The Waldeck Peterborough Phantoms confirmed their place in the NIHL National Final Four Weekend by defeating the Hull Seahawks in overtime.
In a topsy turvy game where both sides led at different stages, it was Luke Ferrara who came up clutch in overtime to book Phantoms’ spot in the league’s showpiece event in Coventry next weekend.
The game was end-to-end from the first puck drop and the first goal fell in favour of the Phantoms. Jarvis Hunt was the man who got it when he dispossessed Brock Bartholomew behind the net, skated out in front and finished well on the backhand.
The Seahawks were back on level terms moments later though as Jordan Fisher pounced on a rebound to put the home side on the board.
Ferrara then had a golden chance to put Phantoms ahead when he was awarded a penalty shot for being hauled down by Tom Stubley, but a mixture of Jordan McLaughlin and the post denied the Phantoms man.
Hull took the lead just shy of the ten minute mark when Bobby Chamberlain took a nice feed by Emil Svec to rip an effort into the bottom corner. But they didn’t hold the lead for long either, as Lukas Sladkovsky found the top shelf from a tight angle to score a well worked powerplay goal.
Austin Mitchell-King put Phantoms back in front with a clever finish from to the left of goal, only to see Chamberlain grab his second of the game to send the sides into the first intermission all square.
The second period scoring began right away as Hunt collected his second of the night. When he was released on a breakaway by Tom Norton and saw his first effort kicked away, he gobbled up the rebound to put Phantoms 4-3 ahead.
Sladkovsky then capped a brilliant Phantoms powerplay as after a number of efforts were blocked, saved and cleared off the line, the Czech forward found space to blast from the middle of the zone.
It was clear by now that no lead was a safe lead and Hull got themselves back to within one before the end of the second, as Owen Sobchak found a way past Jordan Marr from in close.
It was all or nothing for Hull going into the third, with the home side knowing they needed four points from the two games with the Phantoms over the weekend.
Phantoms sat in and defended well, but did create chances of their own as Mitchell-King and Ferrara went within inches of finding the net.
But the lone goal of the third period was scored by the Seahawks, when Svec redirected a Sobchak effort past Marr and into the net.
Both sides pushed for the regulation win, but the game headed into overtime.
Hull had the better of the opening minute and a half of overtime, with plenty of zone time and a couple of shots at net. But when Phantoms entered the offensive zone and got some sustained pressure of their own, Ferrara was found all alone in the middle of the zone to fire the Waldeck Peterborough Phantoms to the NIHL National Final Four Weekend in Coventry!
Phantoms goals:
3:56 (HS 0-1 PP): #96 Hunt (EHG)
13:22 (HS 2-2 PP): #91 Sladkovsky / #2 Norton / #19 Ferrara (PPG)
14:56 (HS 2-3 PP): #24 Mitchell-King / #29 Weldon (EHG)
21:41 (HS 3-4 PP): #96 Hunt / #2 Norton (EHG)
28:26 (HS 3-5 PP): #91 Sladkovsky / #19 Ferrara / #5 Björkly Nordström (PPG)
62:29 (HS 5-6 PP): #19 Ferrara (EHG)
Seahawks goals:
5:03 (HS 1-1 PP): #22 Fisher / #7 Barry (EHG)
9:44 (HS 2-1 PP): #21 Chamberlain / #71 Svec (EHG)
16:45 (HS 3-3 PP): #21 Chamberlain / #94 Balmer / #71 Svec (EHG)
33:08 (HS 4-5 PP): #96 Sobchak / #21 Chamberlain / #24 Bartholomew (EHG)
50:42 (HS 5-5 PP): #71 Svec / #96 Sobchak / #21 Chamberlain (EHG)
Phantoms MOTM: #29 Will Weldon
Seahawks MOTM: #16 Sam Towner