The 2024 title race
looks as if it will go right to the wire after Cardiff Huskies and Peterborough
Phantoms both won at the weekend and opened a two point gap at the top of the
table.
Peterborough narrowly
beat Sheffield Steelkings – who were still harbouring their own title ambitions
- 5-4 on Saturday while Cardiff won 1-2 away to Manchester Mayhem in Widnes on
Sunday.
League top scorer Gary
Farmer put the Phantoms on their way with a goal after just 50 seconds against Sheffield
but two goals – from Connor Grocock and Daniel Clarke – edged the Steelkings ahead
and it took another Farmer strike to level the score 2-2 at the first interval.
Two more goals from
Farmer and a second for the visitors from Grocock saw Peterborough leading 4-3 after
two periods and a goal for each side – from Ali Amini for the Phantoms and a second
from Clarke for Sheffield mean that the game finished as a 5-4 home win.
The game in Widnes
on Sunday was a very cagey affair and the Mayhem took a 1-0 lead into the first
break with a strike from Anthony Booth.
An equaliser from
Tyler Christopher with just 26 seconds left the second tied the scores and a
goal from captain Paul Furber on 33 minutes handed the Huskies the win.
The weekend results
mean that Cardiff and Peterborough both have 10 points at the top of the table but
Cardiff have a game in hand.
There are just 3
more games to be played in the regular league schedule and every one of them
will have a bearing on the title race.
Cardiff could go
clear on points if they beat the Mayhem in the Welsh capital this Saturday 3rd August
– 6.25pm face off – but the Steelkings also have a game that day – in the second
home derby of the season against the Steelstings – and, should the Huskies slip
up, a Kings win would then leave three teams on 10 points.
In fact, any scenario
from next weekend’s games means that the destination of the 2024 British Para
Ice Hockey League title will not be decided until the last game of the season –
when Peterborough host Cardiff on 10th August.
You can see up-to-date league standings, player statistics and match summary sheets for the 2024 sledge hockey season on our unofficial stats website HERE
