Lightning take on Phantoms at Planet Ice on Saturday in confident mood with newly named Ashes Trophy at stake after seeing off the Raiders 6-1 at home on Saturday before coming away from Essex as 6-4 victors the next day.

Player coach Nick Poole was pleased with both performances. He said: "At times we looked really good but at other times we definitely looked as though we need a bit of gelling together. We have got a lot of new players and obviously still have got work to do."

Both of Lightning's new import forwards featured in the scoring in both games with Finn Toni Alasaarela bagging a goal in each game and Ales Parez assisting goals.

In addition new British defenceman Adam Radmall was voted man of the match in the home encounter.

However it was former Swindon man Joel Petkoff who put Romford ahead on Saturday after seven minutes. Although there were no further goals the rest of the first session was not without incident as Kurt Irvine was thrown out of the game for checking from behind and Romford's Grant Taylor followed him off the ice a few minutes later when he unsuccessfully tried to goad Greg Randall.

It was not until the 24th minute that Lightning got back on terms with a Ross Bowers goal followed by a goal two minutes later from new captain Gary Clarke. By the second break Bowers and Alasaarela had made it 4-1. Mikko Skinnari and Bowers, with his third, rounded off a great night for Lightning.

At Rom Valley Way Irvine netted in the eighth minute and Alasaarela got the second on 14 mins.

New Lightning netminder David Wride's first game lasted until the first break when he was replaced by Barry Hollyhead having aggravated a hamstring injury while Raiders hit back with goals from Rusic and Petkoff to level the tallies at the interval.

Lightning edged ahead again early in the second period through Michael Wales only for Adam Copland to equalise before Wales and Alasaarela goals made it 5-3 by the 35th minute.

Andrius Kaminskas netted on a 37th minute powerplay to reduce Raiders' deficit but it was Wales, completing his hat-trick, who scored the final goal before the second break.

Lightning's game against Peterborough on Saturday begins at 7pm when Poole is hoping fans will give a big welcome back to former captain Dwayne Newman, now coaching Phantoms.

Fans will be able to see the England v Israel Euro football qualifier on a big TV screen in the Planet Ice bar before the ice hockey on production of a match ticket, from 4.15pm. There is also a children's room.

Lightning play the return leg of the Ashes at Peterborough's Planet Ice rink on Sunday at 5.30pm.

STATISTICS:

LIGHTNING v RAIDERS
Lightning scorers: Ross Bowers 3+0; Gary Clarke 1+1; Mikko Skinnari 1+1; Toni Alasaarela 1+0; Ales Parez 0+2; Nick Poole 0+2; Adam Carr 0+2; Greg Randall 0+1.

Raiders scorers: Joel Petkoff 1+0; Juraj Rusic 0+1; Danny Marshall 0+1.

Shots on goal: On Barry Hollyhead 34. On Stephen Fone 58.

RAIDERS v LIGHTNING

Lightning scorers: Michael Wales 3+0; Toni Alasaarela 1+1; Adam Carr 1+0; Kurt Irvine 1+0; Nick Poole 0+2; Mikko Skinnari 0+2; Gary Clarke 0+1; Greg Randall 0+1 Matt Towalski 0+1.

Raiders scorers: Juraj Rusic 1+1; Joel Petkoff 1+1; Andrius Kaminskas 1+1; Adam Copland 1+0; Luke Reynolds 0+2; Nicky Lewis 0+1; Danny Marshall 0+1; Andrej Sporina 0+1.

Shots on goal: On David Wride 11/On Barry Hollyhead 22. On Stephen Fone 33.