Jets second period blitz sinks Phoenix

Manchester Phoenix 3-5 Slough Jets

Four unanswered second period goals from Slough Jets cost Manchester Phoenix dearly as a late fight-back turned out to be too little too late.

Phoenix, buoyed by an impressive 5-1 win away at Basingstoke Bison on Saturday, were five goals behind on Sunday before they came to life in the final period but they left themselves too much to do.

Jets’ Adam Calder gave the visitors a 1-0 lead at the first break, but it was the second period blitz from the visitors that left Phoenix a mountain to climb.

Calder added his second before goals from Joe Greener, Doug Sheppard and Dan Davies saw the Jets out of sight in a horror middle period for home-side.

Tom Duggan finally got Phoenix on the board in the 45th minute on a five on three power-play before Jaroslav Spelda blasted in a second on the same advantage.

Slava Koulikov reduced the deficit further in the 49th minute but the comeback stopped there as Jets netminder Gregg Rockman stood firm with some stellar saves and the visitors deservedly took the points.

Phoenix player coach Tony Hand said: “If you turn up for twenty minutes out of sixty, you’ll get punished, and that is exactly what happened.

“We can be encouraged by the third period performance, and there are some positives to take into next weekend, but we were the architects of our own downfall tonight.”