Sponsored by
Phantoms are shot down in Flames - Phantoms 2 Guildford 4
PHANTOMS 2 GUILDFORD 4 English Premier League
PHANTOMS 2
GUILDFORD 4
English Premier LeagueTHE fact Phantoms only have to play Guildford Flames once more this season will be a huge source of relief at Bretton HQ.
Indeed for those at the club eyeing a first English Premier League crown in six years, the mere thought of facing the reigning champions must fill them with dread.
Because all evidence points to the fact that if the six game series between the sides had further than next Saturday's clash at the Spectrum to run (face-off 6pm), our boys wouldn't stand a cat in hell's chance.
Another disappointing defeat against Paul Dixon's side at the Peterborough Arena proved once again that - when it comes to Guildford at least - Phantoms appear to have a serious mental block.
On paper they seem more than a match for the Surrey slickers but on ice it's been a different story - four defeats in five games so far this campaign is a sorry tale indeed.
Goals for David Savage, Milos Melicherik, Steven Lee and Ollie Bronnimann on Saturday saw Flames maintain their stranglehold in these fixtures to move level with Phantoms at the top of the table.
Luckily the home side can at least take solace from the fact that they have two games in hand on their closest rivals.
And according to Patterson his team are going to need them.
He said: "I thought we played pretty well but gave up a couple of soft goals after getting back to 2-2 going into the final period which was disappointing and something we can ill afford against such a good side.
"At 2-2 we had some good chances with Craig Peacock and Brent Gough both going close and had either of those gone in it could have been a completely different result.
"Both teams knew this was a massive game but we have lost it and we have to move on and concentrate on the challenges that lie ahead. Luckily we have two games in hand on Guildford so the advantage is with us but we always knew it was going to be tough to stay the pace.
"On Saturday we were perhaps a little more tentative than we usually are because of the respect we had for their forward pace and that maybe cost us a couple of goals but defensively we worked well as a unit which was a big plus for me and I thought Stephen Wall was excellent again."
But after a tentative opening it was Joe Watkins who found himself the busier of the two netminders as Phantoms began the game well.
Maris Ziedins went close from Rempel's pass after just two minutes before Joe Miller and James Morgan forced fine saves from Watkins.
With both teams working hard to deny each other space however, clear-cut openings were few and far between and while Lukas Smital and Vaclav Zavoral both got decent shots away, Wall responded with some nice glovework on both occasions.
With seconds to go in the first period Peacock was presented with the best chance of breaking the deadlock when he found himself one on one but the young hot-shot delayed too long and saw his shot smothered.The game opened up more in the middle act and Phantoms were first to take advantage when Ziedins' pass across the crease was backhanded in by Rempel for his 43rd goal of the season.
And with Dwayne Newman, skipper Lewis Buckman and Andy Munroe all throwing their weight around with good effect, it seemed Phantoms would hold their slender lead going into the final period.
But when Savage's speculative slapshot somehow found its way past an unsighted Wall and into the back of the net, Phantoms were pegged back to 1-1 going into the final twenty.
The goal proved decisive as, robbed of their usual fluency, the home side struggled to impose themselves on guests who had started to look ever more dangerous as the seconds ticked by.
And it was no real surprise to see Melicherik pounce with his usual precision from Taras Foremsky's lay-off to give his side the lead six minutes into the final act.
Gough did manage to pull one back with a neat back-post finish but Guildford clearly sensed their luck would hold and pushed forward in greater numbers before nicking a third when Lee deflected in from Smital's scuffed shot on 48 minutes.
Finding themselves behind for the second time Phantoms pushed forward with increasing abandon in search of the equaliser only to be caught out when Bronnimann lashed the decisive goal after being left unmarked on the blue line.
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Peterborough
Saturday 26 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 11 C to 23 C
Wind Speed: 20 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 10 C to 23 C
Wind Speed: 15 mph
Wind direction: East
Your view
Please sign in to be able to comment on this story.