Hand helps Phoenix end losing skid

Manchester Phoenix 4-2 Peterborough Phantoms

Player coach Tony Hand led by example on Sunday night as his two quick goals helped Manchester Phoenix beat Peterborough Phantoms and end their 3 game losing streak.

The 43 year old scored a pair of goals midway through the second period to give Phoenix a 3-1 lead before helping leading scorer Marcus Kristoffersson seal the win late in the final period.

Tom Duggan opened the scoring in the 13th minute with an unassisted goal as he stole the puck behind the net and slid the puck under Phantoms netminder Stephen Wall.

Maris Ziedins equalized for the visitors from a tight angle in the second period before Hand struck with a double to give the home side breathing room, however a slick Phantoms power-play goal from Joe Miller cut the lead in half.

League leading scorer Kristoffersson finished the scoring and sealed the points in the 58th minute and ended Phoenix’s bad run which has seen them drop to second place in the English Premier League after losing 5-1 at Guildford Flames the night before.

Tony Hand said after the win: “That was a win we sorely needed. Confidence has taken a bit of a knock over the last couple of weeks, and I was delighted for the guys.

“It was tight game but our character started to show through and we’ll use this as a springboard to get our title challenge back on track.”

Bison clip Phoenix twice in two days

Manchester Phoenix 2-3 Basingstoke Bison (After Overtime)

Manchester Phoenix suffered their first back to back defeats of the season last weekend after losing to Basingstoke Bison twice.

The Hampshire side came out 4-1 winners on Saturday before scoring an overtime winner in Altrincham the following night to seal two wins, leaving Phoenix with a single point lead in the league table.

Marcus Kristoffersson opened the scoring for Phoenix on Sunday after the home side started the better of the two, but slowly the fourth placed Bison crept back into the match and drew level in the 15th minute through Victor Kubenko.

Kristoffersson scored his second of the night on the power-play during the second period to give Phoenix the lead once more, but a lack of concentration allowed Steve Moria to equalize for the visitors with 20 seconds of the game remaining.

Phoenix’s Ben Morgan hit the post as the seconds ticked down before Bison sniper Ondrej Lauko sealed the win for the away side in the extra period.

Meanwhile after weeks of searching, Phoenix have announced the signing of former Sheffield Steelers enforcer Andrew Sharp to replace the departed Dean Holland.
Player coach Tony Hand said of his new signing: “Andrew has been brought in for his physical presence and his toughness.
“I feel that teams are taking too many cheap shots and I think we needed somebody who, when guys want to fight, is the kind of person to take them on.”

Tough Tigers push Phoenix all the way

Manchester Phoenix 5-4 Telford Tigers (After Penalty Shots)

Bottom placed Telford Tigers produced a superb late come back against Tony Hand’s league leading Manchester Phoenix on Sunday night thanks to a great display between the pipes by Declan Ryan.

The ex-Trafford Metros goalie now plays for Telford and they have struggled so far this season with one win in 15 games. But he put in a dazzling display including a last gasp save on Curtis Huppe to send the game to penalty shots.

Phoenix were kept off the scoreboard until the 27th minute when Curtis Huppe scored from close range, but Andy McKinney equalized seconds later. Goals from Ben Morgan, Marcus Kristoffersson and Ladislav Harabin saw the homeside 4-1 up but a late Tigers goal kept the game tight going into the third period.

Two goals in the final five minutes saw the Tigers level, firstly a shorthanded breakaway goal by Marek Hornak then the game tying goal came with just over a minute to go by Scott McKenzie.

Steve Fone replaced Adam Summerfield in net for the penalty shots, a move which paid off as a Stephen Wallace goal sealed the extra point for Phoenix.
Tony Hand said after the match: “That was a very satisfying win, but we were made to work damned hard for it. Telford played a very effective strategy against us and closed us down well. They defended well and they were dangerous on the break.
"But we worked hard and we still found the breaks and I think that is a testament to our own work ethic.”

Phoenix home streak snapped by Flames

Manchester Phoenix 3-4 Guildford Flames

Manchester Phoenix’s home unbeaten run came to a nailbiting halt on Sunday night as the Guildford Flames punished the home side for a lacklustre second period.

The loss means that Phoenix remain top of the EPL by three points but it could have been a seven point lead had they managed to beat the Flames after a brilliant 3-1 win in Guildford the night before.

Three goals in under four minutes by the Flames did the damage with Nathan Rempel, Ben Campbell and Rob Lamey putting the visitors 3-1 up after Marcus Kristoffersson gave Phoenix the lead in the first period.

Tony Hand reduced the deficit in the 33rd minute with a superb breakaway goal only for Matt Towe to score a fourth for the Flames as Phoenix pressed for an equaliser in the final period.

A controversial third goal for Phoenix gave the home side life in the final minutes. Tom Duggan netting from close range with the net knocked out of place by Flames netminder Miroslav Hala.

But Phoenix couldn’t find an equaliser against the hardworking Flames defence and the teams split the weekend’s points.

Tony Hand said after the match: “It was bitterly disappointing tonight, especially after our result on Saturday.

“The game was played at top speed all night, and there was clearly a lack of concentration at times which cost us dearly.

“But we’re still on top, there are still a lot of games to play and we always learn from defeat and come back stronger.”