Phoenix win a bloody Roses battle

Sunday, 9th January 2011

Manchester Phoenix 3 Sheffield Steeldogs 2 (after OT)

Manchester Phoenix went five points clear at the top of the English Premier League following a bruising, bloody but thrilling encounter with lowly Sheffield Steeldogs on Sunday night.

Phoenix were already feeling the effects of a tiring 6-5 away win on penalties at Swindon Wildcats on Saturday, and it was clear from the start of this game that Sheffield were out to stifle the clean, slick play that has been the Phoenix hallmark this season.

Andrew Sharp left the game after just a few minutes when he received a cut on the back of his leg from a skate, and the game stopped for blood to be cleared from the ice.

Steeldogs had already come out strongly and had Phoenix pinned back for long periods, though they never managed to convert their domination in possession into clear chances.

Marshalled superbly by Andre Payette who never stopped bellowing encouragement to Matt Darlow’s young side, Sheffield were bringing a hard, highly-physical game to the Phoenix, who struggled to find a way round some big challenges and Steeldogs’ no-frills approach to breaking up any attack. Stephen Wallace opened the scoring when he created a goal from nothing on 13 minutes.

Edgar Bebris equalised for Sheffield with a bullet from the blue line three minutes into the second period, and it wasn’t until four minutes into the third period that Marcus Kristoffersson was able to take advantage of a slip-up in the Steeldogs’ defence and give Phoenix the lead again.

There was a lengthy delay while the Zamboni was brought on to the ice to clear a large amount of blood after Sheffield’s Lloyd Gibson sustained a nasty head injury near the boards, but Steeldogs found their momentum first, and Craig Elliott made it 2-2 after 47 minutes.

The game was becoming increasingly bad-tempered, and it was no surprise when Sheffield’s Kris Jrundmanis was given a match penalty on 56 minutes after a check to the head of Ladislav Harabin, who needed on-ice treatment.

Andre Payette also received a cross-checking penalty with four seconds of regulation time remaining. This put Phoenix on the powerplay for the start of overtime, and Curtis Huppe bagged the winner on 62 minutes.

Phoenix player coach Tony Hand said: “This was a very tough game. Tonight we showed character, and plenty of it. Sheffield came to stop us playing our hockey and snatch chances when they appeared. It was a testament to our guys that we stayed focused on our game and battled right to the end.

“There will be plenty of sore muscles tomorrow, and we’ll need a report on Andrew Sharp as soon as possible.

“With Guildford dropping points tonight, our double header against them next weekend will be a massive forty eight hours for us.”