We were fantastic to watch, says an effusive Koulikov

Ice hockey - Superlatives are out after best result of season

Head coach Slava Koulikov saluted Phantoms as their finest performance of the season earned their best result last Sunday.

Koulikov had to dust off his book of superlatives following the city side’s 6-3 triumph against NIHL National Division title favourites Swindon at Planet Ice.

The Phantoms chief insisted all players performed against expectations during a memorable success as they knocked the Wildcats off the top of the table.

“I’m a very happy man after that game,” said Koulikov. “It is by far our best performance and result of the season, and it was fantastic to watch.

“My goaltender was unbelievable, my defencemen were superb against big and skilful players and my forwards moved their feet, looked dangerous and scored goals.

“It was not a night to single out any individuals because every single guy on the roster stepped out of their comfort zone, played above expectations for the full 60 minutes and contributed to a great night for us.

“We told them in our meeting before the game that we needed every single one of them to bring their best performance to the table and they all showed up with exactly that.

“You can’t get away with playing at 80 per cent against a team like Swindon. Everyone has to be at 100 per cent or maybe even more – and that is what you saw from us.

“We led three times in Swindon the previous weekend but they came back at us hard in the third period to turn the game around.

“We knew at 4-2 up that it wasn’t done and that they wouldn’t give up again. They got one back, but we managed two more goals to get two big points for the league and cup.”

Phantoms now sit fourth in the NIHL National Division standings – eight points off the pace being set by new leaders Telford.

They face two of the teams sitting below them this weekend with a Saturday derby date at Milton Keynes followed by a Sunday home clash against

Sheffield.

Forward Will Weldon is back after missing the last three games while young talent Jarvis Hunt is also expected to return following a lay-off with a shoulder injury.

Short-term capture Gareth O’Flaherty stepped in during the last two weeks and could potentially feature again with Koulikov still pondering whether or not to offer the former Bracknell man an extended deal.

“Gareth has done a really good job for us – especially on the powerplay and the penalty kill,” added Koulikov.

“He is not flashy and plays a simple, but effective game by putting himself in the right places at the right time.

“We’ll chat this week and make a decision about the future.”

National Division