The Wendy’s Peterborough Phantoms fought back from 4-1 down to claim a penalty shot victory over the Solway Sharks.
Cam Hough led the way with a hat-trick, whilst tallies from Luke Ferrara and Dillon Lawrence contributed to the comeback, before Hayden Lavigne shut the Sharks out on penalty shots.
The Sharks took the lead with seven and a half minutes played, when Dylan Stewart gained the zone down the left and pulled a move in front of Lavigne, before tapping in.
Hough grabbed the first of his three goals to level the scores when he stepped out in front from behind the goal and lifted his shot into the roof of the net.
Callum Boyd restored the Sharks’ lead in fortunate circumstances, when his pass back across goal went into the net off a Phantoms skate.
The Solway imports combined for a powerplay goal in the opening minute of the second period, with Stewart picking out Derek Osik with a cross crease pass, which was fired home before Lavigne could jump across the crease.
Jake Bolton made it four for the Sharks, blasting home from the point as Jordan Buesa applied the screen in front of Lavigne.
So Phantoms were three down and had a mountain to climb with over half of the game to play, but they started their ascent when Dillon Lawrence ripped a powerplay goal high into the net from the middle of the zone.
They got back to within one in the opening minute of the third as Hough notched his second of the game, this time firing in off the pads of Jordan Marr from the left circle.
And Phantoms got back on level terms when Luke Ferrara redirected a Lawrence pass out in front beyond Marr at 43:29.
But they hit another bump in the road when the Solway Sharks retook the lead, as Buesa fired through the five hole of an unsighted Lavigne.
Hough had the final say in regulation, though, as he blasted home his hat-trick goal from the right circle with just under ten minutes to play.
Phantoms had to kill two delay of game penalties at the end of regulation and into overtime and Lavigne made an impressive seven saves in the bonus period. But the game was to be decided on penalty shots, where Phantoms emerged victorious once again.
PP - Hough - GOAL
SS - Coulter - MISS
PP - Ferrara - MISS
SS - Bolton - MISS
PP - Laakkonen - MISS
SS - Kerr - MISS
FINAL SCORE: Peterborough Phantoms 6-5 Solway Sharks (After Penalty Shots)
Phantoms goals:
9:07 (PP 1-1 SS): #29 Cam Hough / #62 Janne Laakkonen / #19 Luke Ferrara (PPG)
34:43 (PP 2-4 SS): #14 Dillon Lawrence / #62 Janne Laakkonen / #71 Corey McEwen (PPG)
40:25 (PP 3-4 SS): #29 Cam Hough / #62 Janne Laakkonen / #11 Scott Robson (EHG)
43:29 (PP 4-4 SS): #19 Luke Ferrara / #14 Dillon Lawrence / #62 Janne Laakkonen (PPG)
50:08 (PP 5-5 SS): #29 Cam Hough (Hat-Trick) / #62 Janne Laakkonen / #19 Luke Ferrara (PPG)
Sharks goals:
7:30 (PP 0-1 SS): #9 Dylan Stewart / #24 Carter Hamill / #19 Jake Bolton (EHG)
15:08 (PP 1-2 SS): #68 Callum Boyd (EHG)
20:28 (PP 1-3 SS): #8 Derek Osik / #9 Dylan Stewart / #19 Jake Bolton (PPG)
26:19 (PP 1-4 SS): #19 Jake Bolton / #5 Olivier Arseneau / #8 Derek Osik (PPG)
44:38 (PP 4-5 SS): #34 Jordan Buesa / #8 Derek Osik / #9 Dylan Stewart (EHG)
Phantoms man of the match: #29 Cam Hough
Sharks man of the match: #33 Jordan Marr