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Bentham doesn’t look for trouble
Ice hockey action from Phantoms v Telford Tigers: Richie Bentham. Photo: Alan Storer/Peterborough ET
PHANTOMS forward Richard Bentham insists he’s more than just a brawler.
Over the past few weeks Bentham has spent almost as much time with his gloves off as on but he is anxious not to be seen as Phantoms enforcer.
Despite fights with Steeldogs’ Lee Haywood and Henrik Sahlin of the Telford Tigers in the space of a week, the former GB Under 18 star is no mindless goon.
He said: “Over the past few weeks the team has needed someone to step up and I have been that someone. There was an effort to really toughen up our approach, particularly at home, and that has ended with me having a couple of fights.
“I can look after myself but I do not see myself as an out-and-out fighter. I have always been a physical player and that is not about to change but I don’t go out there looking for trouble and am not about to start.”
Which may be just as well. Phantoms opponents at the Peterborough Arena on Sunday are the Bracknell Bees (face-off 5.30pm), a team that can call on the pugilistic talents of Bradley Watchorn.
Away from hockey Watchorn has also forged a career in mixed martial arts although Bentham is not expecting to go toe to toe with his former Isle of Wight team mate.
“I know Brad really well as we both played for the Raiders so I can’t see us dropping the gloves with each other on Sunday night,” added Bentham.
“But that doesn’t mean that the team as a whole will not be using the same kind of physical approach as we have used for our last few home games. Bracknell are a tough team and we will have to be ready to fight for the points against them.”
And with the two teams currently battling to secure the last English Premier League Play-off spot, Bentham knows Sunday’s clash has become a must-win game.
He said: “Because we beat Telford and they lost to Slough, we have closed the gap in the table on them to just one point. Both teams have played the same number of games so it would be fair to say that Sunday’s game is the biggest of our season so far - it is massive.
“We have worked hard over recent weeks to put ourselves in this position and we cannot allow this chance to slip away. The team has really started to gel and if we can overtake them and move up to eighth, we can really push on.
“Making the Play-offs is our number one priority and of course the higher we can finish in the table, the better our quarter final draw will be.”
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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