Slava left dejected but so proud of his unlucky players

Head coach Slava Koulikov was left with a mixture of dejection and pride after Phantoms saw their hopes of silverware dashed again.

The city club were beaten 3-2 by Basingstoke in the NIHL Division One South play-off final last weekend – only three weeks after being pipped to the league title by the same rivals on goal difference.

It was another agonising near miss for Phantoms made all the more painful by the controversial manner of the decisive goal in the second period of the second leg from Bison import Roman Malinik.

Koulikov was adamant a clear offside call was missed by the officials in the immediate build-up to a strike which provided both the winner on the night and on aggregate.

“They had a guy laying in our zone and the linesman allowed the play to continue and Basingstoke scored,” blasted Koulikov.

“To lose out on a trophy to an offside goal is tough to take. It was the moment that changed everything on a night when every little call then seemed to go against us.

“We had to fight against the league champions and a poor linesman, but I can only be proud of my guys.

“Of course, it is difficult not to be disappointed after losing a play-off final, but we have to put everything in perspective. My guys stepped up without key players and took it right to the end against the champions.

“I congratulate the Basingstoke guys and their coach for winning two trophies, but not many teams are capable of going to their rink and putting them under pressure for big spells like we did.

“They gave it their all fighting for 60 minutes on Saturday and 60 minutes on Sunday. In these kind of games you always need a bit of luck, but I felt we didn’t have that. The big call and every little call as well seemed to go against us.”

The NIHL Final Four in Coventry this weekend provides Phantoms’ last hope of a trophy in the 2017/18 campaign. They face a semi-final clash against North Division play-off champions Telford on Saturday (1pm) with Basingstoke then meeting North runners-up Sheffield later in the day. The two winning sides then do battle in the final scheduled for 5pm on Sunday.

Koulikov added: “We’ve lost on penalties in a cup semifinal, lost out on goal difference in a league title race and been beaten by an offside goal in a play-off final so I will be going to church this week to pray that something goes our way for a change!

“We will regroup and make sure we are ready for a tough test against a Telford team who are in great form. They have a lot of players we know and a top coach who has won a lot of trophies.

“But we have one more chance to win a trophy in the final weekend of the season and I know my guys will do everything they can again.”

It is understood that Owen Griffiths has more chance of being fit enough to figure in Coventry than fellow injured forward Darius Pliskauskas.

Nathan Salem celebrates scoring for Phantoms at Planet Ice on Saturday.