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Phoenix soundly beaten by Guildford

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Manchester Phoenix were comprehensively beaten 7-1 by the Guildford Flames on Saturday night.

Phoenix started the game strongly and forced two saves in the opening minute, with Mike Will making a particularly good stop on Robin Kovar.  It was the visitors who struck first as a Kevin Phillips shot from the blue line found its way in.  Craig Thurston should have levelled but his shot from the slot was saved by Will.

The game drifted away from Phoenix in the second period as Andy McKinney was left all alone to tap the puck in at 27:02, before the impressive Marek Maslonka bundled in a third at 32:16.  The game was over at 35:17 as a Jez Lundin shot from the blue line went in off the bar.  Phoenix did manage to get on the board at 38:56 as a two-on-one situation saw Thurston set up Vaclav Meidl to finish.

Any hopes of a Phoenix comeback were ended early in the third period as Jens Eriksson grabbed Guildford’s fifth at 41:36 before Ben Campbell scored an unassisted goal at 48:53.  Phoenix took a late penalty, which was punished as Danny Meyers’s shot was tipped in by Jared Lane at 57:11.  Gareth O’Flaherty hit the post for Phoenix with twenty seconds remaining but the Flames claimed a deserved road win.

Phoenix are at home next Sunday evening against the Peterborough Phantoms, with a 5pm face-off in Blackpool.