Sunday Night Hockey

Last week's home defeat was the Chieftain's first since November 5, and there was more than the usual level of anticipation this week as the Chieftains faced the Peterborough Phantoms.

In recent weeks, it had felt like the Chieftains didn't find their game until the second period -- but not so tonight, when goal followed after goal, until the buzzer ended the first period with the Chieftains enjoying a 4-0 lead. Chieftain's number 50, Randall, lead the way scoring himself a hatrick and assisting in the fourth goal -- but the game wasn't entirely one-sided; the Phantoms fought for all they were worth, making for some of the best premier league hockey I have seen in weeks.

Perhaps the Chieftains were too busy patting themselves on the back for their four goal advantage at the start of the second period, when the Phantoms scored right off the buzzer -- and the Chieftains 55, Howard, was sent off for various dubious penalties -- but mainly fighting with an opposing player. The penalties weren't the sole arena of the Chieftains, with more tripping and hooking coming from the Phantoms than you could shake your stick at.

By the end of the second period, the Chieftains four-goal lead was long gone and the Phantoms had managed to overtake and grasp a goal lead of their own. The Phantoms fans seemed sparse -- and less annoying than last week's MKL fans -- but they surely thought the Chieftains spell had been broken.

How wrong they were, Chieftains not only equalised but won in the final period. 3 points for the Chieftains, and the Sheffield Scimitars this Saturday.