The Peterborough Phantom Para Ice Hockey Team made it four wins from their opening four games on Sunday with a 5-2 victory over the Manchester Mayhem. Phantoms had one enforced change from the team that won in Sheffield two weeks ago, with netminder Davina Hall missing through illness.
Mayhem included Karl Nicholson and Peggy Assinck who both played for the Phantoms last season before returning to the Mayhem for the 2024 League campaign.
The game was delayed by 15 minutes after an ice issue in one of the corners of the rink, but after a quick patch-up it was time for action.
The game started at a frantic pace, with both teams looking to take an early advantage, and both sets of players fighting for every 50/50 puck. With just 1.45 on the clock Phantoms Stacey Quirk – one of the smallest player on the ice, and Mayhems Dean Lahan – one of the biggest players on the ice, clashed at speed into the boards chasing down a loose puck, and it was the Phantoms player who came away with the puck.
Quirk was involved in the Phantoms opening goal just a few minutes later. After breaking into the Mayhem zone Quirk and her teammate D-Jay Hall exchanged passes, before Quirk layed the puck off to Gary Farmer to shoot low under Darren Pomfret in the Mayhem goal to make it 1-0 on 4.52.
The Phantoms tactics of hitting Mayhem on the breakaway was paying dividends and they nearly doubled their lead on 7.26 when D-Jay, Farmer and Callum Shakespeare found themselves through, but the final pass was just behind Shakespeare and Mayhem cleared the puck.
Phantoms made it 2-0 on 8.09 when Farmer and Ali Amini broke through the Mayhem defence and after seeing his initial shot saved, Farmer picked up the rebound and backhanded it into the Mayhem goal.
Phantoms were now in control and with 3.20 left on the clock D-Jay and Ali both exchanged passes before giving the puck to Jamie Hutchcraft who’s shot was well saved. Two minutes later and a Hutchcraft breakaway saw his shot once again plucked out of the air by Pomfret in the Mayhem goal.
Hutchcraft finally got his well deserved goal on 14.27 when he picked up the puck in his Neutral zone and fired the puck into the top corner from the blueline to make it 3-0 going into the first break.
The middle stanza saw the Mayhem control more of the puck as they looked to break the Phantoms shutout.
Straight from the opening face-off they were looking to pepper the Phantoms goal. On 15.50 Giz Lee in the Phantoms goal was called into action to deny Mayhems Dean Lahan’s long range shot.
On 16.06 the experienced Karl Nicholson, who was the Mayhem’s dangerman, forced another good save from Lee to keep the Mayhem hunting for their opening goal.
Phantoms nearly made it 4-0 on 17.01 when Gary Farmer picked up the puck and skated the length of the ice, but pressure from Karl Nicholson as he looked to take the shot, and a good save from Pomfret kept the Phantom at bay.
Mayhem finally got their opened on 18.16. Karl Nicholson carried the puck into the zone and as he shot from the top of the face-off circle his puck flew over the diving Phantoms netminder to make it 3-1.
The goal spurred on the Mayhem with the Phantoms defensive unit being called into action more and more.
With 30 seconds of the period remaining an error by the Phantoms D gifted the puck to Karl Nicholson in the slot and the GB International punished the Phantoms by firing the puck into the net to make it 3-2 at the second break.
The final period started with the Phantoms Head Coach, Ian Offers, knew that the next goal was the most important one of the game – it could make it a 3-3 or a 4-2 game. He told leading scorer Gary Farmer to get the goal in the opening 2 minutes to kill the Mayhem’s momentum and bring the game back to the Phantoms control.
On 32.14 Farmer collected the puck and after skating coast to coast shot high into the Mayhem goal to give the Phantoms the breathing space they wanted.
With Mayhem now chasing the game, the Phantoms rolled their lines with new players Lucy Smith and Carl Sanger getting regular icetime, and Alysha Atkinson covering for Jamie Hutchcraft in defence.
Despite being 2 goals up, Phantoms kept applying the pressure on the Mayhem and fighting for every puck. On 35 minutes Farmer put a big kit on Nicholson, which sent the Mayhem player sliding into the boards after the both went for a loose puck.
The final goal came on 38.54. Shakespeare and Quirk found themselves in front of the Mayhem goal fighting for the puck, and when it popped out it was collected by Farmer who lifted it over his teammates and into the net to make it 5-2.
Man of the Match Awards went to Mark Colquit for the Manchester Mayhem and Stacey Quirk for the Peterboorugh Phantoms.
After another close game with the Mayhem. the Phantoms now find themselves top of the British Para Ice Hockey League with 4 wins from 4 games.
Next up for the Phantoms are trips to Sheffield on the 7th July to face the Sheffield Steelkings, and to Cardiff on the 20th July to face the Cardiff Huskies. They’re back on home ice on the 27th July when they take on the Sheffield Steelkings at 4.15pm.