Peterborough Phantoms secured a place in the play-offs during back-to-back wins over Bristol Pitbulls
Peterborough Phantoms sealed their place in the National League play-offs with back-to-back wins against the Bristol Bulldogs at the weekend.
A 7-6 overtime win in Bristol on Saturday sealed a place in the post-season fun and Phantoms celebrated by romping to an 8-3 win against the same opponents at Planet Ice the following night.
Phantoms have now moved up to third in the regular season standings. They still have eight games to play before the start of the play-offs beginning with a trip to MK Lightning on Saturday (7pm face-off) followed by a home game with Telford Tigers on Sunday (5.30pm). Phantoms still have a shot at finishing second.
Swindon, Sheffield, Leeds and Hull have also already qualified for the play-offs.
Standings: 1 Swindon P46 71pts, 2 Sheffield P47 62pts, 3 PHANTOMS P46 58pts, 4 Leeds P46 57pts, 5 Hull P46 57pts, 6 Telford P46 50pts, 7 MK P46 50pts, 8 Romford P46 43pts, 9 Solway P46 38pts, 10 Bristol P46 35pts, 11 Basingstoke P45 34pts.
In-form club record points scorer Luke Ferrara bagged a hat-trick in the win in in Bristol. He was into his stride quickly opening the scoring in the first minute and he was still going strong at the end as he struck the winning goal just 14 seconds into sudden death overtime.
It was a nip and tuck, back and forth, encounter all night with the first period ending 2-2. Jake Bricknell, on the powerplay, and John Dunbar equalising for the hosts after goals from Ferrara and his scoring partner in crime Cam Hough.
Ferrara struck a short-handed goal to open the second session scoring only for Bricknell to bag his second powerplay goal of the night less than a minute later.
Mason Lipsey then fired the home side in front for the first time, but Ferrara promptly teed up Janne Laakkonen to make it 4-4. A third powerplay goal for Bricknell sent Bristol into the final period with a slender lead.
Netminder Hayden Lavigne kept Phantoms in touch with an outstanding save to thwart Caly Robertson before a rocket shot from Dillon Lawrence made it 5-5. Hough soon made it 6-5 to Ash Tait’s men, but back came Bristol again to level through Dunbar to send the game into an overtime period that was over quickly.
It was 3-3 early in the second period at Planet Ice on Sunday before Phantoms stretched away to win comfortably in a battle between two sides with many absentees. Phantoms legend Ales Padelek, the Bristol coach, iced to help out his depleted squad.
Lawrence shot Phantoms into a second minute lead before Lipsey quickly levelled. Tanner Butler put Bristol in front, but within a minute Morgan Clarke-Pizzo had equalised for the hosts. Only nine minutes were on the clock when Lawrence moved Phantoms back into the lead and, after an equaliser early in the second period from Josh Batch, Phantoms exerted their authority.
Clarke-Pizzo claimed a second goal, top scorer Hough netted twice, Lawrence completed his hat-trick and there was an inevitable goal from Ferrara.
Back-up Phantoms netminder Will Bray, a recent signing, replaced Lavigne for the final six minutes and earned a mini shutout.
Ferrara and Hough lead the National League points and goal charts respectively. Janne Laakkonen is second in the points charts with Hough fourth. Ferrara is third in the goalscoring charts with Lawrence seventh.
Points: 97 Ferrara; 90 Laakonen; 88 Jake Bricknell (Bristol); 83 Hough; 81 Bair Gendunov (Sheffield).
Goals: 55 Hough, 42 Bricknell; 39 Ferrara, Gendunov, David Thomson (Telford); 37 Jake Sylvester (Romford); 35 Lawrence.
**Phantoms had lost a rare Wednesday night fixture 5-2 at home to Romford Raiders. Lawrence and Hough scored the Phantoms goals.