The West Michigan Phantoms secured their first-ever Bronze league championship on Sunday, as the Men of Phantom Nation held on to a 4-3 lead to defeat the Donkey Punch to become league champions.  Despite posting a 1-2 record during the tail end of 2008, the Phantoms went on a tore during 2009 and framed a near perfect mark of 10-1-0-1 during the final 12 games of the season.  Despite posting a winless mark of 0-1-0-1 against the Donkey Punch during the regular season, the Phantoms were able to take both games against the Donkey Punch during the post-season, the first by the final of 7-4 and the championship game one week later by the final of 4-3.  During the championship game, the top two finishers of the eligible bronze league regular season and post-season would again clash in the cornfield in Cedar.  For the Donkey Punch, they entered the contest flying high, as the red shirts threw everything including the kitchen sink at the Phantoms during the opening four minutes.  A mere 2:23 into the contest, the Phantoms Matt Mead would be dealt with a delay of game penalty, after the Phantom defensemen inadvertently shot the puck into the protective netting on the Phantoms right wing.  With the Donkey Punch on the power-play, they would continue to unleash a tremendous amount of pressure in the Phantom zone and with seven-seconds remaining in their powerplay, the Donkey Punch would capitalize and open the scoring with a 1-0 lead.  The Phantoms would manage to strike with the equalizer roughly five minutes later. With the Phantoms putting pressure on Brian Dudek in the Donkey Punch goal, the Phantoms Tim Vanoverloop would get the puck and unleash a cannon that would find the twine behind Dudek and tie the contest at 1-1.  Following a very wide-open and back-and-fourth opening period, both teams would be deadlocked at 1-1 as they headed for their respective benches during the intermission.  In that opening period, the Donkey Punch out shot the Phantoms 10-6. 


As both goaltenders skated across the red line towards their goals for the start of the second period, their teammates readied themselves for another 16-minute battle.  Just shy of seven-minutes into the second period, Tim Vanoverloop would control the puck in the Phantom zone and  hi-tail it into the Donkeys zone.  The Phantom defensemen would let another bazooka-blast take aim at Brian Dudek in the crowded Donkey goal.  The puck would rebound off of Dudek and become air-born.  The Phantoms Darren Skuse located in the goal mouth, would manage to make contact ever so slightly with his Sherwood and watch as the puck ever-so-slowly trickled across the line, giving the former Komet Ringleader his first goal of the season and a 2-1 lead for the Yellow and Black.  Roughly five minutes later, the Phantoms would strike again.  Tim Czycyk would rocket into the Donkeys zone on a 2-on-1 and with Jason Schemmel on Donkeys right wing, Czcyk would dish the puck across to his BlueVortex and Phantom linemate and Schemmel would bury the puck into the net for a 3-1 Phantom lead.  With the Phantom bench again rising to its feet, the sense of a Phantom championship was renewed.  However, maybe a little premature.  Just 1:06 following the Schemmel strike, the Phantoms Chad Manning with some Donkey pressure behind the Phantom goal would attempt to push the along the boards.  However, just as Matt Mead did earlier in the game, Mannings attempt would again tip the high-glass and the net and with a single blow of the whistle, the Phantoms were again dealt with a delay-of-game penalty.  With the Donkeys trying to find a way back into the game, this powerplay was their opportunity.  Just 54 seconds into the man-advantage, the Donkeys would surprisingly beat the Phantom goaltender on a shot six-feet out and the Donkeys would narrow the game to a one-goal Phantom lead at 3-2.  The Donkeys would keep that magic during the balance of the second period, as former Phantom Jason Devroy would net a game-tying goal with 40 seconds remaining in the period to again create a tied game during the intermission, this time at 3-3.  In that middle stanza, the Phantoms out shot the Donkeys 12-10.  In the third period, the Phantoms would restore law and order to the scoreboard.  Justin Calkins would set-up Tim Czcyk for his team-leading 12th goal of the season 3:42 into the final period, as the Phantoms regained the lead at 4-3.  With 6:52 remaining in regulation, the Phantoms Chad Manning would rub-out a streaking Donkey forward on the Phantom right wing and with the Donkey player crumbling to his feet, Manning would again be sent to sit-and-stew-for-two in the Phantom penalty box.  With the Donkeys having capitalized on their last-two power play opportunities, the Phantom bench was at its edge.  The Donkeys did manage to register some pressure; however, the Phantom penalty-kill was in top-form as they Donkeys streak for power play supremacy was not allowed to strike with the trifecta.  With time running out in the contest, the Donkeys signaled their time-out.  As both teams re-grouped the troop for the third period climax, the Phantom bench remained calm, collected and focused at the task at hand.  As play resumed, the Phantoms would again be dealt with a large obstacle.  The Phantoms Trent Kik would be jailed without a fail and balanced trial, as the Sparta native and longtime Silver member would be sent to the box on an interference call with 1:36 remaining in game.  With Brian Dudek being summoned to the Donkey Punch bench for the extra attacker, the Phantoms would be called on to kill off a 5-3 disadvantage for what they hoped would be just 1:36.  With the pressure on, the Phantoms penalty killing unit and goaltender would save their best performance of the season to the end.  Despite some great opportunities by the highly-skilled Donkey Punch, the Phantom crew would fend off their last-ditch effort and achieve victory.  With the final sound of the horn, the Phantom bench charged onto the rink to join the celebration already underway with the three on-rink skaters and goaltender.  For the first time since the Phantoms joined the Bronze league roughly one year ago, the Phantoms are Bronze League Champions.  During the final period, the Donkey Punch out shot the Phantoms 10-7.  On the game, the Donkey Punch out shot the now defending Bronze Champions 30-25.  On the Nautys Penalty Minute clock, the Phantoms were ticketed on four minors for eight minutes, while the Donkey Punch escaped without a single infraction.  The Phantoms will return to Cedar Rock on April 19th to begin their title defense.