Hand helps Phoenix end losing skid

Manchester Phoenix 4-2 Peterborough Phantoms

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Bison clip Phoenix twice in two days

Manchester Phoenix 2-3 Basingstoke Bison (After Overtime)

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tough Tigers push Phoenix all the way

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

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

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

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

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

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

Phoenix home streak snapped by Flames

Manchester Phoenix 3-4 Guildford Flames

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Summerfield keeps Phoenix hot

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

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

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.”