Less than 12 hours prior to the opening face-off in game one of the four game play-off schedule, a few on the Phantom roster said departing good-byes as the group finally called it a night after a Saturday Night filled with bonfires, beer, beer pong and even some entertainment that we will just call 'traffic enforcement'. As the Phantoms woke upseveral hours later in preparation of the play-off battle with Rouge River, many were still suffering the after effect of their actions less than 12 hours before. As the puck dropped and both teams began their quest for the victory, the Phantoms quickly found themselves in trouble and netminder Kevin Wootton really wishing that the night before involved a lot less drinking. Rouge River managed to score on two of their first three shots to nearly take the wind right out of the Phantom sail. With the quick two strikes by the Phantom archrival Rouge River, the Phantoms were stunned, but the defending champions managed to hold off the Rivermen on any more scoring the opening period. Almost as quick as Rouge River scored their two goals in the first period, the Phantoms responded with a pair of their own in the second period as Gordie Anderson and Brad Zehr each connected to erase a 0-2 deficit. A Matt Zehr breakaway goal near the middle of the period completed the Phantom's quest to take their first lead of the night, however, the lead would be short lived as former Phantom Paul Mead broke through with just under four minutes in the period to even the contest at 3-3. The Phantoms and Rouge River have been involved in several close games against one another and this contest was set to follow the same pattern. During the third period, the Phantoms continued to display the magic that they gallantly showed in the second, as three more Phantom goals (Casey Rosenberg, Ty Coon, Brad Zehr) would be tallied to preserve and solidify the Phantom victory. For the first time this season, the entire regular group of Phantom Nation came together for a Sunday afternoon of hockey. No scratches on the Phantom line-up. The Phantoms and Rouge River each registered 35 shots on goal during the contest. The Phantoms were ticketed for five penalties for a total of 10 minutes. Rouge River ticketed for 3 penalties for 6 minutes. The Phantoms claim their first play-off victory this season and climb to 8-3 on the overall season. The team will return to action next Sunday at 6:00pm against the Red Devils. Phantom Hockey...We Are The Phantoms!
