A depleted Wendy’s Peterborough Phantoms side battled hard to take a point from their opening home game of 2026, against the Swindon Wildcats.
Phantoms were without the services of Tom Norton, Nic Martin, Louie Kynaston, Flynn Massie, Morgan Clarke-Pizzo, AJ Herring, Brad Bowering, Alex Rushby, Corey McEwen, Preston Tombs and Nathan Salem as Ashley Tait called upon Nathan Long, Connor Glossop and Nathan Pollard to fill some of the voids left by the absentees.
The opening period was an evenly matched, relatively low key period, with not too many major chances at either end. Tyler Watkins and Tomasz Malasinski went close for the Wildcats, whilst Luke Ferrara and Barni Sari went close at the other end.
Swindon opened the scoring on 16:15 when a chance was worked for Ed Bradley in the right circle, who ripped his shot short side and beyond Hayden Lavigne.
But the sides went into the first intermission all square, as Dillon Lawrence drew Phantoms level with a missile of a shot into the top corner.
Phantoms took the lead early in the second when more good work from Lawrence resulted in a slash from Eddie Bebris and Luke Ferrara pounced on the chance to score on the delayed penalty.
They held the lead until just after the mid-way point in the game, when Tyler Plews through an effort from the right point, through traffic and into the net.
The visitors retook the lead in the closing stages of the second period when Owen Griffiths popped up in the right circle to one time his shot beyond Lavigne.
But Phantoms rallied early in the third and found the leveller through Assistant Coach Pollard, who got into a good spot out in front and fired his shot beyond Renny Marr.
Cam Hough then put Phantoms 4-3 ahead as the Canadian ripped home a lovely goal to continue his hot streak in front of goal.
But once again, the equaliser wasn’t far behind. This time, Bebris produced a clever pass from behind the goal to find the onrushing Tyler Watkins, who applied a tidy finish into the far top corner.
Both sides looked happy to take a point and the majority of overtime saw fairly little in the way of high quality chances - that was until Griffiths found former GB International, Ben O’Connor, pinching into the play and the defenceman scored through the five hole to ensure the bonus point would be returning to Wiltshire.
FINAL SCORE: Peterborough Phantoms 4-5 Swindon Wildcats (After OT)
Phantoms goals:
18:33 (PP 1-1 SW): #14 Dillon Lawrence / #62 Janne Laakkonen / #29 Cam Hough (PPG)
23:37 (PP 2-1 SW): #19 Luke Ferrara / #14 Dillon Lawrence / #92 Barni Sari (DPG)
42:58 (PP 3-3 SW): #63 Nathan Pollard / #72 Richard Hartmann / #11 Scott Robson (EHG)
47:31 (PP 4-3 SW): #29 Cam Hough / #62 Janne Laakkonen / #33 Ralfs Circenis (EHG)
Wildcats goals:
16:15 (PP 0-1 SW): #73 Ed Bradley / #46 Ben O'Connor / #13 Sam Bullas (EHG)
31:01 (PP 2-2 SW): #24 Tyler Plews / #71 Eddie Bebris / #19 Aaron Nell (EHG)
38:41 (PP 2-3 SW): #77 Owen Griffiths / #71 Eddie Bebris / #18 Tyler Watkins (EHG)
49:21 (PP 4-4 SW): #18 Tyler Watkins / #71 Eddie Bebris (EHG)
63:56 (PP 4-5 SW): #46 Ben O'Connor / #77 Owen Griffiths / #19 Aaron Nell (EHG)
Phantoms man of the match: #29 Cam Hough
Wildcats man of the match: #72 Glenn Billing