Grimsby Redwings 7 v 8 Manchester Phoenix ENL
Grimsby Redwings 7 v 8 Manchester Phoenix ENL
The league’s stingiest defence and the leakiest defence came together for the final time this season at Grimsby. With Phoenix needing a single point from one of their final three games to ensure the promotion play-off place, this was the game that should have provided a relatively comfortable win for the ENL squad. However, Grimsby at home on their unique ice-surface proved to be made of sterner stuff. Manchester raced to a 6-1 lead before the halfway point, but from then on, the compact ice-pad led to Phoenix picking up too many contact penalties. Being short-handed coupled with slack marking around the net allowed the Redwings to score no fewer than five powerplay goals to put Manchester under significant pressure in the final minutes of the game. In the event the victory was well won but not without a significant wobble in the last two minutes.
On the game’s first powerplay in the sixth minute Phoenix Under-18 squad member, Ashton Jenion bagged his second ENL goal, unassisted. In a flurry of activity around the 14-minute mark, four goals were scored in under a minute. The Redwings equalised through Mark Turner but Phoenix Man of the Match, Paul Stapleton, picked up the first of his two goals just eight seconds later assisted by Jenion and Brian Worrall. Immediately, the Redwings forced the Phoenix back and were unlucky to see the puck stop on the line before being cleared. Phoenix replied in the best way by going 4–1 up through Stapleton, assists to Dave Costelloe and Pete Traynor (14.04) and Sean Day from Ben Wood (14.27).
The second period continued with the Phoenix dominating the scoring: Phil Hamer picked up his first, assist James Wood, with less than a minute played. A second power-play goal, and Sean Day’s second marker of the evening, came in the 27th minute (assists Robyn Crebbin and Hamer) and the Phoenix looked as though they had the Redwing’s measure. The Redwings though had other ideas. They pulled one back two minutes later through Andrew Jenkins and then the home powerplay unit made their bow in the 34th minute, Carl Wood the scorer. Phoenix weren’t fazed and restored their four goal cushion at shortly afterwards with Robyn Crebbin blasting a slap-shot from the left point after a feed from Day to send the visitors into the second break with a handy four goal cushion.
The final frame saw Grimsby roll out their powerplay unit again as Phoenix fell foul of officialdom. Chambers, assisted by Wood and Mark Turner in the 44th minute was followed six minutes later by Ryan Drinkell to reduce the arrears to tow. Phoenix responded with Hamer bagging his second on a shorthanded play, but the Redwings again punished them on a powerplay, Peter Gennery the scorer. The small Grimsby rink was certainly a factor in the Redwings resurgence and they closed to within one with just over 90 seconds on the game as Jenkins scored. The Phoenix squads’ nerves had definitely frayed, but they managed to hold on for the single goal win.
A Phoenix official said “A one goal lead is almost impossible to defend at this rink: our nerves were jangling at the end. For once we didn’t surrender the first period and that proved the platform for the victory. On this tight surface, transition from zone to zone is so fast you have to be really alert; I think we lost concentration a couple of times and were made to pay. Nevertheless, we got the win and now we have to wait until next Saturday for the result of the game between Blackburn and Hull to find who we’ll face in the play-off games.”
Man of the match for Phoenix: Paul Stapleton
Period Scores: 1–4, 2–3, 4-1
Shots on Goal: (Shots on Phoenix first) Total: 55–86
Phoenix Stats: Sean Day 2+1, Phil Hamer 2+1, Paul Stapleton 2+0, Robyn Crebbin 1+1, Ashton Jenion 1+1, Pete Traynor 0+2, Dave Costelloe 0+1, Ben Wood 0+1, James Wood 0+1, Brian Worrall 0+1
Nets: Benn Schofield 55/ 7 (87.27%)
Man of the match for Phoenix: Paul Stapleton
