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Phoenix relishing Blaze semi

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Manchester Phoenix will face Coventry Blaze in the semi-final of the British Knock-Out Cup after the draw was made on Tuesday.

The two-legged tie will coincide with bmibaby Elite League fixtures between the two teams scheduled for Wednesday February 28th in the Coventry Skydome with the second leg the following week, Wednesday March 7th in the Altrincham Ice Dome.

Phoenix GM Andy Costigan commented, “as soon as we learned of the draw, we got straight on the ‘phone to Coventry to sort out dates. As it happens, they were ringing us at the exact same time as they have similar fixture congestion problems as ourselves. It became apparent very quickly in that call, that the sensible solution was to play the games concurrently on the dates of the league games.”

Costigan advised, “In the event that the first game is tied after sixty minutes, that score line will stand for the Knock-Out Cup while the overtime or penalty shootout will only count towards the Elite League. Should the aggregate score after sixty minutes of the second game still be tied, then an overtime period and possible penalty shootout would decide which team would progress to the final against either Sheffield or Cardiff.”

Phoenix player/coach Tony Hand noted, “the draw has worked out well for us in that we haven’t got to add any more dates to our calendar. And meeting Coventry in the Knock-Out Cup semi-final gives us a chance to reverse the Challenge Cup result.”