck dropped back to him and he made no mistake second time around to score from close range.
A minute later and the teams were level once more. Tyler Christoper broke away down the ice, rounded the Phantoms defence before cooly firing into the back of the net to make it 3-3.
Phantoms got to try out their Powerplay on 37.23 after Huskies Katie Read was called for tee’ing behind the Phantoms goal. The Huskies experienced penalty kill line threw themselves in front of everything the Phantoms could send their way to prevent the Phantoms from scoring.
The Phantoms did eventually find a 4th goal, and once again it was end to end attacks that finished with a goal. Tyler Christophers breakaway was thwarted by the Phantoms rookie D-Men and the puck fell to Gary Farmer. He browk down the ice, chased closely by Christopher. Farmers initial shot was wide, and the puck was picked up by Stacey Quirk who long with D-Jay Hall had been supporting the attack. Quirk passed into the centre where Farmer had looped around and made ni mistake with his second attenmpt on goal to make it a 4-3 game with 5 minutes remaining.
Kevin Briggs, on his debut, sat a 2 minue bench penalty on 41.23 after the Phantoms bench played the puck out after it was caught under their sleds. From the face-off Tyler Christophers shot is saved by Gizz Lee, but as Christoper regains the puck he was checked by D-Jay Hall and the puck falls to Callum Shakespeare. Shakespeare sped down the ice, avoids the two D-Men and fires high into the far corner of the net from a tight angle to give the Phantoms a 5-3 lead shorthanded on 41.43.
From the face-off, Tyler Christoper picks up the puck and fires over Gizz Lee in the Phantoms goal to draw a Powerplay goal back and make it 5-4.
Despite the Huckies pushiing for the equaliser the Phantoms held on to claim the 5-4 victory and their first points of the season.
Man of the Match went to Graham Kimber.