Manchester Phoenix’s dreams of lifting the EPL title for a second time are over for another season despite beating Basingstoke Bison 6-2 on Sunday.
Third place Phoenix, champions in 2011, now lie 13 points behind reigning champions and league leaders Guildford Flames with just six games to go.
Michal Psurny again hit a brace, a day after scoring twice in a narrow EPL Cup semi-final defeat to Flames, while Tom Duggan, Joachim Flaten, Andy McKinney and James Archer also found the net.
Coach Tony Hand said: “I thought we dominated the game tonight and it was great to get a win over Bison. They are a good side and Stevie Lyle has had tremendous games against us this season.”
Bison had become somewhat of a bogey team for Phoenix, having triumphed in all five previous meetings this season, but the league’s early pacesetters have faded badly as the season enters the final stretch.
Phoenix were two up in the first four minutes, with Duggan’s opener coming courtesy of Archer and Bari McKenzie. Coach Hand and Ondrej Pozivil combined to set up Phoenix’s leading scorer Psurny for the first of his goals.
The visitors had Team GB international netminder Lyle to thank for not conceding more than two in the first period, and with just two seconds remaining before the break, Joe Greener pulled one back.
Duggan appeared to take an elbow to the face from his opposite number behind the net, which went unpunished. For airing his annoyance, Coach Hand was given a ten-minute misconduct penalty and the game was delayed while blood was cleared from the ice.
Bison took advantage of the Phoenix leader’s absence and drew level through Jaroslav Cesky, but this was as good as it got for Basingstoke.
Parity lasted for under a minute, with Liam Chong setting up McKinney, and just 35 seconds later, Flaten netted a fourth goal which killed the game off as a contest.
Duggan was again in the wars in the third, with Tony Redmond penalised for a high stick on last season’s player of the year. Again Phoenix took advantage and scored on the powerplay through Psurny.
Archer’s goal completed the victory in the 46th minute, and this win could prove to be crucial in the race for second place between the two sides.
Bison lead Phoenix by five points, but are in poor form and they have played a game more than the Manchester side, who will be rejuvenated by beating the two sides above them in the league in one weekend.
Phoenix host Peterborough Phantoms for the final time this Saturday before travelling to Bracknell Bees on Sunday.
The Phantoms game starts at the later time of 7.00pm and tickets are available via www.manchesterphoenix.co.uk
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Photo courtesy of Richard Allan, with thanks
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