Lightning 'urn' first honours of the season
IT WAS first blood to Milton Keynes Lightning as they claimed their first honours of the season to win the newly named Ashes series against old rivals Peterborough Phantoms with 5-3 and 3-2 victories at the weekend.
Although these were pre-season challenge matches inevitably they were never going to be friendly affairs with both sides playing at virtually top gear.
In both games Lightning struck up a 3-0 lead before Phantoms got their show on the road. On Saturday in Milton Keynes the hosts made the Cambridgeshire side pay dearly all five goals coming on the powerplay.
The next day Phantoms were not so careless but still Lightning managed to find a way through three times even-handed.
Lightning had a five on three advantage when Greg Randall set up Gary Clarke, skating into front of goal, to score Saturday's first goal in the fifth minute. Less than three minutes later Nick Poole was the supplier for Adam Radmall's blue line shot which beat netminder Stephen Wall while Phantoms had one man, Andy Munroe, in the sin bin.
A further powerplay allowed Toni Alasaarela to pass in from the right for Clarke to turn the puck in after 14 minutes and Lightning were looking comfortable.
However Phantoms gave themselves hope when one of their rising stars James Archer netted 41 seconds from the break.
Alasaarela made it 4-1 at the half way mark when he met Clarke's cross from the left and picked his spot in the top of the net.
Phantoms were not dead yet though and they got their second with a long range James Morgan shot after 36 minutes in a period in which they outshot Lightning 17-9.
Taras Foremsky, bearing down on goalie Barry Hollyhead, shot through his legs to make it 4-3 with just over 11 minutes of the game remaining.
Phantoms spent the last four minutes short-handed after Morgan was given five plus game for high sticks and Lightning made the most of it with Greg Randall feeding Clarke for his hat-trick and the home side's fifth goal.
At Peterborough the city side took just under seven minutes to carry on where they left off with Randall again the supplier, this time Nick Poole was the scorer – Morgan for the hosts had also continued in similar fashion to Saturday, receiving a 10 misconduct penalty after less than three minutes!
Clarke got the assist as Mikko Skinnari fired in on 9mins 53secs to make it 2-0 at the first break.
Poole extended the lead to three in 31st minute with new right winger Ales Parez the supplier.
Lightning had Chris McEwen in the sin bin for holding when Phantoms got their first goal, Craig Peacock scoring from Morgan's assist.
A further powerplay goal from Archer made it 3-2 on the night in the 45th minute – but Phantoms still needed to score four more goals to win the matches on aggregate. They were unable to score again and so Lightning claimed the honours, reputedly former captain Dwayne Newman's burned Lightning equipment placed in an urn.
Statistics:
LIGHTNING v PHANTOMS:
Lightning scorers: Gary Clarke 3+1; Toni Alasaarela 1+1; Adam Radmall 1+0; Ales Parez 0+2; Greg Randall 0+2; Mikko Skinnari 0+1; Ross Bowers 0+1.
Phantoms scorers: James Archer 1+0; James Morgan 1+0; Taras Foremsky 1+0; Craig Peacock 0+1; Jon Cotton 0+1.
Shots on goal: On Barry Hollyhead 42. On Stephen Wall 37.
PHANTOMS v LIGHTNING:
Lightning scorers: Nick Poole 2+0; Mikko Skinnari 1+0.
Phantoms scorers: Craig Peacock 1+0; James Archer 1+0; James Morgan 0+1; Andy Munroe 0+1.
Shot on goal: On Barry Hollyhead 30. On Euan King 33.
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Weather for Milton Keynes
Saturday 11 February 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: -6 C to 0 C
Wind Speed: 5 mph
Wind direction: South east
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