Four-goal Ferrara back with a bang for Peterborough Phantoms at Planet Ice
Peterborough Phantoms skipper Luke Ferrara returned to action with a bang at Planet Ice on Sunday..
The free-scoring forward completed a three-match suspension for a ‘boarding’ offence as Phantoms went down 7-3 at Swindon Wildcats on Saturday.
But the main man was back to score four times as Phantoms delivered a strong final period on home ice to beat bottom club Telford Tigers 6-3.
The weekend results kept the city side in fifth place in the National League standings. It remains tight at the top though as Phantoms are just two points behind leaders Leeds Knights.
Slava Koulikov’s men are at struggling Solway Sharks on Saturday (7pm) before hosting the third-placed Romford Raiders on Sunday (5.30pm).
Tigers were competitive throughout the 60 minutes at Planet Ice. They opened the scoring through Vladimir Luka and levelled at 2-2 before the end of the first period with a goal from James Smith.
Austin Mitchell-King, a former Telford player, and Ferrara scored for Phantoms in that first period with help from Callum Buglass and Janne Laakkonen.
The Laakkonen/Ferrara partnership struck again early in the second period as the skipper smashed a shot into the top corner.
But again Tigers hit back, this time on the powerplay with a goal from Finley Howells, to leave the sides level going into the final session.
And it was Phantoms who asserted their superiority as Ferrara bagged his hat-trick goal and Laakkonen delivered a deserved goal, assisted by Cam Hough.
Fittingly Ferrara completed the scoring to keep his side in touch with the leading group in the table.
WOUNDED BY WILDCATS
It was a different story without Ferrara for Phantoms in Wiltshire.
Former Phantom Glenn Billing struck early for the home side, but dogged defence at both ends meant there was no further scoring in the first period.
But, after Nathan Salem had equalised, Phantoms were swept aside by the Wildcats who scored four goals in four minutes, helped by a five-minute powerplay.
Jake Bricknell, Balint Pakozdi, Billing and Dylan Lipsey all scored in that frantic spell, although Phantoms had the last word of the period when Hough netted on the breakaway.
From 5-2 down Phantoms battled hard in the final period, but had just Salem’s second goal of the night, a powerplay strike, to show for their efforts, while man-of-the-match Tomasz Malasinski scored twice to add to his three assists for the home side.
LEAGUE CUP
Phantoms are currently fourth in the standings. Saturday’s game at Solway doubles as a cup tie.