Peterborough Phantoms put to the sword by Leeds Knights again after Swindon Wildcats prove too strong

Phantoms followed their penalty shoot out loss in Leeds the previous weekend with a 3-1 home beating as they found hot visiting netminder Sam Gospel in fantastic form.

After a goalless first period, Adam Barnes fired the visitors in front in the 22nd minute before Phantoms’ man-of-the-match Glenn Billing levelled with the help of Duncan Speirs on 28 minutes.

Phantoms pressed hard for the winning goal, but ran into Gospel in peak form.

Gospel faced 40 shots and conceded just one goal. Leeds delivered 30 shots on Jordan Marr’s net, and scored just twice. The third goal arrived in the final minute after Marr had been sacrificed for an extra on-ice skater.

Gospel defied Buglass brilliantly in the early stages and thwarted Billing and Padelek in the final period before Barnes claimed the vital go-ahead goal in the 51st minute.

Phantoms continued to pressure the Knights’ defence and pulled netminder Jordan Marr with three minutes to go, but it was Cole Shudra who claimed the last goal, sliding the puck into the empty Phantoms net with 40 seconds left to finally silence another boisterous Planet Ice crowd.

Phantoms were also beaten 4-2 at Swindon Wildcasts on Saturday when they took too long to get going.

The city side were 4-0 down inside half an hour and could only pull two goals in the final period.

Phantoms started back-up netminder Ryan Bainborough and he made two good saves in the first minute, before sprawling across his net to deny a big Aaron Nell effort after good work from Tomasz Malasinski.

But the Cats’ top two forwards did eventually find a way through as Polish international Malasinski skated hard behind the goal before centring to Nell, who doesn’t miss from there.

The hosts doubled their lead in the middle period as Chris Jones backhanded an effort into the net with exactly 22 minutes played after commotion behind the Phantoms goal.

Balint Pakozdi then scored twice in four minutes for Swindon to pretty much clinch the points

Phantoms finally got themselves on the board with seven minutes played in the third. Ales Padelek took a pass from Brad Bowering, and took his time to settle the puck down before sending it past Marr and into the back of the net.

Then, with Bainborough at the bench and Neil Liddiard sitting a delay of game penalty, Nathan Salem found the back of the net to put the Phantoms within two.

It was much better from Phantoms towards the end, but it was too little, too late.