Peterborough Phantoms overcome loss of suspended coach to topple the leaders in a four-point weekend


The city side made light of the absence of suspended coach Slava Koulikov to damage the title hopes of local rivals MK Lightning with a 5-1 road win on Saturday.
And they followed it up with a battling 6-4 home success over Sheffield Steeldogs at Planet Ice on Sunday.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdPhantoms are fifth and have already booked their place in the play-offs which they won last season. They have four regular season games to go before the play-offs get under way, starting with a double header against fourth placed Hull Seahawks (away next Saturday, home on Sunday, both 5.30pm face-offs).


Koulikov will be back for those games. He served a two-game ban last weekend after his team reached a collective 50 penalty points. Nathan Pollard, James Ferrara and Shaun Yardley stood in for him over the weekend.
Standings
MK L 50 36 14 77
Leeds 49 38 11 77
Swindon 50 32 18 70
Hull 50 28 22 64
PHANTOMS 50 29 21 59
Sheffield 51 26 25 54
Romford 49 21 28 47
Telford 51 21 30 46
Solway 50 18 32 40
Bees 50 14 36 32
Bristol 50 12 38 32
v MK
Phantoms had been beaten 6-1 on their own ice by table-toppers MK six days before this game, but there was a complete reversal of form in Buckinghamshire.
The city side enjoyed a dream start when Nathan Salem took advantage of a mistake to score after just 38 seconds, but the hosts were soon level through Milique Martelly.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdPhantoms netminder Hayden Lavigne made some fine saves as there was no further scoring in the opening period.
But the visitors edged ahead in period two when Scott Robson struck after a pass from Janne Laakkonen.
Luke Ferrara took advantage of a five-on-three powerplay to extend Phantoms’ lead to 3-1 in the opening minute of the final session.
MK worked hard to get back into the game, but Lavigne continued his man-of-the-match display before Cam Hough – with his 50th goal of the season – and Laakkonen scored late to complete a superb 5-1 win.
v SHEFFIELD
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdPhantoms had to survive a strong start and a strong finish from the Steeldogs before completing their four-point weekend.
The visitors were 2-0 up at the first break with goals from Nathan Ripley and Elmeri Hallfors, but the home side pulled one back in the middle stanza through Zaine McKenzie.
Phantoms then exploded into life in the final period with Laakkonen and Ferrara both scoring in the opening minute. Hough and Connor Glossop scored to make it 5-2, but quick strikes from Finlay Ulrick and Walker Sommer got the Steeldogs back to 5-4 with under two minutes to go.
Ferrara settled any nerves with his second goal 30 seconds later.
SIGNING NEWS
Defenceman Callum Buglass has re-signed for the 2025-26 season, his eighth in a row at Phantoms.