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Manchester Phoenix 1-6 Slough Jets
Manchester Phoenix went down woefully 6-1 to the Slough Jets in Altrincham on Sunday night after a second period collapse by the home side that saw the Jets score four times without reply.
Player coach Tony Hand conceded that the better team took the points home “It’s always disappointing when you lose and particularly when you lose at home, but I give all the credit to Slough tonight. There were quicker to the puck, won most of the 50-50 battles and they took their chances.”
Second period goals from Joe Greener, Peter Poljacek and a double from Blaz Emersic were enough to give the hosts a commanding lead at the second interval that came after a goalless opening stanza. The damage could have been worse but a sprawling save by Steve Fone in the Manchester net as he clawed the puck back off the goal-line.
The third period saw the Phoenix try to fight their way back into the match to no avail, the tie had gone from the home-side before Ed Courtenay netted in the 47th minute. The Jets scored either side of the Phoenix marker through Ciaran Long and Dan Davies, completing a miserable night for Tony Hand’s team who lacked creativity when trying to move the puck forward.
Hand commented after the game, “We’ll analyse the video of tonight and break it down so that we all learn collectively and individually where things went wrong. Now is not the time for over-reaction or histrionics, we need to address the breakdowns and work harder at making sure they don’t become bad habits.”
Manchester Phoenix 6-5 Basingstoke Bison
An under the weather Manchester Phoenix needed an overtime period to beat the Basingstoke Bison at the Altrincham Ice Dome on Sunday night after trailing by two goals no fewer than three times in the match.
With a cold bug currently amongst the Phoenix locker-room, it took an Andre Mattsson deflected shot by Tony Hand shot in the 63rd minute to seal a hard-earned two points from a Bison side that looked to have wrapped up the points on several occasions throughout the match.
“By rights there are four or five us who should have stayed in bed tonight, but we all showed up and we got the job done.”, commented Hand after his sides eighth win in ten games.
“Considering how we felt, I thought we got a tremendous effort, especially after Basingstoke scored late and we had to fight back again to force overtime. Once again, I thought it was great entertainment and the Bison more than played their part”
The Phoenix were two goals down at the first intermission after two strikes from Andy Hemmings had put the visitors in front followed by a late first period goal from Sam Zajak. Adam Walker found the lone goal for the Phoenix in the 15th minute.
Determind to reduce the arrears, the second period saw Phoenix fly out of the blocks, Adam Walker scoring his second of the night in the 24th minute immediately cutting the deficit to one. The sides then traded goals as Joe Ciccarello found the net for the Bison whilst Tony Hand reduced the deficit once more in the 28th minute.
The Phoenix levelled the scores in the 51st minute as Ed Courtenay jammed the puck home from close in, before the Bison came forward again and took the lead in the 56th minute through Ciccarello, seemingly sealing the victory with little over four minutes remaining. As the Phoenix came in search of another equalizer, the Bison were called on two penalties leaving the home-side a golden opportunity to level the tie with a 5 on 3 powerplay and they duly netted in the 58th minute, the on-form Iain Bowie scrabbling the puck home to send the game into overtime, where Andre Mattsson’s deflection was enough to beat Bison netminder Tom Annetts.
“The level of competition in this league is something exceptional, so it is even more important we all shake off these colds and get ready for next weekend as quickly as we can.” Added Hand
Phoenix are next in action away at Bracknell on Saturday before returning home to the Ice Dome on Sunday to take on Slough Jets, face-off at 5.30pm
Manchester Phoenix 6-4 Sheffield Scimitars
Three goals in three minutes from Player coach Tony Hand and hot-shot Ed Courtenay brought Manchester Phoenix back from the dead on Saturday night against a battling Sheffield Scimitars.
The Phoenix turned the tables on a Sheffield side who could have been forgiven for thinking they had done enough to beat the Phoenix for the first time in five attempts, but man of the match Hand found a way to tie the score at 4-4 in the dying minutes before Ed Courtenay edged the Phoenix in front with 50 seconds on the clock.
A pulsating game at the Altrincham Ice Dome began with an early goal for the home-side, the on form Iain Bowie firing a shot from the left wing circle past Pasi Raitanen in the Sheffield net in the 6th minute. Phoenix doubled their advantage in the 16th minute as the equally hot Robert Lachowicz capitalised on a turnover in the Sheffield zone.
An all action first period then saw Bowie drop the gloves with Sheffield’s Robert Farmer as they engaged in a fight that ended with the Phoenix winger coming worse off due to the size of the Scimitars forward. This seemed to revitalise the Scimitars and Tom Squires reduced the deficit to 2-1 in the 18th minute.
The resurgent Scimitars attacked further in the second period with the Phoenix struggling to deal with wave after wave of pressure. Deservedly, the visitors drew level in the 26th minute through Matt Haywood as he fired a blistering slap-shot past a helpless Steve Fone in the Manchester net. The Scimitars were clearly in the ascendency and they quickly took the lead through Robert Farmer and could have made the game a two goal spread, but the goal-frame came to the aid of a beaten Steve Fone.
The final period saw the Phoenix draw level in the 45th minute as Adam Walker deflected a pass from Ed Courtenay right in front of the Sheffield net and from there on in the period quickly built up into an epic spectacle of all-out attacking action as both teams went in search of the game winner. It was Sheffield who found the net in the 54th minute as James Archer struck and seemingly dealt the Phoenix a killer blow much to the delight of the travelling support.
However Phoenix coach Hand found a crack in the armour of Raitanen in the Sheffield net as he banked the puck off his legs from behind the net to tie the score at 4-4 in the 57th minute before Ed Courtenay capitalized on Sheffield give-away to put the Phoenix in the lead with less than a minute remaining. Sheffield withdrew their netminder in hope of an equally impressive comeback, but the plan backfired as Hand found the empty cage to seal two points for the Phoenix.
Player coach Hand remarked after the game, “That has to be one of the most entertaining games I’ve played in for quite some time. Both teams gave it 110% and to honest, neither deserved to lose. I thought our guys needed to stay calm and not panic, and they did. We dug deep to get the job done and I think you could tell by the noise that the supporters enjoyed the game.”
“I hope that when they spread the word about tonights’ game that we can continue to get more people to come out and see what great value for money we offer as a sporting spectacle.”
Manchester Phoenix 7-0 Romford Raiders
Robert Lachowicz and Iain Bowie led the way for Manchester Phoenix on Sunday night at the Altrincham Ice Dome as they both bagged doubles during the seven goal rout of Romford Raiders.
Tony Hand’s team were quick off the mark, taking advantage of an early power-play opportunity as Greg Wood opened the scoring with a wrap-around goal in the third minute. This was followed by Bowie’s first of the night in the 7th minute, again on the power-play as the visitors took early penalties. A perfect period for the Phoenix was capped off by a sublime breakaway effort by Lachowicz who after beating the Raiders defence with his speed, neatly finished off a great move by the home side to lead 3-0 at the first interval.
Player coach Hand replaced Steve Fone in the home goal for the second period, giving back-up netminder Adam Summerfield the chance to get some ice-time under his belt with the Phoenix looking fairly comfortable. Iain Bowie completed his double early in the period before Adam Walker missed a penalty shot for the home side.
In the third period however, Walker finally got his goal tally for the season off the mark with a strike in the 44th minute to increase the lead to five goals. By this point, the game was gone from the Raiders who never really found their groove during their first visit to the Dome. In the 47th minute, sniper Ed Courtenay snapped home the hosts sixth goal of the night, this was followed shortly after by Lachowicz’s second goal as he arrived at the net just in time to connect with a oncoming Adam Walker pass to complete the scoring at 7-0
Phoenix coach Tony Hand commented, “Tonight, I could see the first real signs of the team beginning to gel. I thought everybody played well and it was good to give Adam Summerfield two periods even though he didn’t face that many shots.”
”The really pleasing aspect is the goals we scored being spread around the roster and for the younger lads like Iain and Robert to see their effort and enthusiasm rewarded. With no disrespect to Romford who kept on battling, we’ll have harder games this season, but I’m pleased by the solid all-round effort tonight.”
The defeat of Romford paired with a 5-1 road victory in Swindon the night before lifts Phoenix to 2nd in the table behind leaders Milton Keynes Lightning.
Sheffield Scimitars 2-3 Manchester Phoenix
Manchester Phoenix 2-3 Milton Keynes Lighting
Manchester Phoenix’s unbeaten start to the new season came to a halt on Sunday night as the Milton Keynes Lightning came away from their first ever visit to the Altrincham Ice Dome with 2 points. The Phoenix went down 3-2 on home ice despite winning in Sheffield the night before which took to them to the top of the English Premier League, Tony Hand’s men now lie in third place after the opening four games of the season.
On Saturday night, the Phoenix travelled to Sheffield for their third meeting with the Scimitars in five games. Three goals in the opening six minutes saw a blistering start to the game, Phoenix’s Jaakko Hagelberg deflected an Andre Mattsson slap-shot on the powerplay to take the lead before Robert Farmer brought the hosts level within minutes. Seconds later, some great Phoenix transitional play led to Robert Lachowicz neatly finishing a breakaway move to give Manchester the lead once more.
The Scimitars again brought the game level late in the second period as Farmer raced in on goal to beat Steve Fone in the Manchester net which led to a tense third period with little chances at either end of the ice. The breakthrough finally came in the 56th minute as Tony Hand netted from close range to seal the Phoenix’s second win in Sheffield this season.
The following night, the Phoenix played host to ex-Manchester Storm forward Nick Poole’s Milton Keynes Lightning and the tone for the match was set early as Phoenix netminder Steve Fone made a dramatic diving safe to deny the Lightning an early goal. However this seemed to spur the Lightning further, who by the close of the period, netted twice through Adam Carr (short-handed) and Ross Bowers (power-play).
Phoenix finally countered in the 28th minute as Jaakko Hagelberg scored on the power-play, after which the home team laid siege to the Lightning net but were unable to find an equalizer before the end of the second period. The third period saw the Phoenix hit the goal-frame before the Lightning regained their two goal lead, Adam Carr scoring his second of the night sending the visiting bench into ecstasy and leaving the home-side a mountain to climb in the closing minutes. New Phoenix captain Luke Boothroyd did reduce the deficit with a late, hotly disputed goal but the Phoenix could find no equalizer in the time remaining.
Player coach Hand remarked, “The guys worked hard tonight in a hard-fought and well contested game, maybe this result will act as something of a wake up call for us. We’ve made a good start, but we’ve learned this weekend that there will no easy nights.”
“We’ve a number of younger players who are still learning the game and the standard of play we’ve seen is possibly better than we were expecting. We’ll look hard at both of this weekends games and look to minimise the areas where we’ve been caught out.”
Manchester Phoenix 4-3 Swindon Wildcats
Manchester Phoenix secured two wins from their first weekend in the English PREMIER League on Sunday after British defenceman James Neil scored the game winning goal late on against a strong Swindon team that led three times in the match.
The match was a close affair with neither team really taking control of the game until the third period where the Phoenix experience paid dividends as after clawing their way back into the game three times, James Neil finally beat Geoff Woolhouse in the Swindon net with little over three minutes remaining.
The Wildcats showed their resilience in the first period however and they shaded the opening 20 minutes, deservedly taking the lead through Matt Foord on the powerplay as Jaakko Hagelberg was penalized for boarding.
In the second period, the Phoenix increased their work rate and finally found the net in the 27th minute through Jaakko Hagelberg after good work from Ed Courtenay. However, just over a minute later Swindon restored their lead with a strike from Joe Baird. The Phoenix came forward searching for a second equalizer and found it, courtesy of new arrival Ed Courtenay, scoring his fifth goal of the weekend just before the half hour mark. Swindon’s Jozef Kohut and Manchester’s Andre Mattsson then traded goals to send both teams into the final period tied at 3-3.
The final period was a stage set for a hero, and with 56.46 on the clock, teenager James Neil fired a perfect wrist shot that sent the Phoenix fans home happy and the team claimed a valuable two points against a resilient Swindon team.
Player coach Tony Hand commented, “I give the guys a lot of credit tonight for battling back. I thought we dominated the game, but Swindon made it difficult for us as they were well organised and well coached in their approach to the game.”
“We’ve had two tough games and got a great start to the campaign with maximum points, so I have to be pleased. Overall, I’m pleased with the effort we got from the players this weekend and another week of training and getting used to each other will set us up for next weekends games away to Sheffield and at home to Milton Keynes.”
On the Saturday night, the Manchester Phoenix came away from a long bus trip to Basingstoke with two points as they ran out 7-4 winners with debutant Ed Courtenay grabbing an impressive four goals.EPL Results:
Saturday
Swindon Wildcats 6-1 Romford Raiders
Slough Jets 9-0 Bracknell Bee’s
Milton Keynes Lightning 3-2 Guildford Flames
Sheffield Scimitars 4-2 Peterborough Phantoms
Sunday
Romford Raiders 3-5 Sheffield Scimitars
Peterborough Phantoms 4-6 Slough Jets
Guildford Flames 2-3 Basingstoke Bison
Bracknell Bee’s 2-5 Milton Keynes Lightning
Elite League
Saturday
Hull Stingrays 2-9 Edinburgh Capitals
Cardiff Devils 6-5 Sheffield Steelers (AOT)
Nottingham Panthers 4-3 Newcastle Vipers
Belfast Giants 4-5 Coventry Blaze
Sunday
Newcastle Vipers 2-0 Belfast Giants
Sheffield Steelers 6-3 Cardiff Devils
Edinburgh Capitals 3-4 Nottingham Panthers (AOT)
Coventry Blaze 4-2 Hull Stingrays (Challenge Cup)
Manchester Phoenix 3-3 Sheffield Scimitars (6-5 agg)
The Manchester Phoenix opened their new season last weekend with a War of the Roses encounter against the Sheffield Scimitars with the Phoenix taking the honours over two nights, winning the two game series 6-5 on aggregate.
On Saturday night, the Phoenix came away from Ice Sheffield with a narrow 3-2 lead after goals from Robert Lachowicz, player coach Tony Hand and Jaakko Hagelberg were enough to take an advantage back to Altrincham for the Sunday night winner takes all show-down.
The opening minutes of Sunday night’s game were penalty filled and yet neither side managed to make an opening on the powerplay until just over 5 minutes into the game when Andre Mattsson stepped up from the blue-line and fired a laser shot into the bottom of the net that ex-Edinburgh Capitals goaltender Pasi Raitanen had no chance with. However in the 12th minute the Scimitars drew level with a goal from James Archer as he broke in on goal to beat Steve Fone in the Manchester net. Both goalies made great saves in the final minutes of the period to deny each team taking the lead into the break, Raitanen was alert to a Lachowicz one time shot from the crease whilst Steve Fone dived from post to post to prevent Joakim Millqvust scoring at the other end.
In the second period, it was the Scimitars who took the lead with only 55 seconds played, Peter Slamiar finding the back of the net to take the aggregate score to 4-4. The goalies then stepped up again to deny the forwards of both teams as Raitanen saved well from Hagelberg, preventing the Phoenix getting an equalizer, whilst Steve Fone saved superbly from a breakaway effort by Stephen Wallace. The Phoenix then got the break they needed, with the puck bobbling around the Scimitars net, Iain Bowie found and shot the puck home just before the half hour mark. This spurred the Phoenix on further and player coach Tony Hand led the way, sending a pin point pass across the ice that found Greg Wood at the back post to smash home Phoenix’s third goal of the night.
The final period saw both teams evenly matched as the Scimitars came flying out of the blocks and brought the tie to 3-3 on the night as a blistering shot by Peter Slamiar managed to fly over Steve Fone’s shoulder into the top of the net from a tight angle. The Phoenix looked to again take the lead but Raitanen in the Scimitars net had other ideas as he saved well off shots by Hand and Greg Wood twice, when the puck finally went in the net for a fourth time, the goal was washed out as Andre Payette was adjudged to have been in the goalies crease as he deflected a slap shot into the net.
After lifting the trophy, Payette commented, “We’ve got a few bumps and bruises after these two games, but there’ll be little pain as we lifted a trophy. Success is infectious and I’m hoping that having had an early taste, the guys will be even hungrier for more as the season progresses.”
“We’ll work hard this week as the real thing starts next weekend with a tough road trip to Basingstoke before we face Swindon in our home opener.”
All that was left was for Phoenix to lift their first piece of silverware of the season and although it was only a pre-season challenge weekend, the new team will have taken a lot of confidence from the two games and learnt a great deal about each others playing styles and hopefully when this weekend comes around, the players will be up to complete match fitness and ready to start the league campaign.Other pre-season EPL results:SaturdayBasingstoke Bison 4-2 Bracknell Bees
Milton Keynes Lightning 7-2 Romford Raiders
Swindon Wildcats 5-3 Guildford Flames
Slough Jets 5-4 Peterborough PhantomsSundayBracknell Bees 4-6 Basingstoke Bison
Guildford Flames 8-1 Swindon Wildcats
Peterborough Phantoms 3-2 Slough Jets
Romford Raiders 2-5 Milton Keynes Lightning
Elite League results:SaturdayHull Stingrays 4-2 Cardiff DevilsNottingham Panthers 2-1 Coventry BlazeBelfast 2-3 Sheffield Steelers (After Overtime + Shootout)SundayCardiff Devils 5-2 Hull Stingrays (Challenge Cup game)Sheffield Steelers 2-4 Belfast GiantsNottingham Panthers 5-3 Newcastle Vipers
