The Peterborough Evening Telegraph
Bees accused of playing ‘tricks’
Phantoms head coach Slava Koulikov accused the club’s NIHL South Cup opponents of playing ‘tricks’ following a controversial postponement last Saturday.
Bracknell called off the first leg of a semi-final showdown between the two sides on safety grounds following heavy snow in the Berkshire area, but a public skating session then took place at their Hive base.
It was not a decision which went down well with Koulikov who delivered some choice words for the Bees – and in particular their head coach Doug Sheppard.
“There are a lot of question marks about why the Saturday was called off,” said Koulikov. “The temperature was plus five and the roads were clear, yet the game was postponed. It’s a tough one to take.
“I understand that a club might be worried about the safety of their fans, but they had a public session instead. Surely if a game is cancelled the rink should be shut.
“Last year it was the same coach at Basingstoke and the same story after a little bit of snow and it ended up costing us the title.
“We offered to help on Saturday to get the game on, but the answer was ‘no’. It’s not right and I think the league should start to click on.
“We could have been in a final, but because of things out of control and potentially tricks being played there is still a long way to go.”
A fine 6-3 success for Phantoms on home ice the following night – in what became the first leg – did please Koulikov as his side recovered from conceding an early short-handed goal to dominate.
Corey McEwen levelled in the first period and a pair of Petr Stepanek goals put them ahead in the middle session only for Bracknell to hit back through Ivan Antonov.
But Phantoms stretched clear in the final period as Nathan Pollard and Glenn Billing struck a minute apart and Ales Padelek also got in on the act ahead of a late Bees consolation.
The second leg is still to be arranged, but the winners will meet Basingstoke in the final. Captain James Ferrara will make his 600th appearance for Phantoms this Saturday - a feat this is both satisfying and surprising.
The long-serving skipper reaches the milestone when leading the city side into a crunch NIHL Division One South showdown at title rivals Basingstoke.
The 31 year-old has enjoyed a terrific career with his hometown club spanning two spells and 15 years after first making his senior debut at the age of 16.
Ferrara said: “I had no idea this milestone was approaching, but I feel privileged and honoured to have achieved it while playing for our great club.
“I must thank all the coaches I’ve played under, the management and the fans for all their support. Thanks also go to all players past and present who have made my career to date so worthwhile and enjoyable.
“Most importantly thanks are due to my family who are always there for me and do everything they can to help me give my best for the team.
“We have a big weekend ahead. Hopefully we can get the results we need to enjoy more success this season.”
Ferrara is only the second player to appear in 600 games in Peterborough history.
He is second in the all-time list to Jason Porter who racked up a staggering 693 appearances for Pirates and Phantoms.
And another current Phantoms player will also enjoy a milestone moment this Saturday.
Homegrown forward James White makes his 200th senior appearance in Peterborough colours when lining up against Basingstoke.
■ Kim Lane has been named in the Great Britain Women squad for their World Championship event in April.
Lane, the daughter of Phantoms owners Jo and Dave, will feature in the Division Two Group A tournament in Scotland.
The Brits have home advantage at the Dumfries Ice Bowl where they will come up against Australia, Korea, Mexico, Slovenia and Spain with the winners earning promotion to Division One.
Lane is a forward who plays her club hockey for the Bracknell Queen Bees. She has also appeared for the Phantoms 2 side in the men’s game this season.