Honours even between Peterborough Phantoms and the new National League leaders

Both teams won away from home with Phantoms triumphing 4-2 in MK on Boxing Day before Lightning hit back with a 6-2 success at Planet Ice on Tuesday in front of 1,032 fans, comfortably the biggest attendance of the season in the city rink.

Mk are now top of the table, by a point from both Leeds and Phantoms. Leeds have three games in hand on the leaders and four games in hand on Phantoms.

A powerful final period sped Phantoms to victory in MK. It was 1-1 at the end of the first period with Jarvis Hunt cancelling out an early home goal and it remained at 1-1 after two periods.

But Ralfs Circenis and Lukas Sladkovsky scored early in the final period for Phantoms and a last-minute empty net goal from Duncan Speirs sealed the win after MK had made it 3-2 with seven minutes to go.

But Phantoms couldn’t replicate that form on home ice 24 hours later as Bobby Chamberlain claimed a match-winning hat-trick for MK.

It was 2-0 to the visitors at the end of the first period and 3-0 within a minute of the start of the second period.

Corey McEwen pulled a goal back quickly for Phantoms, but MK had pulled clear at 5-1 after 40 minutes.

Sladkovsky claimed a consolation goal in the final stanza, but MK had the last word with a goal that took them to the top of the table.

Phantoms are next in action against the Raiders at Planet Ice on New Years Day (5.30pm).