Triple Deke Ice Hockey Blog

Phoenix rout Tigers

2012-02-13T14:52:00.000Z

Manchester Phoenix 9-1 Telford Tigers

Josh Ward scored his first ever goal for Manchester Phoenix and earned the man of the match award as Phoenix ran riot against bottom of the league Telford.

Phoenix, who have now won 13 of the last 16 games, scored 3 goals in each period to cruise to victory on Saturday night.

Goals from Slava Koulikov, Ladislav Harabin and Martin Cingel got the home side going in the first period, whilst Ryan Johnson and a Tom Duggan double saw Phoenix lead 6-0 at the second break.

Ward netted his first of the season in the 46th minute before setting up Ciaran Long for Phoenix’s eighth of the night and Juraj Faith rounded out the scoring for the home side with a solo goal.

But to Telford’s credit, they pressed forward and scored a late consolation through Tomas Janak as he beat back up netminder Jorge El-Hage who saw some rare ice time in the third period.

Player coach Tony Hand said: “I am very pleased with the performance. We showed how well we can play, and how well we understand each other.

“Telford are a hard team to play against, and you need a strong start to set the tone. We did that, and reaped the reward.”

Phoenix now look forward to a home double header this weekend in Altrincham with a cup semi final clash against Guildford Flames on Saturday and a visit from Milton Keynes on Sunday.

Manchester Phoenix promo trailer

2012-02-09T14:51:00.000Z

Archer fires Phoenix past Cats

2012-02-07T15:18:00.001Z

Manchester Phoenix 6-3 Swindon Wildcats

James Archer fired in a natural hat-trick on Sunday night to help Manchester Phoenix come from behind to beat Swindon.

Archer struck three straight goals in the second period after Ladislav Harabin netted a power-play goal to put Phoenix 4-1 up after going a goal down in the opening period.

Swindon cut the deficit to two goals when Aaron Nell scored in the 32nd minute but Ciaran Long restored the home sides three goal cushion going into the third period.

Both teams traded goals in the last twenty minutes with Swindon’s Paul Swindlehurst blasting a slap shot past Steve Fone in the Manchester net whilst Phoenix’s Stephen Wallace added a late power-play goal.

The win completed a four point weekend for Phoenix after they beat Milton Keynes Lightning 3-1 on Saturday.

Goals from Juraj Faith and Wallace (2) ensured Tony Hand’s side stay in second place in the English Premier League table, four points behind leaders Guildford.

Hand said: “That was an excellent win against a very hard-working team. We were dominating, but the chances weren’t going in until the second period, but when we found our rhythm we took charge.

“I’m delighted for James. He works hard every shift and doesn’t always get the praise he deserves, but it was great to see him grab a hat trick and take the plaudits in front of our own fans.”

Phoenix shutout Dogs; Move into second place

2012-01-30T15:30:00.000Z

Manchester Phoenix 3-0 Sheffield Steeldogs

Manchester Phoenix have stepped up in their challenge of retaining the English Premier League title after shutting out rivals Sheffield on Thursday night.

Phoenix have now won ten of their last eleven games with their only defeat coming last Sunday where they went down 5-2 to the league leading Guildford Flames.

With the game deadlocked at 0-0 after forty minutes on Thursday, Phoenix scored three times in eight minutes to seal an important win that keeps them in the hunt for a second league title.

Goals from Tom Duggan, Ciaran Long and Slava Koulikov ensured Phoenix took the points whilst another stand out performance from netminder Steve Fone was a highlight in a gritty nights work from the home side.

Player coach Tony Hand said “It wasn’t a pretty win, but we’ll take it. We needed to get another victory under our belts after the disappointment of losing to Guildford on Sunday.

“We’re still in the mix at the top of the league and we’ll keep plugging away. The guys did well tonight against tough opposition.”

Fone keeps Phoenix flying

2012-01-30T15:29:00.000Z

Manchester Phoenix 4-1 Guildford Flames

Netminder Steve Fone produced a stellar performance against the league leading Guildford Flames on Saturday night to extend Manchester Phoenix’s hot streak to nine games.

Fone kept his cool during wave after wave of Guildford pressure during the second period and stopped 39 of 40 shots in total that the visitors fired his way.

Ben Wood opened the scoring for Phoenix early in the first period and his strike was added to by Ladislav Harabin, who blasted a slap shot past Mark Lee in the Flames net on the powerplay before the first break.

Tony Hand’s team had Fone to thank after a goal-less middle period in which Guildford took the game to the home side but were unable to find the net.

Phoenix converted their third goal in the first minute of the third period with Juraj Faith finding the net and Slava Koulikov added Phoenix’s fourth shortly after to end the contest.

Guildford finally found a way past Fone with less than five minutes remaining with a late consolation goal to end the shut-out attempt.

Phoenix coach Tony Hand said: “This was a massive win for us, and the guys thoroughly deserved it.

“Everyone played their part in a superb performance. We created chances and we took them, and we kept our heads when we were under pressure, which we knew we would be against a team like Flames.”

On-fire Phoenix sink Lightning for 8 straight wins

2012-01-30T15:28:00.000Z

Manchester Phoenix 6-3 Milton Keynes Lightning

A three goal blitz in the third period secured another two points and an eighth consecutive win for Manchester Phoenix on Sunday against Milton Keynes.

Phoenix, who shut-out Basingstoke 5-0 in Hampshire on Saturday, beat the Lightning for the third time in their current eight-game winning streak and Tom Duggan scored a double on his return to the line up.

Duggan opened the scoring early for Phoenix before Adam Carr quickly pulled the visitors level. Martin Cingel then set up Duggan for a shorthanded goal to give the home side the lead at the first interval.

Lightning came back strong in the second period and equalised through Juraj Gracik on the power-play before Juraj Faith and Grant McPherson traded goals to leave the teams tied at 3-3 going into the final period.

Phoenix broke the deadlock with the game winning goal in the 45th minute when Ben Wood fired a quick snap shot that trickled through the pads of Lightning netminder Alex Mettam and further goals from Jaroslav Spelda and Ladislav Harabin saw Phoenix out of sight.

Player coach Tony Hand said: “Games against the Lightning are never dull, and this was another superb evening’s entertainment for the fans.

“We are on fire right now, and this sets us up perfectly for two crunch games against Guildford Flames next weekend.”

Faith & Spelda keep Phoenix rolling

2012-01-12T15:49:00.002Z

Slough Jets 2-4 Manchester Phoenix
Telford Tigers 5-8 Manchester Phoenix

Manchester Phoenix continued their hot start to the New Year with back to back road wins in Slough and Telford last weekend to take their streak to six games.

Still without player coach Tony Hand and Tom Duggan, Phoenix returned to Slough on Saturday where they were humiliated in a 9-0 thrashing a few weeks ago. But since then Phoenix have not lost and gained some revenge for the hammering with a 4-2 win.

Goals from Ciaran Long, Juraj Faith and Ryan Johnson gave Phoenix a 3-1 lead going into the third period and in spite of the Jets pulling a goal back, Jaroslav Spelda hit an empty net goal in the dying seconds to seal an important victory.

The following night in Telford, Spelda and Faith again led Phoenix to victory with two goals each whilst Martin Cingel also grabbed a pair.

Stephen Wallace and Long also scored for the visitors in the win which sees them rise to joint third with Slough and Sheffield in the English Premier League table.

Phoenix will now look to continue their winning form when they take on Basingstoke Bison away on Saturday before returning to Altrincham on Sunday to face the Milton Keynes Lightning.

Koulikov keeps Phoenix hot; nets OT winner.

2012-01-03T17:42:00.000Z

Manchester Phoenix 3-2 Bracknell Bees (after overtime)

Slava Koulikov ensured Manchester Phoenix continued their recent winning run into 2012 by firing in an overtime winner to beat Bracknell.

Winger Koulikov fired in a rocket slap shot to beat Bracknell netminder Carl Ambler just seconds into the extra period after the Bees tied the game late on in the third period.

Phoenix have now won four straight games for the first time this season and are starting to find their feet after a bad run of injuries.

However it was the visiting Bees that opened the scoring in the middle period after a dull first, Scott Spearing beating Steve Fone in the Manchester net in the 21st minute.

Tony Hand’s side finally came to life just past the half hour mark with two goals in under four minutes turning the tie. Koulikov grabbed his first of the night before Jaroslav Spelda gave Phoenix the lead in the 37th minute.

But with time ticking down in the third period and the home side unable to add to their lead, Bracknell’s Lukas Smital struck sending the teams to overtime.

A late penalty on the visitors meant that Phoenix started the extra period with a power-play and Koulikov took full advantage and scored the winner for the extra point.

Phoenix edge Steeldogs in shoot-out

2012-01-03T17:41:00.000Z

Manchester Phoenix 5-4 Sheffield Steeldogs (After penalty shots)

Winger Stephen Wallace returned to the Manchester Phoenix line up on Tuesday night and helped his side fight back against rivals Sheffield.

Wallace, back on the ice after suffering a broken wrist, scored the equalizing fourth goal for the home side as Phoenix recovered from a two goal deficit three times before winning the game in a shoot-out.

Steeldogs scored twice in the opening period through Ashley Calvert and Greg Wood for a 2-0 lead but Phoenix, still without leader Tony Hand, fought back in the second period.

First Martin Cingel cut the lead in the 23rd minute before Stuart Brittle restored the visitors two goal cushion. Phoenix’s Slava Koulikov and Brittle then traded goals within a five minute spell before goals from Ciaran Long and Wallace tied the game at 4-4.

The final period remained goalless despite a five minute power-play opportunity for Phoenix after Sheffield’s Pavel Gomeniuk was ejected for boarding Phoenix’s Josh Ward and neither team could find a winner in overtime.

Koulikov and Juraj Faith scored their penalty shots against Ben Bowns in the Sheffield net whilst only Greg Wood could beat Steve Fone in the home goal and Phoenix took the extra point.

Hand said after the game, “We kept our heads up tonight, we battled back when things looked bleak and we got the win we deserved. That shows the character we have in this locker room.

“The guys are fighting back and the confidence is growing.”

Cingel hat-trick lifts Phoenix past Lightning

2012-01-03T17:39:00.000Z

Manchester Phoenix 4-2 Milton Keynes Lightning

Martin Cingel fired in a treble for Manchester Phoenix against Milton Keynes Lightning on Sunday night and secured a Cup semi final place in the process.

Phoenix, who were thrashed 9-0 on Saturday by Slough Jets, bounced back with an impressive performance against a strong Lightning team who have already beaten Tony Hand’s side 5-2 earlier in the season.

Ciaran Long opened the scoring for the home side in the 7th minute when he connected with a Tom Duggan pass whilst crashing the net which left Lightning netminder Alex Mettam little chance.

Cingel doubled Phoenix’s lead before the first break, but the Lightning cut the deficit early in the second period with a Leigh Jamieson power-play goal.

Jamieson then netted the equalizer, again on the power-play in the 46th minute setting up a tense final ten minutes. But with Phoenix needing nothing less than a win to secure a Cup semi final place, Cingel struck twice in five minutes.

The first came from an impossible angle, banking the puck off the inside of Mettam’s leg from the left boards whilst his hat trick goal was worked from behind the net with Phoenix debutant James Spurr.

Player coach Tony Hand said: “I’m proud of the guys, and it’s nice to go into Christmas on the back of a thrilling win.

“I’m delighted for the fans that have stuck by us, cheered us on through thick and thin. This was a huge performance and it was for them.”

Phoenix torched early; fightback falls short against Flames

2011-12-13T16:37:00.000Z

Manchester Phoenix 3-5 Guildford Flames

A third period barrage by Manchester Phoenix was not enough to earn any points against the league leaders Guildford Flames as they went down 5-3 on Saturday.

Phoenix, struggling to find consistency during an injury hit campaign, trailed the Flames 4-2 going into the final period and fired 17 shots at Mark Lee in the visitors net but could only find the net once.

Guildford opened the scoring in the 11th minute against the run through Branislav Kvetan and they doubled their lead as Nathan Rempel skated in all alone and beat Steve Fone in the Manchester net.

Man of the match Tom Duggan cut the lead in half before the first break as his angled shot slid under the pads of Lee but former Phoenix favourite Curtis Huppe restored the two goal cushion for visitors early in the second period.

Rick Plant extended their lead to 4-1 before Phoenix started their fight back with a Martin Cingel powerplay goal in the 33rd minute.

Ciaron Long netted Phoenix’s third early in the final period and Tony Hand’s side spent the next 20 minutes looking for an equalizer but Lee in the Flames net held firm and Jez Lundin scored an empty net goal with 20 seconds left to seal the points for the visitors.

Phoenix player coach Hand said: “The guys played extremely well tonight, it was a fantastic team performance. We were the better side for long periods and we were very unlucky not to take something from the game.”

Phoenix still searching for perfect weekend

2011-12-13T16:36:00.001Z

Manchester Phoenix 3-4 Basingstoke Bison

Reigning champions Manchester Phoenix are falling away from the title chasing pack after another home defeat to Basingstoke.

Phoenix now lie eight points adrift of Guildford Flames and Slough Jets at the top of the English Premier League as they continue to search for a perfect four point weekend.

With player coach Tony Hand and winger Steven Wallace still sidelined through injury, Phoenix came away from Bracknell on Saturday with a 6-2 win but they couldn’t close out the Bison on Sunday after leading 2-0.

Slava Koulikov and Martin Cingel gave the home side the early lead, but Bison hit back before the break through Victor Kubenko.

Kubenko netted a breakaway goal early in the middle period before ex-Phoenix forward Joe Miller rounded netminder Steve Fone and scored for a 3-2 Bison lead.

Ladislav Harabin equalized for Phoenix before the second interval with a superb solo goal but Bison captain Nicky Chinn struck the winner mid way through the third period.

Phoenix coach Tony Hand said: “The guys are disappointed at the way things went tonight. We played well enough to get more out of the game.”

Jets second period blitz sinks Phoenix

2011-11-30T13:39:00.001Z

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.”

Faith leads Phoenix without Hand

2011-11-23T13:54:00.000Z

Manchester Phoenix 4-1 Peterborough Phantoms

Injury hit Manchester Phoenix put in a resilient performance against Peterborough Phantoms on Sunday night, and they were rewarded with a 4-1 win.

With player coach Tony Hand, winger Stephen Wallace and import defence man Jaroslav Spelda all out of action, Juraj Faith took charge with a pair of assists and helped Phoenix to a valuable two points.

Phoenix, who lost 3-1 in Peterborough the previous night, took an early lead with a scrappy James Archer goal in the 5th minute and never looked back.

Slava Koulikov doubled the home sides lead in the 17th minute after good work from Faith and Martin Cingel sliced open the Phantoms defence.

Cingel made it 3-0 early in the second period after Faith broke free of the Phantoms defence to set up an odd man breakaway to leave the sniper with the easiest of finishes.

Tom Duggan added a fourth before Luke Ferrara scored a late consolation for the visitors breaking netminder Steve Fone’s shut-out hopes.

Hand said after the game: “That was a vital win for us. The guys played well, kept things tight and we stuck to our game.

“It’s been tough the last few weeks with injuries, but hopefully the light is at the end of the tunnel.”

Phoenix offence finally ignites at the Dome

2011-11-23T13:50:00.000Z

Manchester Phoenix 1-4 Sheffield Steeldogs
Manchester Phoenix 9-5 Telford Tigers

Sniper Martin Cingel fired in a hat-trick to lead Manchester Phoenix to a convincing win over Telford Tigers on Saturday night.

Phoenix, who have suffered at home recently, have already been beaten by the Tigers this season in a penalty shoot-out but they looked to have finally found their scoring touch at home whilst wearing special Children in Need jerseys.

Further goals from Ladislav Harabin (2), James Archer, Ben Wood, Ciaran Long and Tom Duggan helped Phoenix on their way to their first home win in three games.

Player-coach Tony Hand said “It was a good performance by the team tonight and nice to see a lot of the lads get among the goals.

“Telford are a hard working side but I felt we definitely had the upper hand tonight and deserved the points.”

If was a different story on Thursday night however when they went down 4-1 against Sheffield with ex-Phoenix centre Greg Wood coming back to haunt his old team with a pair of goals.

Phoenix failed to capitalise on multiple chances whilst Sheffield were clinical when they needed to be in a game that highlighted again the reigning champions’ inability to find consistency.

Ladislav Harabin netted Phoenix’s only goal of the game on a 5 on 3 power-play late in the second period but pairs of goals from Wood and Janis Ozolins was enough to see the Yorkshire side take their first ever win over Phoenix.

Philadelphia Flyers 2011/12 Opening Video

2011-11-07T15:13:00.000Z

Bison shut down Phoenix

2011-11-02T15:16:00.001Z

Manchester Phoenix 0-3 Basingstoke Bison

Manchester Phoenix were forced to settle for another split weekend as Basingstoke Bison shut down Tony Hand’s side on Sunday night.

Phoenix, who beat Basingstoke 5-2 on Saturday in Hampshire, simply had no answer to Basingstoke’s strong defending and created very little clear cut chances in a dire encounter.

Currently without both import defencemen Ladislav Harabin and Jaroslav Spelda to injuries, Phoenix have brought in Brit blue-liner John Connolly as cover, but it was the lack of fire power that cost the reigning champions the points.

Hand said: “Two points for the weekend are better than nothing, but I know it was disappointing to come away empty handed from a home game.”

Bison took the lead during a power-play for the home side, ex-Phoenix player Joe Miller tapping in from close range after a shorthanded breakaway in the 11th minute.

Phoenix lost defenceman Ryan Johnson to a match penalty late in the second period which added to the defensive problems but the Bison did not capitalize again until the first minute of the final period.

Basingstoke player coach Steve Moria scored on the power-play before Viktor Kubenko netted the visitors’ second shorthanded tally of the night as he punished an ineffective Phoenix power-play in the 52nd minute.

Hand added: “The guys have given everything, but we are missing Jaroslav Spelda and Ladzi Harabin, and they are a major presence on the ice.

“Injuries are part of the deal. We’ll just have to ride it out and do our best until we are back at full strength.”

Phoenix fend off Bees; Record first win in 4

2011-10-26T16:31:00.001+01:00

Manchester Phoenix 5-3 Bracknell Bees

After losing their third consecutive game on Saturday, Manchester Phoenix bounced back with a hard fought 5-3 against Bracknell on Sunday.

Phoenix lost 4-2 away at Swindon Wildcats continuing their up and down start to the new English Premier League season which has been hampered by early injuries.

But Tony Hand’s side gained an important two points on Sunday, fending off a Bracknell fight-back whilst restoring some confidence after only picking up two points from their previous three games.

Hand said after the win, “We needed that. We have been plagued by injuries in recent weeks, and our confidence has taken a knock.”

“It was a hard-fought win, but we knew it would be. Hopefully this can kick-start our season and we can build on it next week.”

Juraj Faith gave the home side the lead with their first shot of the game in the 2nd minute whilst Stephen Wallace and Slava Koulikov also found the Bracknell net before the first break with Shaun Thompson replying for the visitors.

Faith completed his brace early in the second period before a penalty against Phoenix captain Luke Boothroyd sparked a Bracknell fight back. First Peter Jasik netted on the powerplay before Lukas Smital reduced the deficit further.

But in the final period centre Tom Duggan neatly finished off a move with Ciaran Long and restored Phoenix’s two goal lead to seal the points.

Phoenix shot down by Jets in OT

2011-10-17T18:39:00.001+01:00

Manchester Phoenix 3-4 Slough Jets (After Overtime)

Reigning league champions Manchester Phoenix fell to their first home defeat of the season on Sunday when Slough forward Dan Davies netted the game winner in overtime.

Phoenix, without the injured James Archer and Josh Ward, looked the better side after ten minutes, with James Neil scoring on a delayed penalty call and Juraj Faith doubling their lead in the 12th minute.

But Slough hit back with two goals in a minute before the first break and from that point forward always looked the better side, Darius Pliskauskas netting his first of the night followed quickly by Ryan Watt.

The Slough defence kept the Phoenix forwards at bay as the home side struggled to create clear cut chances, and when did find a way through, Jets netminder Gregg Rockman was in the way.

The visitors deservedly took the lead in the 44th minute through Pliskauskas but Phoenix equalized whilst killing off a penalty of their own, Martin Cingel and Slava Koulikov combining to tie the game at 3-3.

But Tony Hand’s men ran into late penalty trouble and with Faith in the penalty box going into overtime, Davies scored the game winner to seal the extra point.

Hand said after the game, “Sometimes you just don’t get the bounces. We out shot the Jets and hit the pipes a few times, but it just wasn’t our night.”

Fone Blanks Phantoms

2011-10-14T16:13:00.001+01:00

Manchester Phoenix 5-0 Peterborough Phantoms

Manchester Phoenix netminder Steve Fone continued his impressive start to the new season with a shut out performance against Peterborough Phantoms on Saturday night.

Peterborough, who lost both their opening fixtures last weekend, battled hard for forty minutes on Saturday with a short bench, but Phoenix wore them down and hit three goals in the final period to seal the win.

Phoenix broke a scoreless tie in the 23rd minute when Martin Cingel found the net before Ladislav Harabin doubled their lead in the 34th minute with a slapshot that squeezed through Phantoms netminder Stephen Wall.

At the opposite end, Fone sparkled when Phoenix hit penalty trouble late in the second period, keeping the visitors off the scoreboard with some smart saves as the Phantoms looked to capitalize on the powerplay.

But after Phantoms lost key player Jeff Glowa to a game penalty and Rick Skene to injury after blocking a Jaroslav Spelda shot, their resistance was broken and the visitors, with only two lines of players, were running on empty.

Juraj Faith raced in on goal twice to score back to back breakaway goals, one shorthanded, and Spelda found the net in the final minute to seal the points.

HC Lokomotiv Yaroslavl Tribute Video

2011-10-05T16:34:00.001+01:00

Cingel & Fone lead Phoenix past Cats

2011-10-05T16:20:00.000+01:00

Manchester Phoenix 3-2 Swindon Wildcats

Slovakian sniper Martin Cingel scored twice in the second period and netminder Steve Fone held firm late on to lead Manchester Phoenix to a 3-2 win on Sunday.

Cingel, who scored twice last weekend in a 5-4 win over Basingstoke, continued his hot start to the new season by scoring twice in the second period to help Phoenix beat a stubborn Wildcats side.

Swindon suffocated the Phoenix offence for the majority of the game, and when the home side did get a chance, Wildcats netminder Thomas Murdy was in the way most of the night.

Phoenix scored three times in the second period through Cingel and defenceman Jaroslav Spelda and appeared to have unlocked the Wildcats game-plan, but a much improved Swindon side came back strong with Lee Richardson and Jarislav Cesky scoring either side of the break to set up a tense finish.

But man of the match Fone prevented Swindon from tying the game with a string of fine saves in the Manchester net, allowing Phoenix to bounce back from a 5-2 defeat in Milton Keynes the night before.

Phoenix player coach Tony Hand said: “We needed that win. It was important to get straight back to winning ways after the defeat at Milton Keynes on Saturday.

“Swindon are a tricky side to break down, but we knew that if we were patient and stuck to our game, the chances would come.”

2011-09-25T22:58:00.000+01:00

Phoenix ready to start title defence

2011-09-20T13:08:00.000+01:00

Manchester Phoenix 4-1 Sheffield Steeldogs (Phoenix win 8-5 agg)

Tony Hand’s Manchester Phoenix are ready to begin the defence of their English Premier League crown after retaining the War of the Roses pre-season trophy.

Phoenix, who begin their quest for back to back league titles this weekend, drew 4-4 in Sheffield on Saturday after only a couple of training sessions midweek, before beating an improved Steeldogs side 4-1 on Sunday.

New signings Slava Koulikov, Martin Cingel, Juraj Faith and Jaroslav Spelda all found the scoresheet over the weekend as the players began to find their feet ahead of the opening league fixtures this week.

After a goal-less opening period on Sunday, Slava Koulikov broke the tie with his second of the weekend in the 25th minute before powerplay goals from Juraj Faith and Stephen Wallace saw Phoenix lead 3-0 at the second break.

Sheffield pulled a goal back through Chris Sykes in the 47th minute but Jaroslav Spelda hit the empty net with little over a minute remaining to seal the win.

Phoenix are back in action at Altrincham Ice Dome on Sunday against Basingstoke Bison after travelling to Slough Jets on Saturday for their league opening game.

Flyers 2011/12 NHL.com Preview

2011-08-21T19:37:00.002+01:00

Phoenix have Faith in Juraj

2011-08-21T19:34:00.000+01:00

Manchester Phoenix player coach Tony Hand has made a habit of waiting out the summer to pick up quality players at the last minute and this year is no different.

Former Phoenix favourites Johan Molin, Joe Tallari, David Beauregard and Marcus Kristoffersson have all been late summer arrivals, now forward Juraj Faith can be added to the list.

The 35 year old Slovakian born forward comes to Altrincham with a wealth of experience in the Slovakian Extraliga playing for hometown team HC Kosice where he won a league title in 2008.

He has also iced for Freiburg in the German DEL and Mulhouse in the French Ligue Magnus to complete an impressive career in Europe.

Hand said: “I am delighted to have him on board. His pedigree speaks for itself. He comes very highly recommended and having been a captain of a championship winning team, and on-ice leader, can only benefit the whole squad.

“I am he sure will play a big part in our efforts to retain the championship.”
Hand now has to find an import defenceman and a back-up netminder to complete his squad for the new season after James Neil re-signed for a third term in Altrincham last week.

Phoenix begin their title defense in Slough on September 24 before hosting Basingstoke Bison the following night at the Ice Dome.

Phoenix bring back Johnson; Retain Wood.

2011-07-19T13:33:00.000+01:00

Head coach Tony Hand has added two more players to his title defending Manchester Phoenix this week as his squad nears completion.

Last seasons ‘Utility player of the year’ Ben Wood is returning to the team for a third year whilst Hand has also captured the versatile Ryan Johnson from Sheffield Steeldogs.

Wood, 23, was part of the Championship winning team last season and whilst his points production was small, his ability to play as both a forward and defenceman makes him a key signing for the team.

Hand said: “Ben is a great lad who works his socks off in training and on game night. I am looking for him to step up a gear next year and increase his points total. I am very pleased to have him back in the squad for the new season.”

Johnson returns to Altrincham after a season in his home town Sheffield. He was part of the first Phoenix side that competed in the English Premier League two seasons ago and, like Wood, can play in two positions.

Hand said: “It is good to have Ryan back at the club. He is versatile and can contribute both on defence and in attack.

“He is working hard on his fitness and will have a utility role with the team. Ryan is good in the locker room and also knows the league inside out.”

Meanwhile Johnson admits that he is eager to taste success with Phoenix after watching them lift the league trophy last season.

He said: “It was great to see Phoenix win the title last year and I am itching to get my hands on one of these medals. I will be doing my best to help in the defence of the championship.”

Off Topic: Jeter hits 3000

2011-07-15T19:02:00.002+01:00

CBC Stanley Cup Playoffs 2011 Video

2011-07-09T02:11:00.001+01:00

Music: U2 - One

History Only Needs 11 Seconds

2011-06-06T17:03:00.001+01:00

Phoenix duo back on the blue line

2011-05-24T14:59:00.000+01:00

Manchester Phoenix captain Luke Boothroyd and defensive partner Ladislav Harabin have re-signed with the EPL champions for another year.

The pair were essential parts to Phoenix’s title winning success last year and player coach Tony Hand has moved quickly to keep them at the club.

Boothroyd is returning for his fourth season with the club and Hand said: “Luke is reliable and dependable every night, and has provided a cool presence both on and off the ice for the 3 years he has been with the team.”

Harabin’s first term with the Phoenix was a successful one even if it was hampered with injuries, the Slovak had a knee injury and a horrific wrist injury putting his career in jeopardy.

But Harabin still managed to produce 33 points from 45 games whilst also earning a spot on the EPL All-star team.

Hand said: “Ladzi was the best defender in the league last year and, despite other teams chasing his signature, he always said he wanted to return to Phoenix.

“It is a great signing for the club and, hopefully, he can avoid those nasty injuries next term.”

The two defenders join new centre Slava Koulikov and returnee Tom Duggan on the roster for next season, however Hand now needs to find two new wingers for his top line.

Forward Curtis Huppe has joined playoff champions Guildford Flames whilst his line-mate from last season Marcus Kristoffersson looks set to join a team in Europe.

Phoenix lock down their drawmen for title defence.

2011-05-10T20:35:00.005+01:00

Player coach Tony Hand has begun re-tooling his championship winning Manchester Phoenix this week by securing two centres for the 2011/12 campaign.

Forward Slava Koulikov has agreed terms with the Altrincham club and will replace the departing second line centre Greg Wood, who has signed for his hometown Sheffield Steeldogs with ex-Phoenix defencemen Ben Morgan and Pavel Gomeniuk.

The 32 year old Russion born star joins Phoenix from Slough Jets but qualifies as a British player as he has a UK passport after spending the last 15 years playing ice hockey in this country.

Last season, Koulikov produced 81 points in 52 games and helped the Jets win the EPL cup, whilst he has also played for Basingstoke Bison and Hull Stingrays in the Elite League.

Tony Hand told the clubs website: “Slava is a great signing for us. It is not often a player of Slava's quality comes on the market.

“We also have the added bonus of him being British qualified. This makes quite a difference as I look to form the lines for next season.”

Meanwhile third line centre Tom Duggan has re-signed with the club after making a big impact in his first season.

Duggan, 20, chipped in with 30 points last season, helping Phoenix win their first league title and Hand was eager to keep him at the club.

Hand said: “Tom was my choice as coach's player of the year. His effort was outstanding all season.

“Tom never gives any less than 100% every shift. He is still a young lad and will no doubt make an even more significant contribution next season.”

Phoenix playoff run ended in OT by Lightning.

2011-04-13T15:11:00.003+01:00

Quarter final:
Manchester Phoenix 4-2 Sheffield Steeldogs (Agg 10-4)
Semi final:
Manchester Phoenix 2-3 Milton Keynes Lightning (OT)

After winning the English Premier League title last week, Manchester Phoenix will be looking for more silverware this weekend at the Playoff Finals.

Phoenix beat rivals Sheffield Steeldogs convincingly over two legs last weekend in the playoff quarterfinals and now face Milton Keynes Lightning in the semi-final on Saturday.

Tony Hand’s side left Yorkshire on Saturday with a 6-2 win and the league champions sealed their Coventry berth with a comfortable 4-2 win in Altrincham the following night.

In their final home game of the season, Phoenix took an early two goal lead thanks to strikes from Hand and James Archer giving the home side a six goal cushion on aggregate.

Hand, feeling his side had done enough, didn’t ice for the remainder of the game, resting up for the weekend ahead.

Similarly Marcus Kristoffersson took the opportunity to watch from the stands after a goalless second period, which also saw back up netminder Adam Summerfield replace Steve Fone in the Manchester net.

Sheffield pulled a goal back in the 42nd minute through Chris Sykes, but Curtis Huppe and Stephen Wallace increased the lead to 4-1 before ex-Phoenix defenceman Ryan Johnson netted a late consolation.

The other semi-final will be between Guildford and Peterborough with the Playoff Final taking place on Sunday at the Coventry Sky Dome.

On Saturday, Tony Hand’s Manchester Phoenix went down fighting as a late comeback was not enough to beat Milton Keynes Lightning.

With Phoenix seemingly dead and buried losing 2-0 in their playoff semi final match, the EPL champions staged a remarkable fight back scoring twice in the final minute to send the game to overtime.

After a scoreless opening period at the season finale event in Coventry, it was the Lightning that broke the deadlock with a goal from Matt Towalski in the 31st minute.

That was quickly followed by a goal from Adam Brittle to give the Lightning a two goal lead going into the final period.

But with Phoenix looking like they would be shut-out by a hard working Lightning defence, Pavel Gomeniuk struck on the powerplay in the 59th minute and then player coach Hand netted seconds later to send the travelling fans into a frenzy.

However after pulling the game level, Leigh Jamieson destroyed any hopes of Phoenix progressing to the final when he struck the winner for the Lightning with 19 seconds of overtime remaining.

The final on Sunday was won by Guildford Flames as they ran out 5-3 winners over the Lightning with a Martin Masa penalty shot goal in the third period being the game winner.

Phoenix are EPL Champions 2010/11

2011-03-28T17:13:00.000+01:00

Manchester Phoenix 5-2 Swindon Wildcats

Tony Hand’s Manchester Phoenix finally sealed their first ever piece of silverware on Sunday night as they beat Swindon Wildcats.

A packed Altrincham Ice Dome saw Phoenix claim the English Premier League title after switching from the Elite League two seasons ago, but it wasn’t without a dramatic final league match.

Phoenix, who missed a chance to seal the title on Saturday after losing 6-2 at Peterborough Phantoms, took a two goal lead with goals from Pavel Gomeniuk and James Archer.

But just as Phoenix appeared to be cruising to the finish line, player coach Hand was thrown out of the game with a high-sticking penalty leaving Phoenix to play the match out without their leader.

Swindon netted on the resulting power play through Egidijus Bauba leaving the home side with a one goal lead at the break.

The second period finished goalless with the Wildcats keeping Phoenix at bay whilst threatening to ruin the night for the home side.

But like so many times this season, Phoenix came through, two quick third period goals from Stephen Wallace and James Archer with his second of the night saw the champions flying.

Swindon responded with a second goal from James Knight but the Phoenix defence stood firm and Curtis Huppe fired in an empty net goal in the final minute to cue celebrations both on the ice and off it as Phoenix clinched the title.

Flyers comeback against Bruins - History Will Be Made 2011

2011-03-23T19:57:00.001Z

Phoenix title down to the wire as Jets fly by.

2011-03-22T13:13:00.000Z

Manchester Phoenix 4-6 Slough Jets

Tony Hand’s Manchester Phoenix will have to wait until the final weekend of the regular season to lift the EPL title after losing 6-4 to Slough Jets on Thursday.

Phoenix, who bounced back with a 6-5 win against Milton Keynes Lightning on Saturday, need one point from their remaining two games against Peterborough and Swindon.

On Thursday, Phoenix went down against Slough at the Altrincham Ice Dome in a tight game that was only decided in the final minute as the Jets struck an empty net goal.

Goals from Ben Morgan and Tony Hand were countered by strikes by Darius Pliskauskas and Nicky Watt leaving the teams even at the first break.

Morgan again gave Phoenix the lead in the middle session but a mix up between netminder Steve Fone and Pavel Gomeniuk left Shaun Thompson to score shorthanded for the visitors.

Curtis Huppe restored the home sides lead going into the final period but the Jets came out flying in the third period scoring twice through Adam Calder and Pliskauskas before sealing the win with an empty net strike as Phoenix pushed forward.

Player coach Hand said: “We lost concentration at times, and we were punished. We played some great hockey and so did the Jets, but this is a wakeup call to everyone that there is still everything to play for, and we cannot lose focus at this stage of the campaign.”

Phoenix travel to Peterborough on Saturday, where a win would seal the league title before entertaining Swindon Wildcats at home on Sunday in the final regular season game.

Kristoffersson avenges cup defeat with four goals in Bison win

2011-03-14T18:23:00.001Z

Manchester Phoenix 5-2 Basingstoke Bison

Super Swede Marcus Kristoffersson scored four times on Sunday against Basingstoke Bison, avenging their recent cup exit whilst strengthening Phoenix’s grasp on the league title.

Phoenix now only need three points to win their first piece of major silverware since they were born out of the ashes of Manchester Storm in 2003.

Bison, who eliminated Phoenix in the EPL Cup semi final only a couple of weeks ago, took the lead in the first period with a goal from Callum Best in the 11th minute.

But Phoenix came back strong in the middle session scoring four times.

First Kristoffersson levelled the game in the 25th minute with a crash-the-net tap in before blasting a slap shot past Bison netminder Dean Skinns to take the lead.

Curtis Huppe added a third before the Bison replied short-handed thanks to Ciaron Long, tapping in a rebound past a beaten Steve Fone after his original effort hit the post.

However during the same powerplay, Kristoffersson restored Phoenix’s two goal cushion and the Swede struck again with an empty net goal in the final minute.

Phoenix player coach Tony Hand said: “That was a huge two points for us. Bison have given us problems all season, and to get two points at this stage was vital.

“We know what we need to do. No-one is counting any chickens – I won’t allow that – but confidence in the locker room is high. We’ll take each game as it comes.”

Phoenix poised for fiery playoff encounter with Sheffield

2011-03-09T16:04:00.000Z

Sheffield Steeldogs 2-5 Manchester Phoenix

Enforcer Andrew Sharp showed his metal on Sunday night in what could have been a dress rehearsal for Manchester Phoenix’s first round playoff match up.

Sharp dropped the gloves three times with ex-Phoenix hard-man and Sheffield player coach Andre Payette in a fiery encounter.

Phoenix, currently needing seven points to clinch the league title, look likely to play their Yorkshire rivals in the quarterfinals of the playoffs and both teams fired warnings on Sunday.

Sheffield took a 2-0 lead with goals from Lloyd Gibson and Janis Ozolins, but Phoenix, like so many times this season, rose to the challenge.

The champions elect scored five unanswered goals across two periods from Curtis Huppe (2), Tony Hand, Ben Morgan and an empty net goal from Stephen Wallace to seal another important two points.

However with Phoenix needing overtime to beat Sheffield at the Altrincham Ice Dome on their last visit, player coach Tony Hand must be warning his players of the task that awaits them once the playoffs begin in April.

Phoenix continue their march for the title this weekend with an away game at Swindon Wildcats before entertaining Basingstoke Bison on Sunday in Altrincham.

Phoenix close in on first league title.

2011-03-01T12:20:00.000Z

Manchester Phoenix 6-3 Telford Tigers

Tony Hand’s Manchester Phoenix are one step closer to securing their first league title in their history after back to back wins against bottom club Telford Tigers.

Phoenix secured a four point weekend with a close fought 4-2 win in Telford on Saturday before beating the same side 6-3 in Altrincham on Sunday.

It took until the final two minutes on Saturday for Phoenix to beat a resolute Tigers who pushed the champions elect all the way. Marcus Kristoffersson netted twice in the closing stages to seal the win but it was a different story on Sunday as Phoenix raced into a five goal lead.

Tigers netminder Martin Clarkson produced some early sparkling saves to deny the Phoenix forwards but goals from Kristoffesson, short handed and on the power play, gave Phoenix a 2-0 lead at the break.

Further goals from Stephen Wallace, Greg Wood and Huppe pushed the home side into a 5-0 lead and cruising to another two points.

At this point Phoenix netminder Steve Fone was replaced by Adam Summerfield to get some rare ice time, but the Congelton born shot stopper was beaten three times quickly as the Phoenix defence went to sleep with Tigers’ Daniel Mackriel (2) and Jack Watkins pulling the visitors back into the match.

However, with Fone back in the net for the final period, Kristoffesson netted his fifth of the weekend with a power play goal to kill the Tigers comeback attempt.

Phoenix now need nine points to clinch the EPL title with Tony Hand’s side holding an eight point lead over second place Guildford Flames.

Player coach Hand said: “I knew we had a tough, tough period coming from the end of January. There have been a lot of high-pressure games, one after another, and it’s taken its toll. The guys are understandably tired.

“But we’re through it and we’re still top. We can have a good rest now, with no game until next Sunday at Sheffield, when we can come back refreshed and focused on the final run-in.”

Sidney Crosby meets Bobby Clarke

2011-02-27T00:00:00.001Z

Huppe helps Phoenix put cup exit behind them

2011-02-21T18:08:00.000Z

Manchester Phoenix 6-5 Peterborough Phantoms (After Overtime)

Canadian sniper Curtis Huppe scored five times against Peterborough Phantoms on Sunday, leading Manchester Phoenix to a 6-5 win in overtime.

The unstoppable Phoenix top line of player coach Tony Hand, Swede Marcus Kristoffersson and Huppe combined for 17 points and the home side put their cup exit on Thursday behind them.

After six games in nine nights, Phoenix could have been forgiven if they had lost to a spirited Phantoms side, but the home side fought back after going behind twice whilst also surrendering a two goal lead themselves.

Maris Ziedins opened the scoring for the visitors in the 7th minute and Phoenix’s James Archer struck the post shorthanded before Huppe netted twice before the break.

Huppe and Phantoms’ Matt Davies traded goals in the second period and Tom Carlon scored shorthanded to tie the score at 3-3. The Phoenix top line clicked again in the 35th minute with Huppe scoring his fourth but again the Phantoms levelled through Jeff Glowa.

Phantoms’ Darius Lelenas and Huppe, again, traded goals in the third period sending the game to overtime. Phoenix capitalized on a 5 on 3 power-play to win the match in the extra period when Kristoffersson deflected a Huppe shot past Phantoms’ Stephen Wall.

On Thursday night, Phoenix crashed out of the EPL Cup after losing 6-4 (8-7 agg) to Basingstoke Bison in the semi final.

After coming away from Basingstoke with a 3-2 first leg lead on Tuesday night, hopes were high that Phoenix would progress to the final against either Slough or Guildford.

But Victor Kubenko erased the deficit early before Callum Best gave the visitors the lead on aggregate and they never looked back. Curtis Huppe, Stephen Wallace, Joe Miller and Tony Hand scored for Phoenix whilst Ondrej Lauko (2), Mindaugas Kieras, Ollie Bronnimann netted for Bison to see them reach the Final and knock Phoenix out.

Phoenix are away at Peterborough on Wednesday 23 Feb before a Saturday/Sunday double header against bottom club Telford Tigers.

Phoenix hold off Lightning fight back

2011-02-15T16:38:00.000Z

Manchester Phoenix 5-4 Milton Keynes Lightning

Netminder Steve Fone kept league leading Manchester Phoenix six points clear at the top of the English Premier League after a match winning performance between the pipes.

Rotherham born Fone dazzled, especially in the second period, to keep the Lightning at bay until a late surge in the final 15 minutes left the home side clinging on as their lead evaporated.

Goals from Tony Hand and Curtis Huppe gave Phoenix a 2-0 lead at the first break before Huppe and Marcus Kristoffersson added further goals in a second period that for the most part was played in the Phoenix zone as the Lightning laid siege to Steve Fone’s goal. But their efforts proved fruitless as Fone stood tall to keep the visitors score blank.

James Neil increased the home sides lead to 5-0 early in the final period before Milton Keynes seized upon Phoenix easing off the gas. The fight back began with ex-Slough Jets forward Blaz Emersic netting which was quickly followed by a power play goal from Monir Kalgoum.

Adam Carr then capitalized on some lazy Phoenix defending before scoring a penalty shot with four minutes remaining. However an exhausted Phoenix defence managed to keep the visitors from tying the game late and Tony Hand’s side held on for two more vital points.

Phoenix player coach Hand said: “That was tough tonight. Some of the guys were tired, and there were times when we let our concentration lapse and we were punished for it.

“We deserved to be in front, but credit to Milton Keynes, they never gave up and it was a lot closer than it could have been.

Phoenix breeze past Bees

2011-02-09T19:03:00.000Z

Manchester Phoenix 6-1 Bracknell Bees

Man of the match Tom Duggan produced a superb hat-trick on Sunday night to lead top of the table Manchester Phoenix past Bracknell Bees.

Phoenix, who only played once this weekend, didn’t leave third gear and still dominated a Bracknell side chasing the final playoff spot.

By the end of the first period, the home side were 4-1 up, Curtis Huppe opened the scoring early which lead to further strikes from Stephen Wallace (2) and Duggan with only Michal Pinc replying for the visitors on the power play.

The game was killed off early in the second period as Duggan netted twice to complete his treble allowing Phoenix to preserve their energy for a busy week ahead.

The win meant Phoenix extended their lead at the top of the English Premier League to six points after title rivals Guildford suffered a 6-3 defeat at Peterborough Phantoms.

Tony Hand’s side now face a tough six matches in nine nights starting at Slough Jets on Saturday before hosting Milton Keynes Lightning on Sunday in Altrincham.

Then Phoenix turn their attention to the EPL Cup semi-final, travelling to Basingstoke on Tuesday, with the return leg against the Bison at the Ice Dome on Thursday. They finish the week with matches at Bracknell and home to Peterborough.

After the win against Bracknell, Tony Hand said: “I was really pleased with Tom Duggan. He has worked extremely hard recently, as has everyone, and he thoroughly deserved his man of the match award.

“The guys are getting some of that old confidence back, and that will be key for us as we go into the final part of the season.”

Red Bull Salzburg 2-1 EC KAC (AOT): Highlights

2011-02-01T14:14:00.001Z

Miller's return boosts Phoenix past Jets

2011-02-01T14:09:00.000Z

Manchester Phoenix 5-1 Slough Jets

New signing Joe Miller scored two goals and an assist last weekend as he helped Manchester Phoenix past Slough Jets and Basingstoke Bison.

Miller, who signed on Friday after being released by Peterborough Phantoms, last played for Phoenix in 2006 in the Elite League and returned to score in both Phoenix’s games at the weekend.

On Sunday, Phoenix produced a complete performance to knock off fourth place Slough after the visitors took the lead with only 22 seconds gone.

However the home side took full control of the match in the second period as a straight hat-trick from man of the match Marcus Kristoffersson set Phoenix on their way to another two points.

Joe Miller scored his second of the weekend and Phoenix’s fourth before the end of the second period leaving Curtis Huppe to round out the scoring on the power-play in the final period.

On Saturday, Phoenix beat their Cup semi final opponents Basingstoke Bison 5-4 in overtime after coming from behind four times. Tony Hand equalized for the visitors with little over a minute remaining before Tom Duggan sealed the win in the extra period. Other goals came from Miller, Hand and Ladislav Harabin.

Player coach Hand said: “I was very pleased with Joe Miller’s contribution this weekend. He got a couple of goals and assists, and he is already offering us new options, which keeps our play fresh.

“I said before this is all about character, and we showed plenty tonight. We were sent an early warning when Jets took the lead so soon, but we kept our composure, played our game and eventually took charge.”

Phoenix title mission back on track

2011-01-25T15:29:00.000Z

Manchester Phoenix 6-4 Peterborough Phantoms

After three consecutive defeats Tony Hand’s Manchester Phoenix are back on track in their pursuit of the English Premier League title.

Phoenix came from behind three times to beat sixth place Peterborough and hold a four point lead over closest rivals Guildford after they failed to earn a point last weekend.

The teams traded first period power-play goals as ex-Hull Stingray forward Jeff Glowa netted in the sixth minute before Marcus Kristoffersson brought the hosts level before the break.

Glowa scored a short-handed goal in the second period to give the visitors the lead once more but again Kristoffersson pulled Phoenix level to leave everything to play for in the final period.

The Phantoms scored first in an end to end third period with Maris Ziedins netting first from distance before Phoenix stormed back with four straight goals to take control.

First, Stephen Wallace equalized for the home side before Tony Hand was gifted a short-handed marker in the 45th minute after Phantoms netminder Stephen Wall gave the puck away behind the net. Curtis Huppe broke in on goal to score Phoenix’s fifth with an expert finish before Tom Duggan added a sixth.

Shaun Yardley added a late consolation for the visitors but with the points safe and Guildford losing 5-3 against Slough Jets, Phoenix extended their lead at the top.

Medveščak Zagreb 5-2 Red Bull Salzburg: Highlights

2011-01-18T17:11:00.001Z

Rempel burns Phoenix with 4 goal blitz

2011-01-18T13:19:00.000Z

Manchester Phoenix 4-5 Guildford Flames

Guildford Flames hot-shot Nathan Rempel has blown the English Premier League title race wide open after scoring four times against Manchester Phoenix on Sunday.

Phoenix entered the weekend’s games against the Flames with a five point lead at the top of the standings, but after back to back defeats to their title rivals, the gap has closed to just two points.

Marcus Kristoffersson opened the scoring for the home side with an early goal set up by a superb pass from Ladislav Harabin. But Guildford stormed back with Rempel netting a straight hat-trick before the end of the period.

Tony Hand rallied his side in the interval and by the end of the second period, they were level, goals from Curtis Huppe and Pavel Gomenyuk the result of a dominating period, out-shooting the Flames 16-5.

However two further goals from the Flames in the final period left Phoenix a mountain to climb, first Rempel added his fouth before Matt Towe extended the visitors lead to 5-3. Huppe managed to pull Phoenix to within a goal on the power-play in the 59th minute, but it was too little too late.

The previous night, Phoenix left Guildford with a point after losing 2-1 in overtime, Flames Martin Masa and Phoenix’s Huppe traded third period goals before Lukas Smital scored the winner in the extra period.

Tony Hand said after the match on Sunday: “The guys gave everything but we paid for our errors tonight.
“But we are still two points clear at the top of the league and there is plenty of character in this side. We’ll bounce back.”

Mason Raymond Penalty Shot Goal vs Islanders: Canucks 4-3 Islanders (APS)

2011-01-12T20:15:00.002Z

Philadelphia Flyers 5-2 Buffalo Sabres: Highlights

2011-01-12T20:13:00.002Z

Red Bull Salzburg 4-1 Sapa Fehervar: Highlights

2011-01-12T20:07:00.001Z

Phoenix outlast Steeldogs 3-2 in OT

2011-01-12T20:01:00.000Z

Manchester Phoenix 3-2 Sheffield Steeldogs (After Over Time)

Manchester Phoenix were made to fight tooth and nail on Sunday night against rivals Sheffield, with an inspired Steeldogs netminder Ben Bowns leading the visitors into overtime against the league leaders.

The ‘War of the Roses’ clash was a bad tempered affair that saw Phoenix’s Andrew Sharp leave the game early with an ankle injury and Steeldogs’ defenceman Lloyd Gibson leave blood on the ice after a heavy collision with Tom Duggan before also leaving the match.

Stephen Wallace continued his goal-scoring form with a well taken wrap-around goal to give Phoenix the lead in the first period before Sheffield equalized early in the middle session through Edgar Bebris on the power-play.

Phoenix regained the lead through Marcus Kristoffersson in 44th minute but again the Steeldogs refused to let the home side get out of sight as Craig Elliot found the net in the 48th minute.

The closing minutes saw tempers rise further with Steeldogs’ Kris Jrundmanis receiving a match penalty for checking to the head of Ladislav Harabin, and Andre Payette gained 2+2+2 for slashing leaving the visitors shorthanded.

The resulting two-man power-play carried over into the overtime period and after a barrage of Phoenix shots, Sheffield netminder Bown’s defences were finally breached as Curtis Huppe deflected a Tony Hand shot into the net to seal the extra point.

Hand said after the match: “Tonight we showed character, and plenty of it. Sheffield came to stop us playing our hockey and snatch chances when they appeared. It was a testament to our guys that we stayed focused on our game and battled right to the end.”

Vienna Capitals 3-5 Red Bull Salzburg: Highlights

2011-01-04T16:59:00.001Z

Phoenix extend lead at the top

2011-01-04T16:54:00.000Z

Manchester Phoenix 5-2 Milton Keynes Lightning

Winger Stephen Wallace scored two goals and produced a man of the match performance on Sunday night leading Manchester Phoenix to a 5-2 win over the Milton Keynes Lightning.

Marcus Kristoffersson opened the scoring in the first period as his slap shot rang of the cross bar and in from a narrow angle before James Archer scored a rebound goal on the power-play for a two goal lead.

Lee Jamieson reduced the deficit with a power-play goal for the Lightning before the end of the first period but two quick goals early in the middle session put Phoenix in control.

Wallace netted the first of his double before Ben Morgan scored a bizarre goal that slipped through Lightning netminder Alex Mettam’s pads from distance.

Lightning closed the gap again with a strike from Andre Smulter after captain Luke Boothroyds stick broke leaving the Phoenix defence open. But Wallace ensured the home side would take a three goal lead into the second break.

The final period saw no further scoring and Phoenix have a three point lead at the top of the English Premier League.
Player coach Tony Hand said: “That was an excellent win for us, against one of the most difficult teams to play against in this league.
“We knew Milton Keynes would be strong and we were right, but we took the chances when they came, and we got two extremely lucky goals.”

Phoenix are Christmas Number One

2010-12-21T18:07:00.001Z

Manchester Phoenix 7-0 Sheffield Steeldogs

Manchester Phoenix ensured they would remain top of the English Premier League for Christmas with a comfortable but feisty win over local rivals Sheffield.

With the original fixture against Slough Jets postponed due to the weather, Phoenix owner Neil Morris moved quickly and arranged the January game with the Steeldogs to be brought forward.

Former Phoenix hard-man Andre Payette returned to the Ice Dome for the first time since signing for the Yorkshire club and wasted little time getting to know Phoenix enforcer Andrew Sharp. The two dropped the gloves twice in the opening period, with the second bout resulting a match penalty for Payette.

Strikes from Marcus Kristoffersson and Pavel Gomenyuk preceded a sweeping 3 man breakaway goal from Curtis Huppe leaving Steeldogs netminder Paul Jones little chance and the Phoenix with a 3-0 lead at the first break.

The home side killed the game entirely in the second period with goals from Huppe, Ladislav Harabin, James Archer and Stephen Wallace. This allowed player coach Tony Hand to retire to the bench for the final period and Adam Summerfield took over in net for the Phoenix, replacing Steve Fone.

Pittsburgh Penguins 2-3 Philadelphia Flyers

2010-12-16T13:21:00.002Z

Flyers ended Pittsburgh's 12 game winning run on Tuesday night at the Wells Fargo Centre, Flyers are back on top of the NHL pack, cemented with a 5-3 win in Montreal last night.

Red Bull Salzburg 8-7 Vienna Capitals: Highlights

2010-12-16T13:14:00.001Z

Phoenix rise to summit after back to back home wins

2010-12-16T13:11:00.000Z

Manchester Phoenix 4-3 Guildford Flames

Manchester Phoenix 9-2 Telford Tigers

Sniper Curtis Huppe ensured Manchester Phoenix returned to the top of the English Premier League this weekend with a game winning goal and a hat-trick in last weekend’s home double header.

On Saturday, Phoenix completed a nail biting comeback against Guildford Flames to take back first place in the league, before cementing their position against a short-benched Telford Tigers on Sunday.

Phoenix trailed 2-0 at the midway point of the game on Saturday night before player coach Tony Hand started the fightback in the 34th minute.

Enforcer Andrew Sharp brought the teams level early in the 3rd period before Martin Masa gave the visitors the lead once more.

Ladislav Harabin equalized again for the home side before Huppe scored the game winner just over a minute later.

On Sunday, the Telford Tigers came apart as Phoenix dominated the game early, out shooting the visitors 22-6 in the first period. Goals from Marcus Kristoffersson, Tom Duggan, Ben Morgan, Curtis Huppe and Stephen Wallace giving the home side a 5-1 lead.

Further strikes from James Archer, Andrew Sharp and a Huppe double finished the home scoring with Scott Mckenzie added a second for the visitors.

Red Bull Salzburg 6-3 Rekord-Fenster VSV: Highlights

2010-12-08T22:36:00.002Z

Phoenix blank Bees

2010-12-08T22:31:00.000Z

Manchester Phoenix 6-0 Bracknell Bees

A Man of the match performance from defenceman Ladislav Harabin paired with a hat-trick from sniper Curtis Huppe led Manchester Phoenix to a comfortable home victory over Bracknell Bees.

Netminder Steve Fone also recorded his second shut out in two weeks as the Manchester defence continues to improve since losing to Guildford 5-1 on Nov 20.
Since that date, Tony Hand’s Phoenix have only surrendered six goals in five games whilst they have hit the back of the net 24 times.

The home side opened the scoring in the 17th minute as Curtis Huppe netted, this was followed by a quick early double in the second period as Harabin and Huppe both beat Adam Marashi in the Bees net.

The final period saw Phoenix score three further markers to put them out of sight, first Harabin scored his second of the game before Huppe completed his hat-trick with a rocket slap shot. James Archer completed the scoring with a short-handed goal in the 50th minute whilst Andrew Sharp sat out a roughing penalty.

Tony Hand said: “We were a bit slow to get going tonight, but we showed out quality in the end. The defence was strong when it counted and once our first line got going, we took charge.

Red Bull Salzburg 6-4 HK Acroni Jesenice: Highlights

2010-12-03T16:38:00.003Z

Huppe leads Phoenix thrashing of Cats

2010-12-03T16:23:00.000Z

Manchester Phoenix 9-3 Swindon Wildcats

Sniper Curtis Huppe lead Manchester Phoenix to a demolition of Swindon Wildcats on Saturday night with a four goal showing whilst putting to bed his cold streak in front of goal.

Swede Marcus Kristoffersson scored the opening goal shorthanded in the 6th minute and ignited a rampant Phoenix offence. Huppe netted his first of the night and James Archer scored a superb solo goal for a 3-0 lead at the first break but it could have been worse for the visitors if not for the netminding of Wildcats stopper James Hadfield.

Tom Duggan added his name to the score sheet early in the second period and Huppe netted a straight hat-trick to break Hadfield’s resistance completely, whilst Swindon got themselves on the board through Josef Liska before Manchester replaced Steve Fone with Adam Summerfield in the home net.

Kristoffersson and Archer rounded out the Phoenix scoring in the final period whilst the Wildcats scored two late consolation strikes.

Phoenix are now level on the points with Guildford Flames at the top of the EPL standings after beating Sheffield Steeldogs on Sunday night 4-0 whilst the Flames lost 5-4 in overtime against Telford Tigers.

Phoenix player coach Tony Hand said: “It was nice to see Curtis get back into the scoring habit, though I knew he would.
“Our title challenge is back on track, and that’s the most important thing.”

Hand helps Phoenix end losing skid

2010-11-23T15:28:00.001Z

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

2010-11-16T20:23:00.000Z

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

2010-11-09T14:21:00.000Z

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

2010-11-02T15:12:00.002Z

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.”

Summerfield keeps Phoenix hot

2010-10-26T14:26:00.001+01:00

Manchester Phoenix 4-2 Sheffield Steeldogs

Tony Hand’s Manchester Phoenix have some daylight between themselves and second place Guildford Flames after another back to back winning weekend.

Guildford lost 4-2 against Slough on Sunday whilst Phoenix edged past Sheffield on Saturday before thrashing bottom place Telford 8-2 the following night.

Back up netminder Adam Summerfield started his first game of the season at the Altrincham Ice Dome on Saturday with Steve Fone still recovering from his head injury last week.

Summerfield produced a good performance in a match that was in the balance until midway through the third period when Ben Wood found the net giving the home side a two goal cushion.

Phoenix opened the scoring through Marcus Kristofferson, but Sheffield equalized through Edgar Bebris. Curtis Huppe restored the home sides lead in the 15th minute but the second period saw the visitors again draw level after a great solo effort by Andrew Hirst was finished with a rising wrist shot that Summerfield had little chance of saving.

Man of the match James Archer gave the Phoenix the lead for a third time in the 29th minute before missing a penalty shot but Ben Wood sealed the victory late on, finally beating Sheffield netminder Ben Bowns after a barrage of third period pressure.

Phoenix double up Bees

2010-10-19T14:36:00.000+01:00

Manchester Phoenix 7-4 Bracknell Bees

Manchester Phoenix completed a weekend double over Bracknell Bees to remain top of the English Premier League, but not before losing two players to injury.

Phoenix netminder Steve Fone was struck in the head by a howitzer shot from Bees sniper Jaroslav Cesky that has left him needing eight stitches.

Whilst forward Ben Wood suffered a shoulder injury in the home victory on Sunday as well, leaving the Phoenix bench short on numbers.

Rookie 17 year old goalie Bobby Browne had to step in for the injured Fone, and after a nervous start, helped Phoenix to another home victory.

Player coach Tony Hand said: “We’ll assess Steve Fone and Ben Wood properly this week and ascertain how serious the injuries are, but I know they will both want to be back on the ice as soon as they physically can.

After winning 7-1 in Bracknell on Saturday, hat-tricks from Marcus Kristoffersson, Greg Wood and a powerplay strike from Ben Morgan set Phoenix on their way to another 2 points on Sunday.

Bracknell made the score more respectable in the third period with 3 unanswered goals from Sam Waller, Ashley Calvert and Michal Pinc.

Phoenix’s injured stars now face a race against time to be fit for this weekends games against Sheffield Steeldogs at home on Saturday and Telford Tigers away on Sunday.

Phoenix first period blitz sinks Wildcats

2010-10-12T13:00:00.000+01:00

Manchester Phoenix 7-3 Swindon Wildcats

Six first period goals on Sunday night helped Manchester Phoenix to another four point weekend and take Tony Hand’s team to the top of the league.

Phoenix, who were looking for revenge after losing to the Wildcats on penalty shots last week, flew out of the blocks early and Pavel Gomenuik opened the scoring in the 8th minute before Graham Newell equalized for the visitors.

However five unanswered goals saw Phoenix out of sight with Curtis Huppe, James Archer, Greg Wood, Ben Wood and Marcus Kristoffersson all scoring before the first interval leaving Wildcats netminder Chris Douglas stunned.

Credit went to the visitors in the second period as they scored two straight goals from Josef Kohut and Ryan Watt and it could have been worse for Phoenix who had netminder Steve Fone to thank after he stopped a Kohut penalty shot.

Tony Hand finished the scoring in the third period with a powerplay goal and he said after the match: “We came out like a train in the first period and we could have had more goals.

“It was clear that we took our foot off the gas in the second period and we got punished for it.

“Overall I’m delighted with they way we’ve started the season. It’s still early days but it’s nice to be in top spot.”

Ex-Phoenix stopper Murphy shines against Bruins

2010-10-05T13:42:00.000+01:00

Belfast Giants Selects 1-5 Boston Bruins

Former Manchester Phoenix goaltender Stephen Murphy shone the brightest on Saturday night against National Hockey League side Boston Bruins.

The Bruins travelled across the water to face-off against a Belfast Giants Selects side comprising of players from around the Elite League which also included other ex-Phoenix stars Luke Fulghum and David Beauregard.

Murphy was given the start against a full strength Boston side boasting NHL stars like Zdeno Chara, Mark Recchi, Milan Lucic, Michael Ryder and goalie Tuukka Rask.

For half the match, the Elite stars and in particular, Murphy, stood firm despite constant Bruins pressure and then surprisingly took the lead late in the second period through Nottingham’s Jade Galbraith. He snapped a shot high glove side past Rask much to the delight of a packed Odyssey Arena.

However this only served as a wake up call for the Bruins as they turned the game on its head within minutes of the restart, scoring three quick goals from Tyler Seguin, Chara and Brad Marchand to lead 3-1 at the second interval.

In the third period, the Giants tried to get back in the match but all hopes were extinguished by a fourth goal from the Bruins, Milan Lucic firing a wrist shot through Murphy before Boston were awarded a penalty shot in the dying minutes which was expertly dispatched by NHL new boy Seguin.

Murphy finished with 40 saves and for long periods kept the Boston attack at bay, his saves included a fine stop on Bruins captain Chara whilst he was on a breakaway.

Meanwhile Manchester Phoenix continued their impressive start to the season, picking up another three points last weekend. Tony Hand’s side beat Milton Keynes Lightning at the Altrincham Ice Dome on Sunday 5-2 after losing on penalty shots to Swindon Wildcats the night before.

Bison no match for hot Phoenix

2010-09-28T13:06:00.001+01:00

Manchester Phoenix 3-1 Basingstoke Bison

Player coach Tony Hand led by example on Sunday night as Manchester Phoenix continued there red hot start to the season.

Hand scored two goals and assisted another as Phoenix beat the Bison and maintained there 100% record with four wins from four.

Phoenix, who also beat last years league champions Milton Keynes Lightning on Saturday night 6-3, opened the scoring in the 5th minute. Hand rang a slap shot off the goal post, but the puck eventually slid in the net after hitting Bison goalie Tom Annetts.

The homeside doubled their lead only minutes later as a swift counter attack saw Hand and Ben Morgan undo the Bison defence leaving Curtis Huppe with the easiest of finishes at the side of the net.

With Phoenix reduced to three men on the ice through penalties to Tom Duggan and Luke Boothroyd, Tony Hand stole the puck in the 31st minute and raced in on goal to score a shorthanded marker for a 3-0 lead.

Bison scored a late consolation goal through Ondrej Lauko to ruin Steve Fone’s shut out hopes.

Tony Hand said after the match: “Coming on the back of our outstanding win in Milton Keynes, this is just what we wanted to keep the momentum going.

“It was a great result and a great show of strength, discipline and determination by the guys.”

The match would also prove to be forward Dean Holland’s last, he was released by the club so he could go back to Newcastle.

Hand said: “Dean wants to go back home to Newcastle and we are not going to stand in his way.
“He moved here but I think his heart was in Newcastle. So good luck to the lad and we wish him all the best.”

Phoenix retain War of the Roses Trophy

2010-09-14T13:28:00.001+01:00

Manchester Phoenix 6-2 Sheffield Steeldogs (Phoenix win on agg 13-5)

Tony Hand’s Manchester Phoenix have started their new season by thrashing their Yorkshire rivals twice in three days.

Phoenix warmed up for their new season with a War of the Roses clash against the Sheffield Steeldogs and after beating them 7-3 at Ice Sheffield on Friday, returned to the Altrincham Ice Dome on Sunday to win 6-2.

On Sunday, a four goal showing from sniper Curtis Huppe along with goals from James Neil and James Archer set Phoenix on course to retain the pre-season trophy they won last year. Steeldogs responded with goals from Peter Vaisenen and Tom Squires but Phoenix were in total control.

But there was no lack of passion in the ‘friendly’ encounter between the two sides as both Phoenix coach Tony Hand and Dean Holland received roughing penalties in a fiery last few minutes that left blood on the ice.

Hand said after the match, “I was very pleased tonight. We started to show people what this team is all about. They worked for each other, they are starting to understand each other, they hit hard and they score goals.

“I know we are going to be a match for anyone this term. It’s been a good way to launch our season.”

Phoenix travel to Basingstoke on Saturday before entertaining playoff champions Slough Jets on Sunday at the Ice Dome.

Swedish Star Joins Phoenix

2010-08-31T16:17:00.000+01:00

Manchester Phoenix player coach Tony Hand has moved one step closer to completing his team for the new ice hockey season.

Swede Marcus Kristoffersson has joined the Altrincham based club and has a wealth of experience in North America and Scandinavia. His previous clubs include the Utah Grizzlies of the American Hockey League and he has played in over 200 games in the Elitserien, the top league in Sweden.

The 31 year old winger does not have a prolific goal scoring record, but Hand knows how valuable this player will be for the coming season.

Hand said: “I am really pleased to get Marcus. He will bring a lot to our game next season. He's big, he's powerful, he gets goals, he hits, he checks, he does everything.

“He will track back and help his team when he's on the ice. I didn't really want just an out and out goal-scorer because we needed more options to our game. Marcus fits the bill perfectly.”

When asked about his move to Manchester, Kristoffersson said that a player from last season helped his decision.

“I heard a lot of good things about Manchester from my friend Andre Mattsson who played there last year, He had good things to say about the set up, and Tony, and the fans, so I decided I had to come and see for myself.”

Phoenix open their season with a War of the Roses pre-season double header against the Sheffield Steeldogs on Friday 10th September before returning to the Altrincham Ice Dome on Sunday 12th.

Hand tempts Archer to shoot for Phoenix

2010-08-21T15:22:00.000+01:00

Manchester Phoenix player coach Tony Hand has moved to secure the signing of British forward James Archer.

Archer arrives at Phoenix after playing for Elite League side Hull Stingrays last season as part of a two way deal with the Sheffield Scimitars. After the Stingrays ceased options last week, Tony Hand moved quickly to bring Archer to Manchester before the Stingrays were revived.

The Sheffield born winger is the replacement for his former team-mate Robert Farmer who left Phoenix over the summer to join the Ottawa 67’s in Canada.

Hand told the clubs website, “James is, quite simply, a really good hockey player. He's a good skater, he's tough, he's got energy and he gets goals. That's exactly what we are looking for.”

Whilst Archer, who has had a loan spell with the Coventry Blaze, is now looking forward to a fresh start with the Phoenix after the financial troubles in Hull: “It's true that I was devastated about what happened at Hull.

“But I have put that behind me now and I am looking forward to this season with the Phoenix.”

The signing of Archer opens up a chance to bring in another import defenceman along with a forward, even though Hand previously stated he would like to bring in two forwards.

Hand commented: “I'm looking all the time, and always speaking to agents. We still have three weeks and I want to make sure we are signing the right players, not just getting imports for the sake of it.”

2010: The Year of the Phoenix?

2010-08-09T18:14:00.003+01:00

After a couple of ‘nearly’ seasons when it comes to lifting substantial silverware, Tony Hand’s Manchester Phoenix will look to put the close shaves to bed in 2010/11 when their second foray into the English Premier League gets under way in September.

There are still two vacant slots in the Phoenix roster for the coming season, import slots that the British ‘Great One’ has indicated will come in the form of forwards, but Hand has already shown his intentions with the structure of the team so far.

In defence, Ben Morgan joins a blue line that seems set in stone after the signing of Ukrainian born Pavel Gomenyuk. This season looks to be a big one for young Ben Wood, currently being one of four defencemen signed up, indicating a big step up for someone who for the most of last season rode the pine or chipped in as 3rd line forward. Only in the latter stages of the season did Hand use Wood regularly, back in his preferred position of defending and he showed good composure when given the chance.

Hand seems content to go with the one import on defence, a strategy that was heavily questioned last season and resulted in Jaakko Hagelberg dropping to the blue line for half of last season as Andre Mattsson struggled to perform week in week out and the captaincy seemed to weigh on Luke Boothroyd’s shoulders perhaps epitomized by the epic Cup exit to the Milton Keynes Lightning and their collapse at lowly Swindon Wildcats late in the season.

Meanwhile going forward, lightweight players like Iain Bowie and Robert Lachowicz have been replaced with the hard nosed Dean Holland and grafter Tom Duggan. If anything, last seasons team lacked the ability to grind in the corners and come away with the puck, which seems to be the way forward with teams like Milton Keynes, Slough and Guildford looking to grinders to spur on attack waves with second and third opportunities created from behind the goal-line.

Of the three import forwards from last season, Ed Courtenay retired mid way through the campaign and despite a lack of pace, still found the net with ease, his replacement Curtis Huppe, has many question marks hanging over him given his lacklustre season, for him, at Hull Stingrays. But Hand has played with and coached Huppe before, he should hopefully get the best out of a player that once scored 64 points in 46 games for Coventry Blaze.

Andre Payette is presumed to be not returning as Hand has openly admitted that Payette was ‘too tough’ for the English Premier League, as players backed out of fights when the Ontario native stepped up. Finally the shining light of last season Jaakko Hagelberg, who was perhaps solely responsible for half the victories achieved is also presumed to not be returning, after early rumblings of a return, maybe the Finnish star asked for a salary that was too much for one player at Altrincham.

Whilst the Phoenix scored the most goals in the league, they conceded far too many, and normally that means point the finger between the pipes. Steve Fone had an up and down season for the Phoenix last term, the major down being an early Christmas present in the form of a separated shoulder which, despite Adam Summerfield coming away with a winning record including a 5-4 overtime victory over the Lightning, ruined the teams momentum as they cruised to the top of the league.

However Fone fought his way back to fitness and guided the team to a 3rd place finish in his first season as a number one goalie. His finest performance came in the playoff quarterfinal home leg against Peterborough, standing on his head during a 5 on 3 penalty kill indicating why Hand chose to go with the rookie goalie at the beginning of the year. However for all the good saves he made throughout the season, there were bad ones, rebounds resulted in plenty of goals that might have never happened if he had managed to apply the glue to his pads like so many other goalies in the league can do, namely Barry Hollyhead of the Lightning. If Fone can stay healthy this year, there’s no reason why he cannot build on last season but there’s a feeling that the jury is still out on Hand’s decision to retain him.

So what can we expect from the coming season? Well, I think that this new Phoenix squad has so far gained a grittier edge than last season, retaining the services of Greg Wood and Stephen Wallace also indicating Hand intends to be a little less finesse and little more in-your-face. Of course, Hand himself, won’t be grinding out the lose puck, he’ll be up to his usual tricks of finding the space and creating every Phoenix goal this season. It would have been nice to see Robert Farmer (seen as a replacement for the departing Adam Walker) working with Hand on the ice, but he jumped ship before donning the angry budgie logo to pursue a career state-side, and good luck to him, not many players get the chance. I’m certain this turn of events led to the Phoenix chasing 3 import forwards instead of 2, so maybe Farmer flying the coop is a blessing in disguise, or it could have scuppered all the plans for the season as now we may have fallen into the age old Phoenix debacle of shoot first, defend later.

One thing’s for sure, Tony Hand has a knack for finding the right players, but not the right result, Phoenix have been off target when it comes to pressure situations, Challenge Cup Final, Knockout Cup Final, EPL Cup Semi-Final and sliding down the league standings last season. Phoenix are notorious high flyers in September, burn outs in March. It’s time to produce.

Phoenix boss snaps up twine-finder Huppe.

2010-07-26T17:11:00.000+01:00

Curtis Huppe is the new sniper who will lead the way for Tony Hand’s Manchester Phoenix this season.

The Former East Coast Hockey League star has landed in Altrincham after spending last season with Elite League side Hull Stingrays and has been signed to fill the void left by goal-scorer Ed Courtenay.

Huppe, who has also spent recent seasons with the Belfast Giants and Coventry Blaze, was originally brought to the UK by Tony Hand in 2004 when he coached the Giants.

Hand said: “I’m extremely confident that he will be one of the stand-out players in the EPL this season.
“I’ve always liked Curtis as a player; he does the simple things really well. He’s a good guy to have in the room too and he will be a great influence and role model for the younger guys.”

On his move to Manchester, Huppe said: “I’m relishing the challenge of leading the line for the Phoenix this year and I’m looking to win silverware for sure.

“Tony likes to play a fast, attractive, offensive style of hockey and that suits my game. I like to score goals and help others as well.”

Phoenix will open their season at Basingstoke Bison on Saturday 18th September before returning home on Sunday where they will play Slough Jets.

Gomenyuk To Take Control of the Phoenix Blueline

2010-07-12T20:24:00.001+01:00

Manchester Phoenix player coach Tony Hand has secured his first import signing of the summer with Pavel Gomenyuk agreeing to join the club.

The Ukrainian born defenceman comes to Manchester with a wealth of experience in the UK after spending the past seven seasons split between the Newcastle Vipers and the Hull Stingrays of the Elite League.

In the 2005/06 season, Gomenyuk was part of the Vipers playoff winning side and has vowed to bring success to Altrincham.

He said: “I’ve won championships before and I think I’m due another one, that’s why I’ve signed for Tony and Manchester”

Tony Hand remarked on his latest signing, “He’s a clever player, scores his fair share of points for a defenceman, and is quite happy to play a physical type of game.

“Pavel is one of those players who goes about his work in a quiet, but highly effective manner,”

The signing of Gomenyuk comes off the back of the news that Robert Farmer has been drafted by the Ottawa 67s in the Canadian Hockey League, leaving Tony Hand to decide the make up of his three remaining import vacancies.

Phoenix's Hand urges 'No Rush'

2010-06-28T16:38:00.000+01:00

Manchester Phoenix head coach Tony Hand is biding his time before selecting his four import players for the new ice hockey season.

Hand secured his British contingent a few weeks ago, filling the final spots with returnees James Neil and Stephen Wallace but now Hand feels patience is key before filling the four available Non-British Trained spots.

Hand commented, “There are some players with the right experience and I might make a move in at least one direction quite soon, but there is no need to rush or panic whatsoever.

“It’s possible that the first player we sign will further determine the mix of import defencemen and forwards.”

Phoenix are also waiting on forward Robert Farmer, who is taking part in a training camp with American side Dubuque Fighting Saints in Iowa. If selected, it would leave Hand more of an idea of where to focus with his import slots.

However after being in contact with the young Brit, Hand is confident Farmer will be in Altrincham come September.

“The last I heard from him, he indicated he’ll be a Phoenix player this coming season and I’m looking forward to working with him.”

What if Mike didn't score a shorthanded breakaway?

2010-05-26T20:24:00.000+01:00

Fone back for second year; Morgan joins.

2010-05-24T15:36:00.001+01:00

Manchester Phoenix player coach Tony Hand has confirmed the signing of netminder Steve Fone for a another year.

After backstopping Phoenix to the a third place finish in their first season in the English Premier League and helping Phoenix get to the Playoff finals weekend, Hand has put his faith in Fone to step up again next season.

An injury at the midway point of the season for the Sheffield born goalie seemed to derail the team, but he says he’s ready to give the new season everything he’s got.

He said: “Naturally I’m pleased to be coming back, I’ll certainly be looking to improve upon last year both personally and from a team perspective.

“I think we’ve got unfinished business from last season”

Meanwhile, Phoenix have also snapped up Ben Morgan from Sheffield Steelers, the 22 year old defenceman also has four years of EPL experience with the Sheffield Scimitars.

He said: “I come to play every night, I’m determined and I see my primary role as playing the body, clearing the net and protecting my goalies.

“Tony told me of his plans for the team, his thoughts on the role I could play and all in all, he really did a selling job on me – I didn’t need to think it over too long.”

What if Gagne didn't score the overtime winner in Game 4?

2010-05-18T00:45:00.001+01:00

Duggan joins Phoenix; Walks walks

2010-05-10T16:49:00.000+01:00

For the third consecutive week a new face has joined the Manchester Phoenix with Tony Hand adding to his British roster.

Forward Tom Duggan has signed for the Phoenix and joins them from English Premier League team Guildford Flames. The nineteen year old was born in Reading and has had the benefit of four years learning the game in Minnesota before joining the Flames.

Last season he posted 38 points in 60 games for the Flames including a very respectable 26 assists with limited ice time due to their big squad.

Duggan said: “I pride myself on a solid work ethic and don’t need to be asked to graft on the ice.”

“I’m not the tallest of players, but I look to combine the skills I’ve developed with a good physical approach to the game.”

Player coach Tony Hand commented: “As soon as I learned that Tom was available, I moved quickly. He impressed me a lot last season and I actually thought he was one of the better British players in the league.”

Meanwhile Hand has seen yet another star from last season move on to the Elite League as Adam Walker has decided to join new side Braehead Clan in Scotland.

Ian Laperriere - Flyers Are Missing Him

2010-05-07T17:26:00.001+01:00

One In, One Out for Phoenix

2010-05-03T17:13:00.000+01:00

Manchester Phoenix head coach Tony Hand has moved to secure the signing of top young prospect Robert Farmer.

Only days after Robert Lachowicz, one of last seasons stars, was unveiled as a new signing for Elite League side Nottingham Panthers, Farmer joins Phoenix from the Sheffield Steelers in a surprise signing.

The nineteen year old Nottingham born forward spent last season split between both the Steelers and English Premier League team Sheffield Scimitars where he played against Manchester.

In 20 games with the Scimitars last term, he scored 30 points including 16 goals and will add another scoring threat to the Phoenix roster.

Farmer said: “It’s a great chance for me in signing with the Phoenix and I’m looking forward to the challenge they’ll mount next season and being a big part of it.

“I like to get forward and look to score goals and touch wood so far in my career, I’ve done well in front of the net.”

Commenting on the signing, Hand said: “Robert is one of this countries outstanding young prospects, he brings size, power, aggression and an eye for goal to our roster. I’m delighted to have secured his signature.”

Hand snaps up Holland early

2010-04-26T15:24:00.000+01:00

Manchester Phoenix head coach Tony Hand has made his first summer signing in preparation for the 2010/11 season with feisty winger Dean Holland putting pen to paper.

The 21 year old Geordie is an addition to the home grown talent already on the Phoenix roster for the new season and has spent the past few seasons playing for the Newcastle Vipers in the Elite Ice Hockey League.

Tony Hand said, “I’m very pleased to have signed a player like Dean so early in the summer. He’s an energy player and will bring some grit to our team for next season.

“Dean will bring another excellent work ethic to our roster and I’m sure the fans will like what they see from him.”

He joins Phoenix returnees Adam Summerfield, Luke Boothroyd, Greg Wood and Ben Wood who have all signed on for next term.

Holland said, “Manchester is a big city and in sporting terms demands winners, and I’m coming to the Phoenix to do exactly that – to win.”

Phoenix bow out in Semi Final

2010-04-12T15:28:00.000+01:00

Manchester Phoenix 1-2 Slough Jets

Manchester Phoenix’s season ended on Saturday night at the Coventry Skydome as they fell to a 2-1 defeat against the eventual playoff champions Slough Jets.

After dramatically clinching a place at the playoff finals last week, Phoenix were paired with the Jets in the second semi final and fought bravely for sixty minutes before eventually falling to a Blaz Emersic goal in the third period.

Phoenix took the lead in the first period, player coach Tony Hand found James Neil at the back post and he crashed home on the powerplay.

However the Jets drew level in the first minute of the second period, with Slava Koulikov firing a slapshot past netminder Steve Fone in the Phoenix net. The third period saw Manchester control the flow of the game, but Greg Rockman held firm in the Slough net before Blaz Emersic broke in on goal to score the game winner against the run of play.

Slough Jets went on to beat the Guildford Flames in the final on Sunday by the same scoreline, Emersic doing the damage again for the Jets with a penalty shot winner in overtime.

Phoenix edge past Phantoms for a place at the finals.

2010-04-05T15:14:00.000+01:00

Manchester Phoenix 3-2 Peterborough Phantoms (6-5 agg)

Defenceman Joe Graham fired Manchester Phoenix to the Playoff Finals weekend after a dramatic quarterfinal battle against Peterborough Phantoms.

With the teams tied at 2-2, Graham put Phoenix in front with little over two minutes remaining as his shot hit the goal post before deflecting in off Phantoms netminder Stephen Wall.

In the first leg at Peterborough on Saturday, the teams drew 3-3 leaving everything to play for in the return leg at the Ice Dome. Phoenix opened the scoring through Robert Lachowicz in the 9th minute, and Ryan Johnson added a second in the 17th minute.

In the second period, Phantoms started a fight back, a Maris Ziedins strike slid under Phoenix netminder Steve Fone and it was Ziedins again that netted for the visitors in the third period to level the tie. But after chances at both ends, it was the home side who found the net late on, making sure that Phoenix would join Slough Jets, Swindon Wildcats and Guildford Flames at the final weekend.

Four goal Walker see's his half century

2010-03-29T16:33:00.001+01:00

Manchester Phoenix 10-1 Bracknell Bees

Manchester Phoenix forward Adam Walker bagged himself six goals last weekend which took his season total to 50 and lifted his team past the Bracknell Bees.

Walker, netted twice in the away defeat to Swindon on Saturday before smashing four past Bracknell the following night as Phoenix secured a third place finish in the league.

Goals from Iain Bowie, Jaakko Hagelberg and two from Walker set Phoenix on their way in the first period before Ashley Calvert scored for the Bees early in the middle session. Further goals from Stephen Wallace, Tony Hand and Walker left Phoenix leading 7-1 at the second break.

In the third period, Andre Mattsson scored from close range before Walker bagged his 50th goal of the season in the 54th minute. Andre Payette put the home side into double figures in the final minutes.

Coach Tony Hand said: “I am delighted for Adam Walker that he reached the fifty goal mark, it’s a tribute to the effort he’s put in after a slow start to the season.

“If we’d been offered a third place finish in September, I think we’d have taken that and now on the back of this result, we can look forward to the playoffs.”

Phoenix will now play Peterborough Phantoms in the first round of the playoffs next weekend, the second leg will be at home on Sunday at the Ice Dome.

Sabine shines in Phoenix rout of Raiders

2010-03-22T15:10:00.001Z

Manchester Phoenix 10-1 Romford Raiders

A hat-trick from man of the match Iain Bowie led Manchester Phoenix to their third rout of Romford Raiders on home ice this season.

After previous results of 7-0 and 12-3 at the Ice Dome this term, the Raiders were hit for double figures again as Phoenix look to finish the season in third place.

Bowie opened the scoring after only 32 seconds and Jaakko Hagelberg added a double before the end of the first period. Bowie, Adam Walker and Tony Hand scored in the second period before Darius Pliskauskas rounded back up netminder Adam Summerfield for Romford’s lone strike in the final minute.

The final period saw James Neil notch Phoenix’s seventh before Bowie completed his treble. 17 year old Frankie Sabine replaced Charlie Kaylor in the Raiders net and the young goalie received a warm ovation for a string of fine saves against the Phoenix forwards, including a bullet shot from Tony Hand. However Stephen Wallace finished the scoring with a late double.

Four point weekend for Phoenix

2010-03-15T15:45:00.001Z

Manchester Phoenix 4-1 Sheffield Scimitars

Manchester Phoenix 7-3 Bracknell Bees

Back to back home wins for the Manchester Phoenix has seen them climb back up to third in the English Premier League.

On Saturday night, Phoenix continued their dominance over closest rivals Sheffield Scimitars with a dominant display and a 4-1 win. Jaakko Hagelberg and a shorthanded goal from Adam Walker gave Phoenix the early lead, which was added to by Rob Lachowicz and Hagelberg in the second period.

Sheffield did manage to ruin Steve Fone’s shut-out hopes with a late goal from Simon Butterworth whilst the period also saw three fights in five minutes of madness, Tony Hand, Andre Payette and Jaakko Hagelberg all obliging the Scimitars frustrations.

Phoenix continued their winning run on Sunday night as they defeated the Bracknell Bee’s 7-3 which included another double from Jaakko Hagelberg along with markers from Tony Hand, Adam Walker, Andre Payette, Iain Bowie and Rob Lachowicz. Bee’s replied with goals from Shane Moore, Michal Pinc and Jaroslav Cesky.

Phoenix now solely occupy third place in the standings whilst also holding a game in hand, to be played on Thursday night at Peterborough Phantoms.

Walker Hat-trick lifts Phoenix past Phantoms

2010-03-08T16:09:00.002Z

Manchester Phoenix 6-4 Peterborough Phantoms

Forward Adam Walker netted a third period treble against the Peterborough Phantoms on Sunday night to seal a four point weekend for the Manchester Phoenix as they started to regain their form.

Without top scorer Ed Courtenay and injured Stephen Wallace, Phoenix secured two wins over the weekend as they also dispatched the Romford Raiders on Saturday night 10-2.

Goals from Marc Ziedins and Joe Miller either side of an Andre Mattsson powerplay goal gave the visitors the lead at the first break.

The second period saw Phoenix lay siege to the Phantoms net, outshooting the away side by 26-9 and they got their rewards with two goals from Ian Bowie and Robert Lachowicz to lead 3-2 going into the final period.

It was then Walker who netted a straight hat-trick to seal the game, the first came only a 1.14 into the final period which was followed by two shorthanded breakaway markers before the Phantoms finished the scoring with two late consolation strikes.

Phoenix remain fifth in the English Premier League, but are only a point behind Basingstoke with a game in hand.

Phoenix Continue Slide, Drop to Fifth

2010-03-01T15:42:00.000Z

Manchester Phoenix 2-4 Slough Jets

Slough Jets’ flew into Altrincham Ice Dome on Sunday night to heap further misery on Tony Hand’s Manchester Phoenix who continue to be beset by a frail defence and little luck in front of goal.

After being thrashed 9-1 by the Milton Keynes Lightning the previous night, Phoenix set about making amends for their monumental collape, creating more chances in the opening period.

But it was Jets that raced into a 2-0 lead with goals from Peter Poljacek and Blaz Emersic before Adam Walker replied with a late powerplay goal.

Phoenix started the second period with renewed hope and took only 24 seconds to find the equalizer, Walker netting again on the powerplay. But the final period saw the Jets score two early goals to deflate the home side, Ciaron Long and Andrew Monroe both converting before the 45th minute, making sure that the Jets completed three wins from three in Altrincham.

Bison capitalize on Phoenix slump

2010-02-22T11:30:00.000Z

Manchester Phoenix 2-4 Basingstoke Bison

Manchester Phoenix’s recent bad home form continued on Sunday night as they fell to visitors Basingstoke Bison as they failed to capitalize on opportunities.

Phoenix, now four points adrift of third place Guildford Flames, lost their third straight home game and conceded a worrying 18 goals whilst only scoring 6 over the bad stretch.

Ed Courtenay created Phoenix’s best chance of the first period, crashing a shot against the cross bar. But the visitors took the lead on the powerplay with a goal from Bison player coach Steve Moria and Ondrej Lauko doubled their advantage before the intermission.

Courtenay brought Phoenix level before the 28 minute mark with two goals in quick succession, the first coming on the poweplay. But for all their hard work, the Phoenix defence failed them again, Steve Fone was beaten by Moria for a second time before Shaun Thompson added a fourth for the visitors.

Phoenix pressured the Bison defence in the final period but Tom Annetts in the visitors net was in good form and there was to be no second come back.

Phoenix caught cold by Lightning strike

2010-02-19T17:17:00.000Z

Manchester Phoenix 2-8 Milton Keynes Lightning

Tony Hand’s Manchester Phoenix were handed a semi final first leg thrashing by league leading Milton Keynes Lightning on Thursday night that now leaves them with very little chance of reaching the EPL cup final.

Milton Keynes arrived late at the Altrincham Ice Dome after being caught in traffic but it was the home side which looked tired and flat throughout what was the most important game of the season.

Joe Graham gave Phoenix the lead in the 9th minute on the powerplay, but three goals from the Lighting before the end of period saw the visitors firmly in control, Lewis Christie, Andre Smulter and Nick Poole all finding the net.

And the second period saw no let up in the Lightning’s dominance, Lukas Zatopek, Leigh Jamieson and Russ Bowers all converted for the visitors as Steve Fone in the Manchester net struggled to deal with the Lightning onslaught, a lone Adam Walker goal was all Phoenix could manage.

Smulter and Monir Kalgoum added further goals in the third period to all but seal their place in the final before the second leg has even took place leaving Phoenix with an embarrassing home defeat.

Phoenix Winning Streak Ended By Flames

2010-02-15T16:13:00.000Z

Manchester Phoenix 2-6 Guildford Flames

Manchester Phoenix’s four game winning run came to a disappointing end on Sunday night as the Guildford Flames left Altrincham Ice Dome with two points for the second time this season.

In their final game of the season at the Dome, the Flames played the perfect road game against the Phoenix, as the hosts looked out of ideas and were unable to muster much offensively whilst the leaky home-defence was again at fault.

Guildford opened the scoring in the 13th minute through Tom Duggan, but Stephen Wallace replied with a breakaway goal in the 18th minute. An early second period double saw the visitors take control, Lubomir Hurtaj and Nathan Rempel both beating Steve Fone in the Manchester net by the 25th minute. Ed Courtenay pulled a goal back in the 34th minute before a fluke Martin Masa goal restored the Flames two goal cushion.

The third period saw Phoenix frustrations boil over with both Ed Courtenay and Andre Payette receiving 10 minute Misconduct penalties, whilst the Flames continued to hit the net. Goals from Stuart Potts and a shorthanded goal from Martin Masa sealed the points.

Player coach Tony Hand commented,“We got what we deserved this evening, nothing. That might sound harsh, but we just didn’t get going tonight and credit to Guildford, they were very good and shut us down very effectively.”

Four-goal Payette leads Phoenix past helpless Raiders

2010-02-08T17:19:00.001Z

Manchester Phoenix 12-3 Romford Raiders

Canadian winger Andre Payette ignited a first period demolition of bottom club Romford Raiders on Sunday as the Manchester Phoenix secured their first four point weekend since the beginning of December.

Phoenix’s recent return to form has seen them win five of the last six games and moved them up to third in the English Premier League. On Saturday night, Phoenix came away from Guildford 4-1 victors and earn a valuable two points in their hunt for the league title.

Commenting on the two wins, player coach Tony Hand said, “This weekend will give us a great lift. We’ve had guys missing for one reason or another and we’ve taken four valuable points”

“We wanted to get the win tonight and with no disrespect to Romford, we knew we had a chance to improve our goal difference. Everyone played well on Saturday and they did again tonight.”

In the opening period against the Raiders, Phoenix netted six times effectively ending the contest early. Payette (3), Greg Wood, Robert Lachowicz and Joe Graham all finding their way past Charlie Kaylor in the Romford net, whilst the visitors replied through Matt Turner and Frankie Harvey.

Further goals from Payette, Lachowicz and Graham were added to by Adam Walker, Tony Hand and Stephen Wallace to complete the home scoring before Frankie Harvey added a late consolation.

Courtenay notches 40 goals for the season in win over Scimitars

2010-01-31T15:38:00.000Z

Manchester Phoenix 4-3 Sheffield Scimitars

Phoenix forward Ed Courtenay again helped Manchester Phoenix secure two points from closest rivals Sheffield Scimitars as he notched his 39th and 40th goals of the season.

The visitors opened the scoring in the 2nd minute as James Archer caught the home side out with a close range finish. But before the period ended the teams were on level terms with Courtenay scoring his first of the night with a sublime solo effort.

Phoenix took the lead mid way through the second period as Courtenay deflected a Luke Boothroyd pass beyond Ben Bowns in the Sheffield net. The score remained the same until the third period when a quick double from the home side secured the points, firstly Stephen Wallace netted from close range after good work from Adam Walker and Tony Hand, before Hand himself scored the eventual game winner in the 47th minute on the powerplay.

Sheffield did all they could to get back into the match with a spirited fight-back that just fell short, goals from Mark Turner and Peter Slamiar reduced the deficit to one goal but the Phoenix defence stood firm in the final minutes to hold onto the points.

A Phoenix spokesman commented, “Sheffield are a team that we never take lightly as they work tremendously hard every time we play them. Possibly we should have had a bigger margin of victory given we outshot them 38-22, credit to their goalie, he made some good saves to keep things tight.”

New Signing Wallace Helps Phoenix Past Wildcats

2010-01-25T15:28:00.001Z

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.”

Phoenix Double Fight Back Goes Up In Flames

2010-01-18T17:05:00.001Z

Manchester Phoenix 7-8 Guildford Flames (After Penalty Shots)

Tony Hand’s Manchester Phoenix fought back emphatically on Sunday night against the in-form Guildford Flames to earn a crucial point after being 3 goals down TWICE.

In the second match of a double header against the Flames, Phoenix were 3-0 down at the half way point of the game through goals from Gary Clarke, Lukas Smital and Martin Masa.

But the first Phoenix fight back started in the 31st minute through player-coach Hand before goals from Greg Wood and Ed Courtenay tied the match. Adam Walker then netted a powerplay goal in the 38th minute to give Phoenix the lead before Jaakko Hagelberg was ejected from the match for accidental high sticks causing another shift in momentum.

Guildford took advantage of an extended powerplay at the beginning of the third period with goals from Jez Lundin and Masa to regain the lead. Further damage was done when Adrian Saul netted a shorthanded goal for the visitors in the 47th minute and this was followed by another strike from Smital leaving the Phoenix again trailing by three goals at 7-4.

After losing 9-2 in Guildford the night before, Phoenix were determined to get something from the weekend and they battled back again in the final ten minutes to send the game into overtime. James Neil scoring in the 52nd minute got them started, before an excellent goal from Robert Lachowicz pulled the home-side to within one. With four minutes remaining the unstoppable duo of Tony Hand and Ed Courtenay combined again for the latter to net the game tying goal.

The overtime period produced no further goals and the tie needed penalty shots to decide the outcome with the winner coming from the visitors as Adrian Saul squeezed the puck past Steve Fone for the extra point.

Tony Hand reflected on the result by saying, “Despite the final result, I think we showed tremendous character to twice fight back from being three goals behind. Guildford have a very powerful line-up and we had to battle very hard. And considering the score from Saturday, I think the effort was exceptional tonight.”

Courtenay Double Ends Phoenix Losing Streak

2010-01-11T13:29:00.000Z

Manchester Phoenix 5-4 Peterborough Phantoms (After Overtime)

Leading scorer Ed Courtenay stepped back into the line-up on Saturday night and steered Manchester Phoenix past Peterborough Phantoms with two goals and an assist, ending Phoenix’s four game losing skid.

The ex-NHL winger scored deep into overtime to seal the points after his side surrendered a two goal lead in the third period.

It was the Phantoms, on their second visit to the Ice Dome this season, who scored first through ex-Phoenix forward Joe Miller in the 7th minute in a period that again seemed to show the defensive frailties in the Phoenix team. The lack of organisation in their own zone should have cost them more but for the play of goaltender Steve Fone as the Phantoms outshot their hosts.

The second period saw a complete turnaround as it was the Phoenix that flew from the blocks, two goals in a minute saw them take the lead, Jaakko Hagelberg and Robert Lachowicz both netting before the 24 minute mark. Adam Walker added a third strike in the 32nd minute and Steve Fone managed to keep the Phantoms at bay during a late surge.

The final period saw Phoenix relinquish their two goal cushion as a second goal from Joe Miller and a shorthanded effort from James Knight saw the Phantoms level. A minute later the Phoenix were back in front, Courtenay swept home his first of the night on the powerplay only for James Morgan to equalize again for the visitors in the 54th minute.

Phoenix had a great chance to seal the game in the overtime period as Joe Miller was penalised for the Phantoms, but netminder Stephen Wall saved everything the Phoenix forwards could throw at him. However after the powerplay expired Ed Courtenay was left alone at the back post and duly netted the game winning goal off a pass from Iain Bowie.

Commenting after the match Tony Hand said, “Peterborough gave us a battle tonight, they’re much stronger now than they were earlier in the season and we had to dig deep. Foney made some big saves for us tonight, in fact both goalies played well.”