The WALDECK Peterborough Phantoms outshot the league leading Leeds Knights on Saturday night, but ultimately fell to defeat to the Yorkshire side.

They were penalised early, when Cam Hough was called for roughing, and Matthew Barron redirected a Matt Bissonnette blue line effort into the bottom corner of the Phantoms net.

And the visitors doubled their lead inside the opening ten minutes, when Phantoms turned the puck over on their own defensive blue line and after Bissonnette’s shot squirmed through the five hole of Hayden Lavigne, Barron was on hand to bundle it over the line.

Despite the scoreline, Phantoms weren’t playing badly and were creating chances of their own. Hough and Tom Norton were both denied by Sam Gospel, who was having his usual strong showing in the Knights’ net.

Phantoms continued to try and chip away at the deficit in the second period, with Luke Ferrara testing Gospel from the blue line, but the Knights’ netminder got enough on it to divert it wide of his far post.

Salem then tried his luck once again when he pulled a clever move down the right wing and fired on net, but his shot was kicked away.

Louie Kynaston almost provided the perfect feed for a Phantoms opener when he outmuscled the Knights’ defenceman in the corner and centred the puck for Richard Hartmann, but his goalbound effort was deflected wide by a Knights’ stick in the lane.

Joe Gretton then produced a brilliant diving block on a big blue line effort by Dylan Hehir, which seemed to spark the Phantoms offence into life as they broke up the other end, but again found Gospel in good form. Later in the shift, Austin Mitchell-King pinged the far post as Phantoms continued to go close.

Phantoms then had a 5-on-3 powerplay chance, where Janne Laakkonen saw an effort well saved, before initiating a clever tic-tac-toe move, but Duncan Speirs’ shot wouldn’t go in at the end of it.

And the Knights punished Phantoms for their missed chances in the closing moments of the second period, when Barron completed a hat-trick of goals from in close, with his second powerplay marker of the night.

After a big 5-on-3 Shred Station Penalty Kill from the Phantoms, Lavigne was called into action when he made a big save to deny Fin Bradon from point blank range.

Phantoms finally got on the board at 52:54 after a strong powerplay and a flurry of efforts on net saw Hough pounce to fire home a more than deserved Phantoms goal.

Unfortunately, that was as good as it got on the night for the Phantoms. The Knights ensured both points would return to Elland Road when captain Matt Haywood smashed the puck the length of the ice and into the empty net, with Phantoms having gone for the extra skater.

FINAL SCORE: Peterborough Phantoms 1-4 Leeds Knights

Phantoms goals:
52:54 (PP 1-3 LK): #29 Cam Hough / #62 Janne Laakkonen / #2 Tom Norton (PPG)

Knights goals:
3:37 (PP 0-1 LK): #37 Matthew Barron / #73 Matt Bissonnette (PPG)
9:15 (PP 0-2 LK): #37 Matthew Barron / #73 Matt Bissonnette / #8 Bow Neely (EHG)
38:19 (PP 0-3 LK): #37 Matthew Barron (Hat-Trick) / #33 Fin Bradon / #73 Matt Bissonnette (PPG)
58:09 (PP 1-4 LK): #11 Matt Haywood (SHG - ENG)

Man of the Match
Phantoms: #36 Zaine McKenzie
Knights: #37 Matthew Barron