The Wendy’s Peterborough Phantoms were the victims of a Basingstoke Bison fightback in the final ten minutes, before losing out on penalty shots.
Phantoms got off to the best possible start when they took the lead with just 1:37 played, as Billy Thorpe threw the puck on net, through traffic, and in.
They went close to a second when Dillon Lawrence danced through, only to be denied by Max Wright, before Will Stead tested Hayden Lavigne at the other end.
The sides continued to trade chances as the first period wore on and Wright came up clutch for the Bison again towards the end of the frame. When he and Cam Hough got into a race to the puck, it was cycled back around to Hough, who was denied by Wright’s sprawling efforts to clear off the line.
The Bison equalised at 27:15 on the powerplay, when they worked a chance out in front to Zack Milton, and he picked out the far top corner of Lavigne’s net.
But it took Phantoms just 59 seconds to retake the lead, when Callum Buglass found Luke Ferrara in the perfect spot for a one timer, and the Phantoms captain smashed it into the far corner.
Both sides continued to have chances, but also take penalties, and it was Phantoms who capitalised on a powerplay chance, as Janne Laakkonen tapped home into an unguarded cage after a high Hough shot bounced perfectly for him off the plexi.
Corey McEwen went close early in the third, before Phantoms did faced a 5-on-3 Bison powerplay, after Dillon Lawrence and Ferrara had both been called.
During that penalty kill, they were awarded a penalty shot, but Wright was equal to Hough’s effort.
Bison reduced the arrears back to one with one second left on their powerplay, as Adam Harding found a gap between Lavigne’s shoulder and the goalpost.
The visitors applied plenty of pressure in the closing stages and forced the overtime period when Tom Relf skated in down the right and squeezed his shot past Lavigne.
No goals were scored in OT, so the game was settled in the shootout.
PP - Hough - Miss
BB - Sellan - Goal
PP - Ferrara - Goal
BB - Spadafora - Goal
PP - Laakkonen - Miss
FINAL SCORE: Peterborough Phantoms 3-4 Basingstoke Bison (After penalty shots)
Phantoms goals:
1:37 (PP 1-0 BB): #25 Billy Thorpe / #71 Corey McEwen / #33 Ralfs Circenis (EHG)
28:14 (PP 2-1 BB): #19 Luke Ferrara / #62 Janne Laakkonen / #45 Callum Buglass (PPG)
38:26 (PP 3-1 BB): #62 Janne Laakkonen / #29 Cam Hough / #2 Tom Norton (PPG)
Bison goals:
27:15 (PP 1-1 BB): #24 Zack Milton / #13 Zak Shankar / #93 Luke Spadafora (PPG)
51:06 (PP 3-2 BB): #4 Adam Harding / #16 George Norcliffe / #29 Alex Sampford (PPG)
57:48 (PP 3-3 BB): #89 Tom Relf / #4 Adam Harding / #42 Max Wright (PPG)
Phantoms man of the match: #23 Brad Bowering
Bison man of the match: #42 Max Wright