The Phantoms hopes to capture back-to-back championships fell short on Sunday, as the Red Devils with 11 seconds left in the contest scored the game winner to win a wild 8-7 contest. The Phantoms battled back from down two goals in the games final two minutes, yet managed to create one more of countless defensive errors on the night committed by the defending champions. The last error allowed the Red Devils to again capitalize on an odd-man-rush with only 11 seconds before the game would have extended to the overtime shootout. From the opening face-off, the Phantoms were playing catch up. Two Red Devil strikes in the games opening two minutes created a sense of daja vu, as the Phantoms appeared to be following in the same steps as last week's contest against Rouge River. Despite the Phantoms bouncing back with four straight, the Red Devils would again regain the lead as a breakaway goal, following by two shorthanded goals in the span of under two minutes would continue to show the holes and expose the kinks in the Phantom defensive unit. The Phantom loss marks the first post-season loss in the team's Lazerskate history. The Red Devils managed to outshoot the Phantoms 32-16 during the game, including outshooting the Phantoms 16-4 in the third period alone. Even the referee commented on the Phantom's lack of defensive control, by saying "It appears they have left you out to dry," to the Phantom netminder. The Phantoms did receive goals from Trent Kik (2), Ty Coon (1), Casey Rosenberg (3), Brad Zehr (1). The Phantoms were ticketed for four minors and a game misconduct, while the Red Devils were ticketed for six minors and a game misconduct. While the team's bid to repeat the feat comes to an end, the team will return for the final two games of the Spring season beginning on June 3rd. The team will begin to make adjustments and test possible line combinations for the upcoming season, the main change will be Ty's and Andy's request to return to the Phantom Blueline. Phantom Hockey...We Are The Phantoms.
