Newcastle 3 - 6 Phoenix U-14s

The Phoenix U-14 squad made the long trip to Tyneside knowing that a victory was a must if relegation was to be avoided, and a superb performance saw the victory achieved.

The team arrived early and in great spirits such is the confidence coach Greg Allen has instilled in his charges this season. Despite the upbeat mindset, it was the homeside who got the scoreboard moving, taking just 57 seconds to tickle the Phoenix twine. But if the Geordie squad thought the Phoenix would fold, they were sorely mistaken as the goal merely served to spark the visitors and in particular, England forward Jared Dickinson, who was to give them a clinic in the art of finishing. The Salford ace opened his account with the equaliser in the third minute, assisted by Andy Moore and by the first interval, he's completed a hat-trick to send the Phoenix in with the 3-1 lead.

Newcastle came out flying to start the middle stanza, but paid the price for their adventurous play as Joe Sims extended the Phoenix lead in the 22nd minute. Newcastle continued to push, but were finding the new Phoenix goalie, Jorge El Hage, in sparkling form until he was beaten by Luke Shanks with a powerplay finish. The goal boosted the home side and Dale Sharp gave them further hope to make it a one goal game at the second interval.

While the ice was re-surfaced, Phoenix coach Greg Allen had time to steady his team and revive their earlier confidence with his interval pep-talk. Phoenix though were to fall foul of officialdom early in the final period as the home side were given a two-man powerplay opportunity. Phoenix worked hard to kill the penalties and back at full strength, Dickinson dipsy-doodled through the home defence for his fourth and the Phoenix fifth goal in the 42nd minute. With time running out, Newcastle pulled their goalie for the extra skater, but it was Phoenix who cashed in as Scott Robson fired the puck goalwards for it to hit the pads of Dickinson to secure the win.

A Phoenix spokesperson noted, "This was a fine performance by the whole team, and with just one more home game to play on April 19th against Whitley Bay, we'll be looking for a revenge win over them on our ice in Altrincham."

Phoenix Stats: Jared Dickinson 5+0, Joe Sims 1+0; Scott Robson 0+3; Andy Moore 0+2

Phoenix MVP - Jared Dickinson