Seahawks and Phantoms Continue to Have the Measure of Each Other as the Playoffs Get Underway
Hull Reckitt Seahawks v Peterborough Phantoms – 29/03/2025
It was Sun Tzu who said that “If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.”
While the Chinese general and philosopher may have been theorising about military strategy, the words could so easily be applied to the first round of the Hull Reckitt Seahawks’ playoff campaign, after a home win and an away defeat to the Peterborough Phantoms.
The two sides finished fourth and fifth, respectively, in the Planet Ice NIHL National standings this season, separated by just one point.
Aside from the championship-winning Leeds Knights and second-placed Milton Keynes Lightning, no two teams were arguably more evenly matched, with the Phantoms edging the regular season results with four wins to two defeats (albeit the margin looks slightly more generous after the Phantoms were awarded a 5-0 win in February as punishment for the Seahawks fielding an ineligible coach.
However, with the domestic campaign consigned to history, playoff hockey arrived in Hull on Saturday and, despite being without two prominent warriors in the shape of the injured Dave Phillips and the suspended Bobby Chamberlain, the Seahawks were ready to do battle.
First blood would be drawn in the contest by Hull thanks to a rebound finish, on the powerplay, by forward Johnny Corneil, at 11:33.
The Canadian was presented with the opportunity while Austin Mitchell-King sat a two-minute hooking penalty and was assisted by compatriot, Owen Sobchak.
However, the Phantoms fought their way back into the match, at 15:12, through Thomas Norton’s equaliser.
As the first period intermission appeared on the horizon, the Seahawks rallied, putting the goal of Hayden Lavigne under siege, with the constant onslaught bearing fruition at 17:53, as Lee Bonner fired Hull ahead, assisted by Lee Haywood, to send the team into the locker room 2-1 up.
As has happened in previous games against the Phantoms this season, the two sides cancelled each other out and the game ground to a stalemate in the second period, with each team probing their enemy’s defence but with nothing to show for their raids.
In fact, it would be deep into the final period before another attack would prove successful enough to lead to a goal.
It came at 57:37 from the stick of Czech forward Emil Svec, following some nice passing play from Sobchak and Tom Stubley, to extend Hull’s lead.
In a bold strategy worthy of great military commanders, the Phantoms risked it all by pulling their goalie for an extra skater, at 59:34.
Their courage would be rewarded as they brought the match back to within a single goal, when they scored with seven seconds left on the clock.
However, Cameron Hough’s marker would prove to be no more than a consolation as the Seahawks celebrated the sweet taste of victory.
“That’s a massive win for us in our first home game of the playoffs,” said Head Coach Matty Davies in his post-match interview.
“We know what happened last time when we played the Phantoms in the post-season, and we wanted to right that particular wrong.
“Peterborough are a tough team and they always come good at this time of the year, so tonight’s result was important. If you win your home fixtures in the playoffs it gives you a really good chance of going to Coventry [for the playoff finals weekend].
“It’ll be a tough battle in their rink tomorrow, but we want to go there and win. We’ve done it before, and we can do it again!”
Unfortunately, Sunday’s match in Cambridgeshire couldn’t have gotten off to a worse start for the Seahawks, as they conceded the opening goal after just 51 seconds, with Luke Ferrara and
Bradley Bowering combining to tee-up Janne Laakkonen.
Hull did find themselves all square, at 04:04, thanks to a ripper from Alex Kent whose rasping shot found the top right-hand corner to make it 1-1.
However, the next passage of play would see the Phantoms regain the lead through Nathan Salem, at 04:28, and the former Seahawk doubled his goal tally for the evening and extended
Peterborough’s lead further less than two minutes later [06:26].
The Seahawks refused to go quietly and 15 seconds later brought the game back to within a single goal, at 06:41, thanks to Owen Bruton who was assisted by Emil Svec and Josh Hodgkinson.
Sadly, that would be as near as the two sides would get, as the Phantoms netted twice in the second period through Richard Hartmann [24:51] and on the powerplay via the stick of Ferrara [35:29].
As Hull went in search of a way back, in the third period, by pulling Dimitri Zimozdra for the man advantage, Austin Mitchell-King would wrap up the win and the points for the Phantoms with an empty net goal at 58:14.
The next playoff battle for the Seahawks is a Yorkshire derby against the Knights, starting away at The Castle, on Saturday, before making the short journey home to Hull Arena, on Sunday, for the return fixture.
By Mark Bateman
