A slow start and a bad finish saw Peterborough Phantoms lose their unbeaten home record
Peterborough Phantoms tasted defeat on home ice for the first time in the National League this season on Sunday.
A slow start and a bad finish cost the city skaters who went down 5-3 to Romford Raiders. Phantoms had won 5-1 at bottom club Basingstoke on Saturday, but a split weekend meant they slipped a place to fifth in the standings, but just one point behind the two teams directly above them.
Phantoms have an immediate chance of some Romford revenge as they visit the Raiders on Wednesday (October 29, 7.15pm face off). Ashley Tait’s men then face a weekend double header against the Hull Seahawks, away on Saturday (5.30pm) and at Planet Ice on Sunday (5.30pm).
Standings: 1 Swindon P12 20pts, 2 Leeds P12 20pts, 3 Telford P11 15pts, 4 Sheffield P12 15pts, 5 Phantoms P11 14pts, 6 MK P11 13pts, 7 Hull P11 11pts, 8 Romford P11 9pts, 9 Bristol P11 8pts, 10 Solway P10 4pts, 11 Basingstoke P6 2pts.
Romford were ahead after 90 seconds on Sunday through a Tjay Anderson goal and it was 2-0 a minute later when Shaun Miller struck.
Phantoms responded with a Luke Ferrara slapshot on 9.55, but Miller struck again for the visitors only for Morgan Clarke Pizzo to immediately hit back with the second home goal after good work from Ferrara and Janne Laakkonen.
And Phantoms looked well on the road to recovery when Cam Hough levelled five minutes into the second period. Hough then hit the post before he, Ferrara and Dillon Lawrence were all thwarted by Romford netminder Cole Ceci.
Ceci continued to impress in the final period when Phantoms couldn’t convert several powerplay opportunities. Jasper Foster also went close, but the visitors broke away to claim two late goals through Adam Laishram and Anderson, the latter after Phantoms had pulled netminder Hayden Lavigne, in the final five minutes.
The day before Phantoms had ruined the Basingstoke Bison homecoming. The Hampshire club were hosting a National League match for the first time this season, but, after a strong start which tested Lavigne, they found Phantoms too strong.
Hough scored the only goal of the first period, his 10th of the season, before Ferrara teed up Clarke-Pizzo for the only goal of the second session.
Foster made it 3-0 early in the third period after being sent through by Corey McEwen before the hosts replied through Brendan Sellan, but Lawrence then scored twice to snuff out any hope of a comeback. Hough insisted on both and the first was a great finish.
Clarke-Pizzo was man-of-the-match for Phantoms in Basingstoke with Hough taking the honours against Romford.