The Peterborough Phantoms opened their 2025 British Para Ice Hockey League Home account with a hard foughts 7-6 victory over the Cardiff Huskies on Sunday evening.
The game saw Andy Hazelden make his Phantoms debut, whilst Kevin Briggs and Robin Martin both made their home debuts. The game also saw 10 current Great Britain International players take to the ice.
The game started with the visitors pinning the Phantoms into their own defensive zoone for the opening few minutes. Dan “Gizz” Lee in the Phantoms goal, was called into early action to deny Tyler Christopher and Josh Davies who both came close to scoring. Huskies veteran D-Man, Jonathon LeGalloudec was also pushing high into the Phantoms zone supporting his Forwards as well as taking a few well aimed shots at the Phantoms goal.
With the Phantoms defensive pairings of Kevin Briggs & Robin Martin, and Graham Kimber & Carl Sanger, closing down the Huskies attacks, and putting their bodies in front of the Huskies shots, the Phantoms started to gain confidence and control the game more.
Gary Farmer saw a few long range efforts on the Huskies goal go just wide, whilst D-Jay Hall, Stacey Quirk and Pgabtoms Captain Callum Shakespeare all calling Jodi Hill into action to keep the game scoreless as the period progressed.
Phantoms opened the scoring on 11.07. Callum Shakespear took the puck into the Huskies zone, but when Tyler Christopher cleared the trouble, the puck dropped to Stacey Quirk. Quirk calmly controlled the puck in front of the Huskies bench, before finding Gary Farmer ghosting in through the middle of the ice. Farmers shot from just outside the blue line flew high into the top corner of the Huskies goal to make it 1-0 to the Phantoms.
Phantoms lead lasted all of 90 seconds before Tyler Christopher levelled things up. D-Jay and LeGalloudec both chased a puck int the Huskies zone, but LeGalloudecs clearance found Christoper who carried the puck throug hthe Neutral Zone, Into the Phantoms zone, and then around 3 Phantoms before shooting from the tightest of angles t put the puck between the netminder and the nearside post to make it 1-1.
The Phantoms regained their lead in the final minute of the period. With Farmer and Christopher fighting for the puck on the boards behind the goal, Christoper came out with the puck, but his attempted clearance found an unmarked Callum Shakespeare in the high slot. Whilst looking the other way, Shakespeare sent the puck towards the Huskies goal, where it bounced off Jodi Hill’s sled and bobbled over the line, much to everyone’s surprise!
The second period saw both teams trading goals as the end to end plays carried on. Callum Shakespeare though he had extended the Phantoms lead after just a minute when the puck, alongside himself, Jonathon LeGalloudec and Jodi Hill all eneded up in the goal, but the officials waved the goal off for Netminder Interference.
Gary Farmer saw a shot ping off the post as the Phantoms pushed forward. Hill pulled off a great double save to deny D-Jay Hall and Callum Shakespeare, before the Phantoms defence tried to get in on the goal scoring with Kevin Briggs registering his first shot on target of his career.
The Huskies levelled the game on 21:40 when Tyler Christopher fired from out wide and despite Gizz getting a hand to the shot, the rebound dropped in front of him where Josh Davies was waiting to poke the puck under the Phantoms netminder.
15 seconds later and Gary Farmer gave the Phantoms the 3-2 lead. D-Jay Hall won the face-off straight from the restart and played the puck out wide to Farmer. Farmer carried the puck the blueline before releasing a shot the went over the diving Huskies netminder. On 22:03 Farmer completed his hatrick when he and Stacey Quirk were set loose on a 2v0 breakaway and Farmer took the puck around the Huskies netminder and tapped it into the goal to amke it 4-2.
Just 60 seconds later, and the home crowd were silenced as the Huskies battling resulted in another goal. Jonathon LeGalloudec controlled the puck in the neutral zone, and after holding off a Phantoms attacker he cooly slots the puck to the incoming Tyler Christoper on the blue line. Christopher skated into the zone, held off the Phantoms defender before contorting his body back towards the goal to shoot the puck under Lee in the Phantoms net to make it 4-3.
Phantoms kept fighting to extend their lead and were unlucky to see another Gary Farmer shot come off the crossbar but as the puck rebounded out both Stacey Quirk and Callum Shakespeare couldn’t quite get to the puck as it rolled under their sticks and out of harms way.
The final 3 minutes of the period saw the Huskies draw level before takig the lead for the first time in the game.
Tyler Christoper forced a great diving save from Dan Lee and as the Huskies push up and recover the puck Jonathon Galloudec took a shot the rebounded to Josh Davies and after his initial shot was saved the puck found it’s way back to him and he made no mistake with the second attempt to fire over Lee.
LeGalloudec finally got the goal he had been battling, and the Huskies go ahead goal, for on 28.04. Having picked up the puck at mid ice, he skated into the zone all alone and shot under Gizz Lee’s arm and watched as the puck dropped over the line to make it a 4-5 game at the second break.
40 seconds into the period and the Phantoms were level again as Farmer picked up the puck in the Huskies zone and from the face-off dot fired the puck into the top corner of the Huskies goal to make it 5-5.
Both teams pushed hard looking to regain the lead but the Phantoms D and Jonathon LeGalloudec and Shannon Couch for the Huskies were shutting down any attacks in and around the goals.
Phantoms finally regained their lead on 35.32. Stacey Quirk battled with Shannon Couch to get the puck and controlled the puck in the Huskies zone, before finding Gary Farmer sho shot over Jodi Hill from close range. A minute later and Farmer make it 7-5 when his lob shot from his own half dipped under Jodi Hill.
With the clock running down, Phantoms gave Andy Hazelden his debut, having only taken up the sport a few months ago. With 19 seconds of the game remaining Tyler Christopher made it a 1 goal game after picking up Josh Davies pass on the backpost. Phantoms kept their rookie line out and the team threw themselves in front of everything that Huskies sent their way to claim a hard earned 7-6 vistory.
Man of the Match went to Josh Davies for the Huskies and Robin Martin for the Phantoms.