|
Peterborough Islanders 4 – 6 MK
Thunder
Period scores: 0-1, 2-3, 2-2
Penalty mins: Peterborough 58
MK Thunder
93
Shots on Goal: On
Peterborough’s Simon Wren 52
On MK
Thunder’s Mark Woolf 31
Man of the match: MK Thunder: Jay
McFadyen
Games between these two sides are always
feisty affairs with local rivalry to the fore, but this game had added spice
after four Islanders players left to join Thunder during the closed season. So Thunder travelled to Peterborough not
knowing what sort of quality the new look Islanders would have, but knowing for
sure that they would be very physical, especially towards their ex-players.
A host of minor penalties in the opening
period set the scene for the evening with big hits and lots of off the puck
activity going on, occasionally some hockey broke out and when it did it
generally came from the much better organised Thunder side as they outshot
Islanders 19-5 in the period. Despite their attacking domination, Thunder
actually took the lead while playing short-handed when Keiron Goody finished off
a fine move involving Mike Knights and Martyn Snape.
Islanders got level a minute into the
second period when Groom converted a powerplay chance, but Thunder were quick to
reply with two goals inside a minute shortly afterwards. Mike Knights scoring at
22:11 to make it 1-2, with assists going to Connor Hubbuck and Jack Robinson,
and fourteen seconds later Clint Herring fired home from a Ross Horsley pass to
make it 1-3.
Ross Mackintosh pulled a goal back for
Islanders at 29:07 with one of his trademark shots, and then the second period
descended into penalty fest with a total of 101 minutes being dished out by
referee Joy Tottman. Thunder’s Clint Herring was first to go from the game after
being assessed 5+game for check to the head, an achievement as the Islanders
player had already fallen over! Mackintosh then slashed Mike Knights which
resulted in a bout of fisticuffs with both players getting 2+2+10 for their
troubles. Knights was then given another 10 for misconduct and ejected from the
game. Jamie Holland made it 2-4 to Thunder just before the period break assisted
by Matt Roberts. By the time the second period ended the game had already been
running for two hours!
Both teams settled for playing more
hockey in the final period and by mid-period Thunder had extended their lead to
2- 6 with Connor Hubbuck scoring the fifth, assisted by Harrison Goode, and Ross
Horsley the sixth, assisted by Bernie Bradford. Islanders then got their game
together and managed to pull two back through Groom and Cleves, but the result
was never really in doubt with the better team coming out on top of this hard
fought contest. |
