EPL play-off quarter finals in review

SWINDON, UK –

On Saturday 3^rd April the first leg of the EPL quarter-finals took place and Bison said goodbye to their place in the final in Coventry with a 6-0 burning by an awesome Guildford Flames. Canadian Nathan Rempel opened the scoring minutes before the first break, which turned out to be the game-winning goal, and continued with another goal a minute into the second. Half way through, in a six-minute burst, Stuart Potts, Milos Melicherik and Rick Plant all added to the scoreline, with Neil Liddiard concluding what was a community event on the score card four minutes into the final period. Shots on goal were pretty even with Bison netminder Tom Annetts splattered in the second, but the Bison returned the favour in the third but penalties and therefore powerplays were few. So the Flames almost certainly march on to final with hopes of their first EPL title still intact. The Lightning travelled to Swindon with high hopes what with being the top seeds and the Wildcats number eight, and as it turned out, were lucky to go home with a draw. Things started well enough with two penalties in their favour and a powerplay goal by Czech D-man Lukas Zatopek all within the first four minutes, but by the midway point Grant McPhearson had been discharged from duty for entering into a private tussle between Jozef Kohut and Ross Bowers and the Wildcats were on the scorecard thanks to the Slovakian forward. Three minutes into the second and Finn Andre Smulter regained the Lightning’s lead and apart from some scrappy play, not helped by referee Nigel Boniface, that was it for the period. Into the third and Michael Farn, sporting a full face cage to protect the damage he received in last weekend’s Jets game when he was hit by a puck, was binned for a bench minor too many men infringement which allowed the Wildcats to equalise again through Kohut in controversial style with a displaced net, but ref Boniface had no doubts, and the score was even. Nine minutes later things were very clear, though, when Swindon captain Lee Richardson put the hosts ahead and it was only a second goal from Zatopek, and the Lightning’s second powerplay goal that kept them in the game at three apiece. Had the Wildcats made better use of their powerplays, the score might well have been quite different. Manchester Phoenix visited the Phantoms in their first leg and had their nose bloodied inside twenty seconds through a costly mistake by netminder Steve Fone leaving his crease and exposing the big hole where the puck goes, especially by the likes of James Morgan. But, they were back in the game eleven minutes later on the powerplay with a little help by Finn Jaacko Hagelburg. Another powerplay minutes later and a controversial go-ahead goal by the Phoenix was netted by top scorer Adam Walker, although their own problems were close behind the questionable 5+match-penalty dismissal of Andre Mattson for giving Morgan a blood injury to the nose, meaning he will miss the return tomorrow. Adding to the controversy was Knight bringing down Walker, which went unnoticed by referee Steve Wardell. A five-minute powerplay in the second did nothing to help the Phantoms and they paid for it as the Phoenix peppered netminder Stephen Wall who heroically kept the Phantoms in the game despite needing attention when he was slammed into the goal frame. Into the third and within seconds Tony Hand’s lightning shot beat Wall for a Phoenix 3-1 lead, but it was short lived as seconds later Tom Carlton beat Fone. Phoenix defended as though, well, their final’s place depended on it actually, and Wall faced 22 incoming shots to four in response but three minutes from time and the Phantoms broke through with James Ferrara claiming the equaliser at three-each in a scramble around the crease.  

 
The Jets and Scimitars first leg started at a furious pace with the first goal coming from Jets’ Slovakian forward Blaz Emersic in the forth minute on the powerplay. But two minutes later fellow Slovakian Peter Slamiar evened things up after some deft footwork the length of the rink. A minute before the first break Peter Jasik gave the Jets the lead and the tally of 28 shots to 6 in the Jets favour showed the level of the peppering Scimitars’ netminder Ben Bowns had to face. Joe Greener added to the Jets’ lead a minute into the second, and that’s how it stayed until the period closed. In the first minute of the final period the Jets went further ahead with a second by Emersic, and that was just about it with the Scimitars losing Steve Duncombe through injury and Jasic netting his second five minutes from time giving the Jets a 5-1 win.
 
Sunday and the return legs of the semi-finals produced one startling result: the Wildcats beat the Lightning 7-5. The Swindon team opened in strong form but it was Smulter for the Lightning who scored first after twelve minutes against the run of play. Seven minutes later Wildcats’ Aaron Nell scored his first, so all things were equal for the first period. Four minutes into the second and Swedish forward Monir Kalgoum put the hosts ahead again, but it was a short lived easement because seconds later Jan Krajicek let one fly from just inside the circle and it was all equal again. A powerplay with Kohut in the bin gave the lead to the Lightning again through Canadian Nick Poole on the half hour, and then the Wildcats beat off another powerplay for Nell to score his second minutes before the break. Into the third and in the first minute of play the Lightning on another powerplay made it 4-3 through Kalgoum, but two minutes later Raimonds Danilicsequalised again for the Wildcats and four minutes after that Kalgoum opened up the lead again. But the game was far from over with Nell completing his hat-trick after another four minutes so the nail-biter was five apiece with less than ten minutes to go. And then the unthinkable happened! With less than three minutes to play Kohut deked netminder Hollyhead and the go-ahead goal was on the board. The Lightning had no choice and pulled the netminder, but Nell slotted in another into the gaping empty hole, and the Cats were off to Coventry. Interestingly, there was a staggering ninety-seven combined shots on goal, which shows the level of pace of these two teams.
The Flames hosted the Bison for their second leg with a whopping six-goal aggregate lead under their belt and although the Bison were desperate for a score, it was Czech forward Martin Masa who put the Flames in control again mid-way through the fist period. First goal of the weekend for the Bison came from Ollie Bronnimann at twenty-five minutes with a deflection off his skate, but Canadian Nathan Rempel re-stored the lead nine minutes later with a long pass from Neil Liddiard.   Three minutes into the third and Bronnimann let fly again from left wing to even the score, but at an aggregate eight-two it was too little too late and the Flames booked their place at Coventry.  
The Phantoms and the Phoenix started their Sunday second leg all square at 3-apiece and although the Phantoms outshot the Phoenix in the first period, it was Robert Lachwicz and Ryan Johnson for Manchester that gave them a two-goal lead going into the break. But the Phantoms were far from beaten and in second period Latvian forward Maris Ziedins scored their first to close the gap. Forty-five minutes into the third and Ziedins scored his second, so at five-all there were fifteen minutes left and still everything to play for. A furious pace ensued as the game drew to its close and two minutes from time Joe Graham slipped in the winner sending the Phoenix to Coventry with an aggregate although slender 6-5 win. But with the roller coaster ride that has been the Phantoms’ campaign this year, the result was a credit to Tim Peacock and the club, especially as it really could have gone either way.
The Jets and Scimitars second leg started more evenly matched than their first encounter and despite the Sheffield team being short-benched the first period ended with no goals and no penalties even though it was end-to-end stuff both fast and hard. The first goal came seven minutes into the second from Slough’s Slovakian forward Peter Poljacek on the powerplay, and so with a five-goal aggregate lead, it was always going to be uphill struggle. But Bowns kept the Scimitars in the game with some excellent saves, and Arran Strawson claimed an equaliser in the second, but three minutes from the end of the period Ciaran Long restored the five-goal advantage. The third produced no goals, and shots on goal in single figures, but with an aggregate 7-2 it ensured the Jets had booked their ticket to Coventry.
So with the quarter-finals in the bag, it will not surprise too many the Jets have progressed to the semis, and probably not the Flames either as the Bison’s most serious win was against the Jets back in mid-March, if you don’t count the more recent victory over the mercurial Wildcats. The Phoenix go through, but must be a tad concerned about the closeness of their victory, which would have been a different story at the start of the season. But it has to be the Wildcats who are the dark er, horses who not only drew with the Lightning in the first leg, who had to come from behind to get that result, but then led the Lightning on the return who then failed to get back in on that occasion. Plus you also have to go back to mid-March for the Flames last serious encounter and in that they were beaten by the Wildcats! So, with Slough also having been beaten at the same time by the Wildcats and no serious testing since, hence Pete Russell’s performance apology, you can’t help thinking the whole thing is up for grabs including the under, um, dogs Wildcats who just might be peaking at the right time.
 
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Contact the author Bill.Collins@Prohockeynews.com