Six goals enough for a win but not for the title

There was no fairytale finish to the NIHL Division One South story as far as Phantoms were concerned – quite the opposite in fact.

The city club’s challenge for a first league title in nine years was all but ended last Saturday night due to events on their own ice and at the other Planet Ice, approximately 130 miles away, in Basingstoke.

Phantoms went into their final game of the regular season with a twopoint cushion and a better goal difference than the Bison in the race for honours. The Hampshire side had a game in hand and the weakest two teams at this level lying ahead in opposition.

Phantoms appeared to need an eight-to-10 goal victory against solid mid-table side Streatham and then hope that Basingstoke misfired, but such a script soon went out of the window.

While there were 10 goals scored in front of the Bretton faithful, four of them belonged to the visitors.

Meanwhile, Basingstoke did roar into double-figures of their own when thumping second-bottom Invicta 10-1.

They were a pair of results that left the Bison simply needing to triumph at basement side Cardiff – a team without a win all season – the following night. It was a rather simple Sunday mission that they accomplished with ease, emerging

8-1 victors and pipping Phantoms to a title for the second time in three seasons.

All had appeared to be going to plan for Phantoms in the opening period as player-coach Tom Norton, captain James Ferrara (after seeing another clear goal not given) and Will Weldon opened up a useful advantage.

But the creativity and intensity of the first session soon disappeared from Phantoms’ performance as the effects of illness, which swept through the camp in recent days, set in.

While they controlled the puck and had more than 20 shots at visiting netminder Matt Colclough during the second period, only one (from Ed Knaggs) found a way past him - and that was cancelled out when Streatham replied on a powerplay.

Three further goals in the space of seven minutes dragged the visitors level in the third period and ended any lingering thoughts of Phantoms winning the title.

Suddenly it became all about salvaging victory on the night and they summoned one last effort to do that.

Weldon tipped in an Owen Griffiths shot on a powerplay to restore the advantage before Griffiths himself sealed victory when getting the telling touch to a Ferrara

City side were ‘hit by flu, sickness and almost everything else’

effort.

Head coach Slava Koulikov said: “We were cruising at 3-0 in the first period, but I think everyone could see the energy just dropped out of the team.

“Thetruthiswehavebeen hit by flu, sickness and almost everything else in the last few days. Euan King was throwing up until 4am but still wanted to play against Streatham.

“What really pleases me is the way the guys found something extra from somewhere to make sure we won the game.”

Acase of so near, yet so far...