Yardley Overtime Winner puts down Pitbulls !

In a game richly deserving of a bigger audience, Phantoms NIHL2 side delivered a thrilling 4-3 overtime win tonight over a visiting Bristol Pitbulls side who arrived on a three wins from four games start to the season.

Islanders grabbed the ascendancy right from the start, closing down the visitors and moving the puck well in a series of attacks that seriously tested Pitbulls netminder Ross Miller. The opening goal was poked home by Jake Samal on 12:24 after good work from Sansby and McDonald had Miller scrambling and with Dan Lane offering solid backing to a disciplined Phantoms D, it seemed only a matter of time before their lead was extended but despite desperately close misses from Yardley and Pollard, the score remained 1-0 at the break.

Period two saw Phantoms continue to control the game with the Pitbulls limited to shots from distance that Lane had little trouble coping with. Opportunities came and went but Phantoms were unable to beat the athletic Miller in goal and with the lead remaining at 1-0 going into the final period, there was a certain inevitable script entering into the heads of those watching on.

That inevitable script was followed perfectly with just 78 seconds gone in the final period as a puck fired out from behind Lane’s goal was crashed home from in front by the giant 6′ 5″ Olly Shone and suddenly the momentum was with the Pitbulls. To their credit, Phantoms kept their shape and form to match their opponents in a game that became increasingly open as the clock ran down. You sensed a winner was going to arrive in regulation time but, in a low scoring and tight game, nobody could have predicted the carnage of the last three minutes !

With just 3:31 left on the clock the exotically named Giacomo Raffaelli – who was actually Cardiff born – put the Pitbulls ahead with a freak goal that bounced in off his skates. The officials considered the deliberate deflection but rightly gave him the benefit of the doubt for a 1-2 lead for Pitbulls.

Phantoms immediatlely threw caution to the wind. They had headed their visitors for 56 minutes and were in no mood to fall down so late. With bodies swarming the Pitbulls zone, a rebound fell to Conor Pollard with his back to goal and the Phantoms sharpshooter spun sharply to fire home the equaliser with 3:05 remaining. Momentum was now back with the Phantoms, Pentecost crashes his way down the boards and makes a great heads-up feed across to Clint Herring who whips the puck through Miller to put Phantoms 3-2 ahead with only 2:09 remaining.

With goals arriving on every shift, 2:09 looked a very long time to hold out and it proved exactly that as the gentle giant, Olly Shone, found enough space to crash home for 3-3 with 1:36 left on the game. Regulation time finished at 3-3 and we were off to overtime.

Phantoms bossed the overtime period with Pitbulls unable to clear their zone. Conor Pollard and Callum Worthington-Evans combined to overturn the puck in Phantoms favour, the feed was made up to Shaun Yardley who was faced with a lone marker. It was experience versus youth and Yardley fancied the moment. He made the move on the D-man who was left high and dry as the ace sniper rounded him to collect the puck and move in on netminder Miller who simply had no chance. Like the ace veteran he is, Yardley moved the netminder, opened the five hole and through she went to seal the winner and it was celebration time on the ice ….. a hard earned, nerve wracking but well deserved victory for Phantoms.

MOM went to Dan Lane and to his fellow netminder Ross Miller.

A very enjoyable hockey game and a great win to seal a great weekend for Phantoms hockey. Three highly entertaining games, three richly deserved victories ….. and to think some were saying Phantoms hockey was dull, boring and in crisis !!!

Game stats HERE