Five star Phoenix blow Swindon away

Sunday, 10th January 2016

Manchester Phoenix handed a debut to Phil Hamer as they welcomed the Swindon Wildcats to Deeside on Sunday evening.

It was a quiet opening to the game with few chances at either end although Martin Baranek fired wide for Phoenix from close in. Phoenix took the lead at the 10 minute mark when Trent Hope slotted home from a goalmouth scramble. Jacob Corson-Heron was denied by Swindon netminder Stevie Lyle shortly after, and at the other end, Phoenix netminder Steve Fone saved well from Carlo Finucci. Phoenix doubled their advantage at 14:41 when Michal Satek skated from his own zone before setting up James Archer who found the top corner.

Phoenix continued to create chances early in the second as Swindon didn’t manage a shot until halfway through the period. After that, Swindon exerted considerable pressure on the Phoenix net and registered 15 shots, with Fone making a number of excellent saves. However it was Phoenix who grabbed the next goal when Robin Kovar robbed a Swindon defenceman before racing in to fire past Lyle to make it 3-0 at 34:34.

Phoenix continued their domination in the third period and Satek tipped in a James Archer shot at 43:29 for a delayed penalty goal. A fifth quickly followed as Satek slammed home a drop pass from Stanislav Gron at 47:04 and Phoenix were unfortunate not to add to the scoreline in the closing stages. Steve Fone made 39 saves to record an excellent shutout.

Coach Tony Hand commented: “The boys stuck to the game plan tonight and there’s a huge sense of satisfaction amongst the group. It’s great to get a win against a strong team, and the third line did really well. There’s a lot going on around the club in terms of fundraising, so it’s great to put some smiles on people’s faces. It’s the first time we’ve been able to ice three full lines in months and that really contributed to the win.”

Phoenix have two away games next weekend at Swindon on Saturday followed by the Peterborough Phantoms on Sunday.