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Resilience leads to overtime Phoenix winner

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Manchester Phoenix 6 - 5 Basingstoke Bison

A powerplay goal in overtime capped another tremendous game of English premier League ice hockey on Sunday night as the Phoenix fought back three times from two-goal deficits with a squad suffering heavily from colds and sickness.

A coughing Tony Hand paid tribute to his charges after another epic game when he remarked, "By rights there are four or five us who should have stayed in bed tonight, but we all showed up and we got the job done. Ed (Courtenay) and myself have been rough all week as has James Neil and couple of the others too. Considering how we felt, I thought we got a tremendous effort, especially after Basingstoke scored late and we had to fight back again to force overtime. Once again, I thought it was great entertainment and the Bison more than played their part."

Basingstoke had jumped out to a two-goal lead by the twelfth minute courtesy of a brace for Andy Hemmings to put the home side behind the eight-ball and their cause was further hindered as Greg Wood was lost for the game with a facial injury. Andre Payette and Bison' Chris Wiggins dropped the gloves for brief but entertaining punch-up before the Phoenix pulled a goal back. With Basingstoke shorthanded, Adam Walker placed a high backhand short beyond the reach of Tom Annetts in the Bison goal with assists to Ed Courtenay and Robert Lachowicz. Basingstoke though regained their two-goal margin with seconds remaining on the first period as Sam Zajac struck a speculative shot from the right wing that deceived Steve Fone in the Phoenix goal.

Phoenix regrouped in the interval adjusting the lines to accommodate the loss of Wood and it was Walker, at the second attempt that pulled them with a goal in the 24th minute, his second of the game on an assist from Andre Payette. Bison, keen to avenge their opening day of the season home loss to the Phoenix again, stretched their lead again within two minutes, Joe Ciccarello the scorer. Phoenix again responded well and it was player coach Tony Hand who pulled them to within one in the 28th minute assisted by Ed Courtenay. Phoenix, despite the sickness in the squad, were dominating the play and Annetts in the visitors goal was much the busier of the netminders.

Entering the third period, Phoenix hoped for an early equaliser to wing the game in their direction, but it didn't arrive until the 51st minute, Hand with his second of the game with the inevitable helper from Courtenay. Phoenix were visibly boosted, but the Bison were not beaten and when Ciccarello netted his second of the game with less than five minutes to play, they seemed to have settled the outcome. However, a transgression saw the visitors shorthanded for too many non-British players on the ice and already a man down, the three-man effort couldn't prevent the Phoenix from tying the game up with less than three minute to play, Iain Bowie sweeping home a pass from Jaakko Hagelberg.

The Bowie goal sent the game into sudden death overtime and when Ciccarello was penalised for Slashing, Phoenix grabbed the two points in the 63rd minute with their first lead of the game, Andre Mattssson adjudged to have got the slightest of deflection to a shot from Tony Hand.

"We need to get healthy and quickly," added Hand. "I give the guys enormous credit for the resilience they showed tonight. We were behind early and ever time we hit back, Basingstoke seemed to be able to push on despite us outshooting them massively. The level of competition in this league is something exceptional, so it is even more important we all shake off these colds and get ready for next weekend as quickly as we can."