Buglass can't wait to get his hands on a trophy

The impressive Welsh defenceman has won gold on the World Championship stage with Great Britain Under 20s, but he is yet to sample success at club level.

That will hopefully change when Phantoms take on Sheffield in the NIHL Autumn Cup final with the first leg in the Steel City next Wednesday (December 5) being followed by a December 14 return at Planet Ice.

“I’m super-excited for the final,” said Buglass, whose career is firmly getting back on track this term. “It’s great to be in a position like this after having two difficult seasons.

“I blew my shoulder out playing for Swindon and missed most of 2016/17 and it was obviously hard being part of the Cardiff Fire team that lost every game last season.

“I’m enjoying every single win we have this season to be honest and it would be brilliant to lift the cup.

“We’ll go to Sheffield and try to play our hockey. We might have to weather a storm early on, but we can’t let them dictate the game.

“We all know what’s on the line and we need to keep thinking about how good it will feel if we can lift the cup in our home rink.”

There is important NIHL Division One South business for Buglass and his Phantoms team-mates to look after before they can think about that cup showpiece.

Slava Koulikov’s men have a hugely important weekend ahead as they face the two teams above them in the league standings – table-topping Swindon and second-placed Bracknell.

The trip to face the Wildcats on Saturday carries extra significance with the two clubs also battling for top spot in the NIHL South Cup qualifying standings.

“I worked under Slava with GB Under 20s,” added Buglass. “I know what he expects from his team and how hard he pushes his players.

“We are the fittest and most hard-working team in the league and those characteristics are important if you want to be successful.

“Every single guy in our locker room loves being part of the team. There are other clubs with bigger budgets and line-ups which are meant to be better on paper, but none of them can match our work-rate and ethic.

“It was a big thing to move to Peterborough to take the step to leave my home city of Cardiff, but I’m loving it. I live with Robbo (Scott Robson) and a great family in Bretton.

“I always remember coming here with Swindon in the EPL days and you knew on the way up that it would be hostile and intense.

“It’s great to have that atmosphere on your side as a home player.

“Swindon have a great set-up and are probably the team to beat, but we’ve already showed we can do that.

“Whoever comes out on top in our six-game series will probably have the edge in the title race.”