Phoenix came into the game off the back of a good 6-2 win away at Bracknell. This was a good win as it also counted toward the EPL Cup, which Phoenix still have a chance for qualifying for. Phoenix were without Hand and Wallace again for the weekend and there were also reports that a sickness bug had also got into the camp. Just what we needed with a short bench!! Bison and Phoenix games are always tough to call and a good measure of how we're shaping up. This is the last home game against Bison this season unless we meet in the playoffs. Phoenix won the first game early on this season in overtime but Bison shut out the Phoenix 3-0 at the end of October.
First Period
Phoenix started the game well and with just over 3 minutes gone, Koulikov slammed a cracking hook shot into the top left hand corner past Colclough to get Phoenix off the mark. The lead was doubled shortly after at 9:01 when Cingel stuffed the puck past Colclough after good work by Koulikov and Faith. After weathering a bit of a storm, Bison clawed their way back into the game at 12:26 with a pretty good goal to be honest. Redmond and Chinn worked the puck forward to a breaking Kubenko who blasted the puck past Fone from just inside the blueline. At 15:31 Phoenix picked up the first penalty of the game when Johnson was assessed 2 minutes for tripping, however Bison could not force the equaliser with the man advantage. Fone should take a lot of credit for that as he made a superb diving save with 3:27 left on the period to stop a certain goal. Even King Henry would have been proud with that save!! At 18:03 Bison's Oakford picked up a holding penalty but the Phoenix could not make the extra man count and went in to the period break up by just the one goal.
The Phoenix fans went into the break reasonably satisfied. The lads had made a much better start then they had against Slough and were rewarded by the 2 goals. However it was disappointing to let Bison back in the game and the ease that Bison were able to work the puck forward for their goal was a bit of a worry.
Goals - Phoenix 3:18 - Koulikov, Assists - Faith, Spelda, Phoenix 9:01 - Cingel, Assists - Koulikov, Faith, Bison 12:26 - Kubenko, Assists - Chinn, Redmond
Second Period
Unfortunately for Phoenix, defensive errors were to prove costly as Bison got back into the game. Phoenix had an early let off with less than 2 minutes gone. Fone went walkabout to clear the puck but sent it straight to a Bison player. Fortunately Spelda was on hand in the crease to sweep the puck clear with Fone stranded. At times like that I wish I could tie him to the net like Coach Bombay does to Goldberg in the Mighty Ducks!! Phoenix had some respite when Volrab picked up a holding penalty at 24:43 but they could not break through the stout Bison defence. At 29:17 Bison picked up the equaliser when the Phoenix defence parted and Kubenko skated through one on one against Fone and put the puck between Fone's legs to score. Then less than a minute later Phoenix's defence went to sleep again. This time former player Joe Miller danced his way around some static defenders, skated round Fone and put the Bison up by one. At that point, the Phoenix players looked like their heads had dropped and something really special was needed to get back in the game. Luckily, at 31:33 something special did happen as Harabin scored what was probably the best goal I have ever seen! He got the puck just inside his own zone and set about taking on every Bison player on the ice. As he skated between (or rather through) 2 Bison defenders at their blue line he was tripped and the ref raised his arm for a delayed penalty. Then while sliding on his knees he somehow managed to settle the puck and roof it past Colclough to tie the game. Unbelievable! I hadn't heard the Dome celebrate as loud for a goal since Huppe's empty netter won the league in the last game of last season.
Although all the talk at the end of the period was about Harabin's goal, it was worrying how easy Bison had found their goals. When Miller scored he needed to be checked off his skates but no-one touched him. Bison's forwards are good at dragging the opposition defenders wide and then sending a player through the gap down the middle and Phoenix were letting the gap between them get too big.
Goals - Bison 29:17 - Kubenko, Assists - Moria, Chinn, Bison - 29:59 Miller, Assist - Redmond, Phoenix 31:33 - Harabin, Assist - Neil (delayed penalty)
Third Period
The period started tied with it all to play for but Phoenix seemed to fade as the period went on as the shorter bench and Saturday's game caught up with them. Early on in the period at 43:57 Volrab went to the penalty box for hooking but Phoenix could not seriously test Colclough. At 46:10 Bison got the go ahead goal as the Phoenix defence took another nap and Nicky Chinn calmly put the puck past Fone. Although Bison ran into a bit of penalty trouble half way through the period with Bronnimann called for hooking at 48:09 and Wiggins called for roughing at 51:05, Colclough stood firm between the pipes. At 57:14 Harabin was called for clipping when he hip-checked a Bison forward and any momentum Phoenix had slipped away. Although Phoenix played the last 20 seconds or so with an extra skater when Volrab was assessed a tripping minor, Bison stood up to the challenge and held on for the win.
At the final horn Phoenix had dropped another 2 points at home and again could only manage around 20 minutes of playing well. The players visibly tired as the game went on and never seriously looked like getting a point when Bison took the lead. In many respects, these sorts of results are to be expected. The league is more competitive than last year and Phoenix have been battling against the odds with an injury crisis. Despite the short bench and players playing through the pain, we were still playing 50/50 hockey. However, it was becoming frustrating that Phoenix were playing well and winning away on the Saturday but being unable to come back, play well for the whole game and win in front of the home fans on the Sunday. I think everyone would swap winning away to winning at home! With the Guildford home game being a Saturday next week, we were hoping that the "win on Saturday" streak continues and we can remember what it's like to win a home game again!
Goals - Bison 46:10 - Chinn, Assists - Kubenko, Volrab
Final Score - Phoenix 3 - Bison 4
MOM - Phoenix - Harabin, Bison - Kubenko
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