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Summer Classic Cup Western Conference Winners Flintshire
Phantoms (photo by Paul Breeze)
Saturday, 27th July 2019 - Howies UK Summer Classic Cup
Wyre Seagulls 1 - Flintshire Phantoms 4 (played at Widnes,
Planet Ice)
Period Scores: 0 – 2, 1 – 0, 0 –
2.
Penalties in Minutes: Seagulls
14 – Phantoms 8
MVPs: Seagulls – Michael
Gallery/Phantoms – Michael Rogers
Match Officials: Scott
Anstey/Kiron Furlong
Scorer: Sofi Jenkins
Time Keeper: Lucy London
Penalty Boxes: Sam Calderbank
Announcer: Paul Breeze
The Planet Ice Rink at Widnes hosted a thrilling finale to
the Western Conference Group Stage of the Summer Classic Cup on Saturday with a
highly entertaining game between the Wyre Seagulls and the Flintshire
Phantoms.
The Wyre Seagulls usually play their home games in Blackburn but, as their home rink is currently closed for major refurbishment work, they have been training and playing their home matches in Widnes. This game was of particular importance as it featured the top two teams in the Western Conference with a winner-take-all scenario to secure the top spot.
The Wyre Seagulls entered the game with a one point advantage over the Phantoms in the Group Table, which meant that a draw or overtime win would hand them the title, whereas the Phantoms would need a win in regular time to leap frog them into first place.
The game was very closely fought throughout with little to choose between the teams. The opening phase was very tight, with opportunities at both ends and the break-through did not come until the 16th minute, when the Phantoms scored two quick-fire goals - through Sterling Steeves and Ondrej Liebelt – within 10 seconds of each other, a crucial lead that they carried with them into the first break.
The second period was even closer, with the only goal coming in the 27th minute from the Seagulls’ Conor Duthie to halve the deficit and set up a knife-edge final period. However, any hopes that the Seagulls had of forcing an early equaliser were thwarted when the Phantoms extended their lead in the 44th minute with a goal from George Perrett. The visitors further extended their lead with a second goal from Steeves 5 minutes later, leaving the Seagulls with too much to do to try and catch up.
The 1 – 4 win means that the Flintshire Phantoms finish top of the Summer Classic Cup Western Conference, one point ahead of the second place Seagulls. Both teams have qualified for the Play Off stages of the competition, where they will come up against the top teams from the Eastern Conference and which culminates in a final in Sheffield on 11th August 2019.
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presented by Sam Calderbank. (Photos by Paul Breeze) |
F
Wyre Seagulls – David May, Michael Gallery (NM 60 min. 2
PIM), John May, Dan Coxon (Captain), Chris Brumby (2 PIM), Ryan Homer (2 PIM),
Daniel Skelton (2 PIM), Adam Fleet, Ben Cleary, Christian Wareing (0 + 1), Mark
Jenkins (2 PIM), Conor Duthie (1 + 0), Scott Anthony-Jones (2 PIM)
Flintshire Phantoms – Jason James (0 + 1, 2 PIM), Steve
Furber, Gareth Jones, Brian Chalmers, George Perrett (1 + 1), Jason McGee, Juan
Aspero, Michael Rogers (NM, 60 min.), Oliver Meadows (2 PIM), David Meadows (2
PIM), Anthony Hughes, Stirling Steeves (2 + 0, 2 PIM), Kenneth Valyear, Ondrej
Liebelt (1 + 0),
