GUILDFORD, UK – Three games this week for the Flames and the first was the second leg of the EPL cup final at Milton Keynes. The Flames went into this leg with a huge 6-1 lead from the home leg and came away with another 4-3 victory giving them an aggregate 10-4 win, and the twelfth title in the club’s history.
Lightning’s Canadian forward Nick Poole opened the scoring midway through the first period but Neil Liddiard equalised shortly after followed by a short-handed Nathan Rempel and Lukas Smital on the powerplay giving the Flames an insurmountable seven goal aggregate lead in a second period that saw Leigh Jamieson awarded a roughing double minor, and penalties for checking to the head and misconduct. In the third Rick Plant added to the misery and although Adam Carr clawed two back for the Lightning, it was too little, too late.
Saturday’s game and visitors Peterborough were two up after the first five minutes from goals by Callum Fowler and Maris Ziedins, and from then the Flames were always playing catch-up even though Slovakian forward Milos Melicherik pulled one back before the period’s end. The second was fairly even although Ziedins added his second and in the third the Flames pulled two back from Plant and a second by Melicherik. But the Phantoms added the game winner so not even the euphoria of the splendid mid-week cup win over the Lightning was enough to carry the day or the forty-one shots on Stephen Wall, so the Flames went down 4-3.
Sunday the Flames travelled to Romford hoping to end the regular season on a winning note, and on a winning note they did. The Flames comfortably ended a dismal season for the Raiders with a nine goal finish which started in the first minute with a goal by Jez Lundin and was four to one by the end of the period by which time the game was pretty much decided. The second saw three more Flames goals from Lamey, Clarke and Hurtaj and two more apiece in the third, but at the end of the game Guildford’s Gary Clarke had a hat-trick, and the Raiders two apiece for imports Costanzo and Pliskauskas although they did manage to virtually equal the shots on goal tally.
Next step the quarter-finals of the playoffs and the Bison who go into the leg with a comfortable win over the Wildcats.
For more EPL facts, figures and news try my website – www.iceman-epl.com
Contact Bill.Collins@prohockeynews.com
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