A win and a loss to start the National League season for Peterborough Phantoms
Peterborough Phantoms have started the National League season with a road win and a home defeat.
The city skaters recorded an opening night 2-1 win at the Berkshire Bees on Saturday, but went down 5-3 to Sheffield Steeldogs at Planet Ice 24 hours later in a match that also counted towards League Cup points. Phantoms host the Bees this Saturday (September 21, 7pm face-off) before travelling to the Romford Raiders on Sunday (5.15pm). Both games are League and Cup matches.
It was a tense struggle in Berkshire. The teams traded early goals as Tom Norton’s third minute strike was cancelled out in the 10th minute, but there were further goals until Thomas Palmer won the points for Phantoms seven minutes into the final period. Barnabás Sári, Callum Buglass, Palmer and Norton were credited with assists for Phantoms.
Netminder Hayden Lavigne made some big saves for Phantoms and left with the man-of-the-match award.
Over 900 fans packed into Planet Ice to see if Phantoms could claim a four-point weekend, but most left disappointed after another close encounter.
It looked good for Phantoms after they overturned an early deficit to lead 3-1 at the end of the first period. Last season’s top scorer Luke Ferrara claimed his first goal of the season before Cam Hough and Austin Mitchell-King also hit the target. Ferrara (2) and Norton were given assists.
But the Steeldogs hit Phantoms with three goals in five minutes towards the end of the second period and conceded an empty net goal in the final stages after taking Lavigne off the ice in favour of an extra skater. Billy Thorpe was named Phantoms man of the match.