MATCH REPORT | Knights guard castle against Phantoms powerplay resurgence

The WALDECK Peterborough Phantoms travelled up north to Leeds to challenge the Knights for two points. Leeds Knights made their authority known when Matt Bissonnette scored an early goal. Not willing to let this early disadvantage affect them, with Duncan Speirs, Louie Kynaston and Brad Bowering shooting at Knights goalie Harrison Walker.

In the first period, the Knights faced four penalties, giving the Phantoms the man advantage, despite pushing hard and taking shots at Walker, the Knights penalty kill unit pushed the Phantoms out of their zone.During the Phantoms’ second powerplay, Kieran Brown scored the second goal for the Knights.

As the final powerplay of the period ended, Jarvis Hunt found himself in front of Walker trying to tip in a goal, but Noah McMullin and Bow Neely tied him up, the puck found Luke Ferrara who took advantage of the Knights' preoccupation, scoring the first goal for the Phantoms. Less than two minutes later, Matt Barron answered with a third for the Knights.

The Phantoms began the second period on the back foot, facing two penalties and two man disadvantage against the Knights, despite the obvious threat the Phantoms penalty kill dug deep and prevented any further goals. Finn Bradon and Brown scored two quick goals. Austin Mitchell-King and Lewis Baldwin were tangled up in front of Walker’s net after Mitchell-King attempted to make a shot at the goalie.

After the halfway mark of the period, Tom Norton sat for a hooking penalty, during this penalty kill Nathan Salem and Mitchell-King linked up to breakaway from the Knights, both shot at Walker but both attempts were kicked away; this was broken down by the Knights’ counter as they scored their sixth goal. In the final period, the Phantoms played defensively, this effort was hindered by an early slashing penalty given to Salem.

On this penalty kill, Callum Buglass successfully neutralised Brown’s play as he attempted to shoot at Phantoms goalie Hayden Lavigne; Cam Hough broke away from the Knights racing towards Walker, he wound up his stick but shot too wide. Nojus Venskutonis and Barni Sári began to menace the Knights, with Jordan Buesa, Mac Howlett and Finn Bradon struggling to overcome the increasingly gritty young prospects.

Ferrara drew a penalty from Howlett, giving the Phantoms a five-minute powerplay, Speirs took this opportunity to fire the puck at Walker, allowing Salem to tap it in, doubling the Phantoms' goal tally; Speirs repeated this action but Mitchell-King was the player to finish the play, providing the Phantoms with their third goal. Less than 30 seconds later Hough completed the trio of unanswered goals from the Phantoms, forcing the Knights to call a timeout.The Phantoms opted to use this timeout to pull Lavigne, attempting to take the game to overtime.