Yes, it’s another cheap pun!
So, Sunday saw the 2nd game of a double header against the Guildford Flames. After the Flames took the points on Saturday night down in the Library, sorry Spectrum, snapping our 8 game winning streak, it was clear that the Phoenix would be out for revenge.
The game began with both sides looking impressive going forward, trying to take control of the play. The Phoenix looked to have done so when Michal Psurny broke the deadlock to give the Phoenix the lead. The relief of the fans was not to last however, as the flames hit back to score before the period end, sending both teams into the locker rooms tied, with the Flames appearing to be in the ascendant.
The second period started brightly, with the Phoenix regaining the lead before the obligatory goal from an ex Phoenix player, in the shape of Tom Duggan. To the dismay of the crowd, the Flames then dared to take the lead (the first team to do so in the Ice Dome this season), again thanks to a Phoenix old boy Dean Holland. This seemed to light a fore under the arses of the Phoenix players, who then proceeded to score 3 unanswered goals, restoring their lead, and looking like they had finally wrested control of the game from the Flames. A 2 goal lead going into the final period looked, if not guaranteed to bring the points home, certainly strong enough to give us a damn good chance of taking them.
The 3rd period was almost all Phoenix, as the travel and age of the Flames squad began to tell. The Flames players were visibly slower than earlier, and looked to be running out of ideas. Psurny secured himself an opening hat-trick of the season, as the Phoenix raised the score to 7, and the Flames scored 1 more, with a goal from yet another old boy, Marcus Kristofferson. Despite this, the Phoenix ran the game out, looking far fresher and more in control than the Flames, returning to the top of the table after a 24hr displacement.
So, thats the dry review done with. Now some other stuff….
Are officials afraid to call icing? Seriously, so many glaring icing calls were either ignored or washed out on Sunday (and apparently Saturday too), it was almost comical. Its not as if it is a difficult call to make either. The rules are clear and unambiguous. And what happened to refs allowing home teams the last line change on a face off? Are refs really that afraid of upsetting players and coaches that they wont enforce this rule any longer?
And the Flames. Well, I have to say, they looked pretty good, but the weaknesses are glaring currently. Longstaff has finally lost any pace he once possessed, moving with the speed and grace of a supertanker (and resembling one physically too). Kristofferson looked anonymous for most of the game, and did seem to be a player who flourished with Coach Hands regular assists, yet looks meerly average with anyone else. And the overall age of the Flames squad is beginning to tell, in my opinion. This will probably be the deciding factor in who wind the title race. it looks like the Flames squad is going to struggle on the road, especially on the longer trips, and this could be the advantage we need. A younger, faster squad should in theory take the spoils. I do still think though that it is going to be 2 groups of teams as the season progresses. Ourselves and Guildford scrapping it out for the title, and the other 8 playing for play off spots. I know that seems harsh, but it really looks to be the case thus far.