Bees push Phoenix all the way!

Final Score: Manchester Phoenix 3-2 Bracknell Bees (After Overtime)

The Bees picked up a vital point, their first in eight visits to Altrincham, in a battling Overtime loss against the Manchester Phoenix.

The Bees were again missing Tom Annetts, Peter Jasik and Carl Graham, with Hornets goalie Mark Petch again deputising as back-up to Carl Ambler. The Phoenix were missing new Great Britain head coach Tony Hand and former-Bee Tom Duggan.

Although heavily out-shot, the Bees were never out of the game and had a number of great opportunities themselves to wrap up both points in regulation time.

Scott Spearing opened the scoring at 21:06 when his shot from the right circle flew high over Stephen Fone's glove, following excellent work by Ben Johnson and Lukas Smital.

But Manchester came back strongly, raining 20 shots in the period on Ambler. The first which beat him, from Slava Koulikov at 32:28, drifted agonisingly beyond his reach after he was prone on the ice having made an excellent stop.

Four minutes later, Jaroslav Spelda put the hosts ahead when he fired into the roof of Ambler's net as he stole in un-marked from the blue line.

The Bees never gave in and continued to threaten on the breakaway, with the Phoenix pressing hard for a decider. Shaun Thompson and Michael Bowman were both denied, before a Smital rocket from the high slot at 55:10 crashed into the roof of Fone's net, assists going to Sergejs Louskins and Martin Masa.

The Bees ended regulation time a man short, with Alex Barker sitting in the box on a Delay of the Game penalty at 59:24. Sadly only 46 seconds into Overtime, Koulikov made the man advantage count when his shot from the high slot found its way past a screened Ambler to give the hosts both points.

Ambler duly picked up the Bees man of the match award for impressively denying 50 of Manchester's 53 shots, but the whole team deserve credit for an excellent performance.