The Peterborough Evening Telegraph
Captain Connolly’s late strike a big Bison boost
Phantoms won the battle, but they lost an advantage in the war.
That, in a nutshell, was the outcome of the biggest game of the NIHL Division One South season last Sunday night.
The city team eased two points clear at the summit after beating title rivals Basingstoke, but they couldn’t manage the margin of victory which would have given them a significant edge overall.
Phantoms’ success – gained in a high-pressure, all-action contest staged in front of a packed Planet Ice – continued the regular trend when these sides clash.
All four league meetings have now ended in victories by a single goal – two for Phantoms and two for Basingstoke. They have both triumphed on home ice and in the rink of their rivals.
Two teams who operate so differently could hardly be matched any more closely. Either of them will make worthy champions.
Phantoms hit the front just before the mid-point of the opening period of the fourth and final showdown as Glenn Billing got a tip to a Darius Pliskauskas shot during a powerplay.
Their advantage doubled little more than a minute-and-a-half into the second period as the excellent Nathan Salem unleashed a rocket from a seemingly impossible angle that took Bison netminder Dean Skinns by surprise.
Billing was millimetres away from striking again moments later after Skinns juggled another Salem blast, but a short-benched Bison who were without one of their imports – Roman Malinik – due to a family bereavement, took advantage of a golden opportunity to halve their arrears.
Phantoms couldn’t withstand a lengthy spell of five-on-three after Owen Griffiths and Robbie Ferrara picked up soft penalties.
Billing also earned a 10-minute misconduct for a petulant show of frustration which only increased when Ivan Antonov got the telling touch as bodies sprawled and sticks tangled after an initial shot hit a post.
Only a fine Skinns save denied Phantoms captain James Ferrara a third goal less than 20 seconds into the final period, but they did extend their advantage with just under 10 minutes remaining as Billing pounced after Salem charged towards the net from out wide.
At that point they were sitting pretty again with the two-goal cushion giving them a better head-to-head record (the first deciding factor if both teams finish level on points) than Bison.
But it didn’t stay that way as Basingstoke hit back with possibly the most significant goal of the season when their captain Aaron Connolly pounced with just under two minutes left on the clock.
It wasn’t enough to stop Phantoms earning a seventh successive victory, but it did snatch away what head coach Slava Koulikov described as their ‘lifeline’ in the title race.
The destination of the silverware now looks set to be decided by goal difference.
Calculators will be at the ready during the closing weekend of the season.