Phoenix U-16B 9 - 0 Sutton Sting

The final game of the season for the Manchester Phoenix U-16B team was against the newest hockey club in England - Sutton Sting.

Sutton train on a small ice pad in the East Midlands and use Ice Sheffield pad 2 for their home games. Last December, Phoenix hit the Sting 11-1, but chances for a similar score line may have been scuppered as the game was set to be played on the EIHA Junior Conference weekend.

Phoenix iced a much shorter bench and with Shannon Lingwood, Jared Dickinson and Scott Robson all away in Hull representing the Manchester club on Conference duty, and coach Dan Berry has to re-jig his lines. Sting arrived at the Silver Blades Ice Dome with virtually a full bench, sensing an upset on the cards.

Phoenix started in lively form and were soon in the lead with a coast to coast skate and a big slapshot by defenceman Ryan Hulme at 2:45 for the early breakthrough and just what the team needed to settle any early nerves. Phoenix enjoyed most of the possession, but could not capitalise on there chances. As the period continued, the team ethic seemed to dissipate as players played and more as individuals. Time and time again players would try and beat too many Sutton players, but fail to deliver either an accurate shot on goal or final pass to a colleague. Coach Berry was unimpressed at the break and let his feelings be known to the team that the first period display was unacceptable and demanded that we played as a team quoting the famous saying, 'There is no I in TEAM !'

Heeding their Coaches words, 17 seconds into the second and good passing plays by Jake O'Connor, Harvey Treadgold and Ryan Hulme resulted the latter slotting home a fine second goal from the blueline. Netminder Dan Beresford was having a storming game in the Sutton goal and twice denied Treadgold and Kieran Ferris. Just befre the 20-minute mark and the Phoenix first line again made some telling passes with O'Connor and Hulme setting up Harvey Treadgold to blast home the third marker. The Phoenix then ran into a short spell of penalty trouble as forwards Ferris and O'Connor sat minors for Interference and Boarding respectively. Sting tried valiantly to take advantage of the 5-on-3, but Ryan Hulme, Sarah Hutchinson and Harvey Treadgold worked well to contain the visitors. Seconds after O'Connor stepped out of the penalty box, Taylor Danson skated down the boards to send a shot at goal which rebounded to Jake O'Connor who roofed a neat finish for 4-0. From the re-start Phoenix gained possession and Tom Wilkinson sent Kieran Ferris away down the left wing, Ferris let a rasping shot go from point that pinged off the far post to safety, a great attempt. Within seconds Ferris combined with Taylor Danson for the latter to score close in at 27:09. The period finished with a rampant Phoenix outshooting Sutton 20-9. Amongst the 9 shots for Sutton were two breakaways which Nicole Jackson did well to thwart the visitors.

Into the third period and the pattern of the second was largely continued. Less than a minute in and Ryan Hulme broke out alone with the puck, to skate straight through the Sting defence to claim his hat trick goal unassisted. Again Beresford in the Sting goal makes some telling saves to keep the score to 6-0 until a Treadgold slapshot at 39:20 made it 7-0. Within seconds Danson sends a pass into the slot and Ollie Townsend scores a neat goal glove side of the Sting goalie. Both teams exchange minor penalties in the dying couple of minutes and Phoenix score shorthanded as a delighted Treadgold grabs his hat trick goal at 44:50.

Game Statistics:

Period scores: 1-0, 4-0, 4-0

Ryan Hulme 3+1, Harvey Treadgold 3+0, Jake O'Connor 1+2, Taylor Danson 1+2, Ollie Townsend 1+0, Kieran Ferris 0+1

SOGs: On Nicole Jackson 0/21 : On Sutton Dan Beresford 9/41

PIMs: 8-4

Phoenix MVP: Sam Campbell