Plucky Peterborough Phantoms beaten in Grand Final after play-off semi-final heroics from Nathan Salem

The city side were well beaten 6-1 by fierce local rivals MK Lightning in their last game of a strong 2024-25 season in the Coventry Skydome on Easter Sunday.

Phantoms had won a cracking play-off semi-final the day before when a hat-trick from Nathan Salem secured a 4-2 success over Swindon Wildcats.

But beating two higher ranked teams in two days – National League runners-up MK finished three places and 18 points ahead of Phantoms in the regular season – proved beyond Slava Koulikov’s side who nevertheless carried out a spirited defence of a play-off crown won so splendidly 12 months earlier.

Just briefly when Salem continued his excellent scoring form to reduce first period arrears to 2-1 in the 14th minute did Phantoms threaten another upset win, but MK scored again within 60 seconds and eventually edged clear to win convincingly. It was 5-1 at the end of two periods and the champions added another goal in the final period.

Phantoms kept battling away though and worked plenty of shooting opportunities, but they found opposition netminder Jordan Hedley in fine form. The fact he was named MK man-of-the-match suggests the final scoreline flattered the winners. Salem won his second man-of-the-match prize of the weekend.

The city side started the faster with Hedley making a save when Luke Ferrara looked certain to score before Austin Mitchell-King struck the outside of the post.

But James Griffin opened the scoring for MK on the powerplay on 9.49 and it was 2-0 soon afterwards as Ben Solder netter again on the powerplay. Duncan Speirs and Tom Noton set up Salem for what proved to be a consolation goal, but a quick response from Jordan Cownie made it 3-1 at the end of the first session.

Ross Venus scored twice towards the end of the middle period and Harry Gulliver completed the scoring with three minutes to go. MK had beaten treble-chasing Leeds Knights 5-4 in overtime in their semi-final.

SEMI-FINAL STORY

Salem hit a hat-trick as Peterborough Phantoms won a cracking National League Play-off semi-final against the Swindon Wildcats.

The city side finished 12 points behind their opponents in the regular season, but Slava Koulikov’s men have been become big game specialists and they proved it again with a 4-2 success.

Phantoms enjoyed the boost of a first-minute goal and led 2-0 before Swindon hit back to level at 2-2 after two periods. But Salem proved the matchwinner in the final session with two goals although the game was in the balance until he completed his hat-trick in the final minute when Swindon had pulled their netminder in favour of an extra skater.

Salem gave Phantoms the perfect start against Swindon today when picking up the puck from Norton in the centre of the ice before driving forward and scoring with just 45 seconds on the clock.

That strike gave Phantoms great momentum and Jasper Foster and Ferrara were both denied by Swindon netminder Renny Marr before Ferrara did make it 2-0 at 11.42 after good work from Cam Hough.

Swindon rallied, but Phantoms were solid defensively until a goalmouth scramble saw Tomasz Malasinski poke home from close range in the 18th minute to make it 2-1 at the break. Hayden Lavigne made a couple of big saves to keep Phantoms in front.

Marr thwarted Hough at the start of the second period and also kept out fierce strikes from Austin Mitchell-King and Salem, but it was Swindon who scored next to level the game up. Balint Pakozdi was the scorer on 30.39 with former Phantom Edgar Bebris claiming the assist.

Undeterred Phantoms stepped it up again and Marr had to make further top saves to keep out Speirs, twice, and Hough as it remained 2-2 heading into the final period.

Both netminders made important stops as the game became stretched before Phantoms broke the deadlock through Salem on 52.24, assisted by Mitchell-King. Lavigne and Marr made brilliant close-range stops in a tense finale before the latter was taken off enabling Salem to shoot into an unguarded goal to complete an great day for him and his club.