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Phoenix burned by Panthers potent offence

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Manchester Phoenix head coach Paul Heavey expressed, "disappointment and embarrassment” after his side went down heavily in a crucial Elite League match-up with the Nottingham Panthers. "I thought we were so ready tonight, the guys were really pumped up in the locker room before the game,” he said. "Then, we get hit bang bang with two goals inside two minutes and we're up against it.”

Panthers showed scant respect for the Phoenix defence as Lee Jinman and David Struch gave the visitors a blistering start. But the Phoenix tallied quickly through David Kozier only for David Clarke to restore the Panthers two-goal margin all inside the opening five minutes. Chad Brandimore made is 2-3 in the 8th minute but Mark Cadotte netted just before the end of the first period for another two-goal spread. Kim Ahlroos bagged the first of his brace on the half-hour mark before Petteri Lotila scored with a neat finish after strong approach work from Mark Bultje and George Awada. In the final period however, Panthers rich vein of offensive hockey continued as Ahlroos and John Craighead with two completed a comfortable win for the East Midlands outfit.

Heavey commented afterwards, "We have four games left and the guys have to play to a very basic system now of defence first. We cannot afford to get scored on and we have to commit to that like we've never done before. If we tighten up at the back and in the neutral zone, our forwards will create their own chances, and we can win these remaining games. We got burned on transition tonight and we cannot let that happen again. We have to get the job done this weekend on the road, before our last two games here against Cardiff and London - it's going all the way to the wire and it's about who wants it the most now between Cardiff, Basingstoke and ourselves.”