The Peterborough Phantoms Para Ice Hockey Team travelled to Sheffield on Sunday afternoon to face the Sheffield SteelStings. After a good spirited game in Peterborough a few weeks earlier, Sundays game was a more bruising affair with some of the SteelStings appearing to be hellbent on injuring the travelling Phantoms. However it was the Phantoms who left the Steel City with the smiles on their faces after claiming the 9-0 victory.
The SteelStings opened the game in the Phantoms zone after winning the opening face-off, but a turnover on the Blue Line set Phantoms young forward, D-Jay Hall, free and he skated through the Neutral Zone, past the SteelStings defence before cooly firing the puck past Bryan Hackworth in the Sheffield goal to give the Phantoms a 1-0 lead after just 45 seconds.
The Phantoms were on the Powerplay on 3.44 when Liam Kelk was called for an Interference penalty, but despite a number of chances, the Phantoms couldn’t turn the additional player advantage into a goal.
Phantoms did net their second of the game on 8.32. Rookie Lucy Smith battled for and won the puck before passing to Gary Farmer whose close range shot gave Hackworth no chance.
The Stings best chance of the period came on 8.59 when a speculative shot from the Blue Line deceived Gizz Lee in the Phantoms net, but his blushes were saved by the post.
Phantoms third goal came at 11.58 when their forwards combined for one of the goals of the season. As the Phantoms broke out of their zone, Gary Farmer found Stacey Quirk who took the puck into the Sheffield zone before passing to Callum Shakespeare to put the puck into the back of the net.
A minute later and a Gary Farmer tight angled shot from the boards flew into the top corner of the Sheffield goal to make it 4-0. Phantoms were now fighting for every puck with their definsive core of Kevin, Robin, Freya and Carl all ensuring that the puck was kept out of their defensive zone.
As the clock ticked down on the opening 15 minutes, Gary Farmer broke through the Sheffield ranks, drew the netminder out of position before putting the puck into the goal to make it a 5-0 opening period for the Phantoms.
The middle period was just over a minute old when the SteelStings hit penalty trouble with Marcus Hague picking up a 2 minute Tee’ing penalty. The Phantoms put their newer players on for the Powerply to give them more experience of playing 5 on 4 hockey.
On 21.28 the Phantoms netminder Gizz Lee played a pass out to Gary Farmer. Farmer and D-Jay Hall broke down the ice and just as the netminder thought Farmer was about to pass to Hall he instead shot over the Pads to make it 6-0.
SteelStings were put on the Powerplay on 24.27 when Phantoms Captain Callum Shakespeare was called for an Interference penalty. Less than 30 seconds into the penalty kill Stacey Quirk and Farmer picked up the puck and battled into the Sheffield zone before Farmer despatched the puck into the net to make it 7-0.
The closing 3 minutes of the period saw tempers starting to fray as the officials failed to call a number of dangerous and late hits. On 27.13 SteelStings Ross Clarke was called for a 2 minute Tee’ing penalty. A minute later and Phantoms Robin Martin and SteelStings Lucas Thomas were both called for 2 minute roughing penalties, with Martin getting an extra 2 minutes misconduct for continuing to argue in the penalty box.
The Phantoms powerplay unit made it 8-0 on 28.44 when Farmer netted his 6th goal of the game. With the clock running down the SteelStings looked to go clear on the break, only to run into Freya who singlehandedly stopped the attack.
With the game over as a contest, the 3rd period was about the Phantoms newer players getting lots of ice time, whilst also ensuring the senior Phantoms player remained injury free after some potentilly targetted late hits and punches started to creep into the play.
On 35.37 the Phantoms found themselves on the penalty kill after Gary Farmer was called for a 2 minute Boarding call, but despite their best efforts the SteelStings couldn’t find their way past the Phantoms defence.
SteelStings netminder Bryan Hackworth pulled off two incredible saves to deny his fell GB International colleague Callum Shakespeare midway through the period. Phantoms final goal of the game came on 39.33 when a scramble in front of the SteelStings goal saw the puck fall to Gary Farmer who’s turn and shot flew into the top corner of the net.
Man of the Match Awards went to D-Jay Hall for the Phantoms and Kirsty Van Der Poll for the SteelStings.