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Peterborough Phantoms 8, Romford Raiders 3 - Cool Luke scores a cracker in big win
English Premier League: GAMES against Romford Raiders usually go one of two ways.
English Premier League: GAMES against Romford Raiders usually go one of two ways.Either it's a chippy affair that's nip and tuck all the way or the Londoners decide to roll over and die - either way Phantoms win.
On Saturday night (16 January) it was the second scenario which unfolded at the Peterborough Arena as Doug Irwin's patched-up side showed more versatility than a Swiss army knife to cut Romford to ribbons.
Missing Maris Ziedins, Callum Fowler, Julian Smith and Doug MacIver, Irwin was once again forced to mix and match his attacking options.
But this time the Canadian got it spot on with goals across the bench as Joe Miller (2), James Ferrara (2), Luke Ferrara, Brent Gough, Shaun Yardley and Warren Tait all registering to secure a comfortable win.
"It was a game we probably expected to win but that is not to say that we took Romford lightly, far from it," said Irwin.
"They always seem motivated to have a really good go against us but on Saturday I thought we played a smart game and took our chances when we needed to.
"That made it a lot more comfortable for us and I am very pleased with the performance all round.
"Perhaps what pleases me most is the performance of the younger players who have had to fill in and the one who stands out was Luke Ferrara.
"He scored a phenomenal goal and is a long way ahead of where we thought he would be at this stage of the season.
"Injuries are a problem but the form of Luke has been a real silver lining for us."
If fact Ferrara's moment of virtuosity that restored Phantoms' lead late in the first period was more than just a silver lining, it was a moment of genius.
And it came at a time when his side needed it most.
Having got their noses in front early thanks to the red-hot Miller, Raiders grabbed a shock equaliser through new Lithuanian import Darius Pliskauskas who found the mark with a powerful first-time effort.
When Frankie Harvey then hammered in Danny Marshall's astute pass for 2-1 minutes later, Phantoms began to look rattled as the visitors seriously threatened to make a game of it.
But after watching big brother and man-of-the-match James tie the game at 2-2, the youngest player on the ice restored the balance of power quite brilliantly with three minutes of the period left to play.
After picking up the puck on his own blue line, 16-year-old Ferrara zipped 'coast to coast' past, round or through anything in his path before bearing down on Raiders' netminder Joe Myers.
As he closed the gap, the Great Britain Under 18 international's mesmerizing progress for a moment looked to have been halted by a heavy last ditch check from Danny Cox.
Instead of losing his footing however, Ferrara showed cat-like balance to keep his feet before scooping the puck high into the top corner of the net.
It was the first of what will surely be a string of scrapbook goals for the youngest of the three Ferrara brothers and it won a standing ovation as Phantoms pulled free from their brief sticky spell.
And with influential defenceman John Sitko failing to re-appear for the second period, things soon got worse for the visitors when Miller picked out Gough who made no mistake with a low shot into the far corner just 30 seconds in.
The extravagantly named Dallas Constanzo did manage to cut the deficit midway through, but the puck had barely dropped for the re-start when Miller's clever back-handed shot saw the two-goal advantage restored.
Three minutes later Yardley had made it six with a simple tap-in after excellent battling from James Spurr behind the Raiders goal as Phantoms ended the period three goals to the good and in complete control.
Both Tait and Gough went close early in the final twenty before James Ferrara lit the lamp for his second of the night.
Tait began the move after breaking Marshall's tackle and firing a pass out to the right wing where Ferrara was in full flight having anticipated his team-mate's intentions.
His first touch brought the sizzling puck under control while the second send it arrowing past Myers as Phantoms cantered at leisure towards the finish line.
Before they eased home however there was just enough time for another goal, this time for Tait whose industry deserved its own reward.
Ferrara senior sent the former Sheffield man on his way and, rather than heading straight down the middle, Ferrara instead swung out to the wing in a graceful arc before applying the coup de grace with a blistering shot from the hash marks.
All in all it was a fitting way to end a game which Phantoms never looked like losing.
SCORING
PHANTOMS
Time Scorer Assist
2.41 J. Miller B. Gough.
11.48 J. Ferrara -
17.13 L. Ferrara J. Spurr
20.32 B. Gough J. Miller
30.47 J. Miller T. Carlon
33.00 S. Yardley J. Spurr
47.53 J. Ferrara T. Jeffery
50.09 W. Tait J. Ferrara
Man-of-the-match - James Ferrara.
Shots - 38.
RAIDERS
Time Scorer Assist
4.53 D. Pliskauskas D. Marshall
8.14 F. Harvey D. Marshall
29.32 D. Constanzo A. Munroe
Man-of-the-match - Andy Munroe.
Shots - 30.
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Weather for Peterborough
Sunday 12 February 2012
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Cloudy
Temperature: 1 C to 4 C
Wind Speed: 12 mph
Wind direction: North west
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