New Signing Wallace Helps Phoenix Past Wildcats

Manchester Phoenix 7-2 Swindon Wildcats

New signing Stephen Wallace bagged a brace of goals in is home debut and helped Manchester Phoenix to a 7-2 thrashing of Swindon Wildcats.

Phoenix, currently in fourth in the English Premier League, signed 25 year old Wallace during the week as he was released from rivals Sheffield Scimitars and the gritty winger has spent no time in boosting the Phoenix attack with three goals in two games including a goal in Phoenix’s 6-4 loss at Milton Keynes Lightning the previous night.

The Wildcats took a 1-0 lead into the first interval on Sunday night as Aaron Nell netted on the powerplay, but the lead was to be short-lived as within three minutes of the restart, Phoenix took the lead through goals by Ed Courtenay and Joe Graham and never looked back.

Wallace netted his first of the night in the 37th minute and Adam Walker finished off a great period for the home side with Phoenix’s fourth in the final minute.

Despite countless heroics by Swindon’s man of the match netminder Chris Douglas, Phoenix continued to put the puck in the net in the final period. Goals from Courtenay, Wallace and Jaakko Hagelberg put the result beyond doubt before Jason Cassells netted a late consolation for Swindon.

“Stephen is a gritty forward who knows how to put the puck in the net and I felt he could help us as we enter the final stages of the season.” Said player coach Tony Hand

“We played well tonight and it was nice to get back to winning a game without being pushed to the limit. Stephen slotted in well and I thought overall, the performance was very solid.”