The Peterborough Phantoms recorded their second consecutive victory in the 2024 British Para Ice Hockey League on Saturday, when they defeated the Manchester Mayhem 4-1 in Widnes.
The Phantoms took to the ice in their new team shirts, which had arrived a few days earlier, and featured the clubs new branding.
The team were missing Lucy Smith from the game, due to holiday, but the Phantoms didn’t let the short bench affect their game. There were a number of past and present GB Players on display from the Men’s and Women’s programmes, wth Mayhem having 9 and Phantoms 5 players who have pulled on a GB shirt, but it was to be the two netminders who were to be the stars of the day.
The game started with both teams looking for an early advantage. Mayhem pinged a puck off of Dan Lee’s post after just 3 minutes, whilst Phantoms saw two shots ping off Darren Pomfret’s post in the opening 8 minutes.
It was the Phantoms who were playing with more confidence, with Gary Farmer feeding the puck from the defence to the Phantoms highly active forward lines. Phantoms opened the scoring on on 8.11 when Stacey Quirk’s pass from the boards found Ali Amini in front of the Mayhem goal. Ali had time to compose himself and pick his spot as he lifted the puck over the Mayhem netminder and into the back of the net.
The goal gave the Phantoms the confidence to push up and whilst Jamie Hutchcraft and Farmer were firing the puck into the Mayhem zone from distance the Phantoms forward lines, lead by team Captain Callum Shalespeare, were chasing down every puck.
Phantoms started the middle period controlling the puck, and not allowing the Mayhem space to move the puck around. They doubled their lead on 19.04 when Hutchcraft’s long range shot deceived Pomfret in the Mayhem goal and bobbled under his body and into the net.
The goal spurred on the Mayhem and Dan Lee in the Phantoms goal was called on to make a big double save from Karl Nicholson just a minute later.
With the clock running down, and both teams battling through the neutral zone, the Phantoms took a 3-0 lead into the period break when Gary Farmer’s shot from the blue line flew over Pomfret’s glove and into the net.
Mayhem refused to give up and once again forced a number of big pad saves from Lee in the Phantoms goal in the closing 3 minutes of the period. As the Mayhem pushed up to attack they left space behind their defence and were lucky when Pomfrett saved the shot from D-Jay Hall with just 15 seconds of the period remaining, when D-Jay and Ali found themselves with acres of space on a 2v0 breakaway.
Mayhem broke the Phantoms shutout 1.54 into the final stanza. Anthony Booth broke through the Phantoms defence and took the puck around the sprawling Lee in the Phantoms goal to tap the puck into the net and give the Mayhem some hope.
Karl Nicholson, who was playing as a D-Man in the game, forced another double save from Lee in the Phantoms net on 38.09 when his initial shot hit Lee’s body and bounced back to Nicholson who saw his follow-up shot smothered by the Phantoms netminder.
30 seconds later and it was Pomfret in the Mayhem goal who was called upon to make a brilliant save after Gary Farmer had cut through the Mayhem defence like a hot knife through butter.
Phantoms final goal of the game came on 37.47 when Jamie Hutchcraft’s shot from the slot was partilly saved by Pomfret, but the puck bounced up in the air and came down off Pomfret’s back and into the back of the Mayhem net.
Mayhem refused to give up and on 38.43 they forced the save of the game from Lee when he plucked the puck out of the air from a long range shot that was heading for the top corner of the Phantoms net.
Stacey Quirk was unlucky not to get on the scoresheet in the closing minutes after teaming up with Hutchcraft and Amini, forcing another great save from the Manchester netty.
The final minute was played in the Phantoms zone, with Mayhem forcing another double save from Lee in the final 30 seconds, but as the buzzer sounded it was the Phantoms who claimed the victory and the points.
Man of the Match for the Phantoms went to netminder Dan Lee.
