Flames to face Basingstoke in playoffs

Photograph of Guildford's Milos Melicherik scoring against Peterborough courtsey of Dave Steadman.

 

A weekend split finalised the league table campaign with the Flames taking 4^th spot; a position that sets up a local derby aggregate goal playoff quarter final next weekend with leg 1 in Basingstoke against the Bison before the concluding leg is hosted at Spectrum on Sunday, April 4^th at 6pm.  The winner moves on to the playoff semi finals in Coventry the following weekend as the league contests the final trophy on offer this season. 

 

Looking to get back on the winning track with their final game ahead of the playoff quarter finals, the Flames travelled to Romford on Sunday night and scored 4 opening period goals to lay the groundwork for a 9-4 success.  Jez Lundin marked the scoresheet first just over a minute in and Milos Melicherik doubled the advantage at 9:57.  44 seconds later, though, Dallas Costanzo cut the lead in half, but goals by Gary Clarke and Nathan Rempel, the latter on the powerplay, inside the final 5 minutes of the stanza put up a 4-1 lead.  In the middle frame, Rob Lamey tacked on another at 21:39 and Clarke bagged his 2^nd in the 24^th minute.  Less than 60 seconds after that, Lubomir Hurtaj extended the lead further before a Darius Pliskauskas goal at 37:51 got one back to leave the 7-2 score on the board at the end of 40 minutes.  14 seconds into the last period Pliskauskas added another to close the gap within 4.  At 48:23, on the powerplay, Costanzo clawed yet another back, but a Rempel shorthanded strike cut the legs from the comeback effort at 53:24 before Clarke capped off a hattrick with the final goal of the night at 58:59.

 

One night earlier, fresh off the Cup win on Wednesday night, the Flames resumed league activity on home ice against the Peterborough Phantoms.  The crowd favourites were looking to celebrate the cup triumph with a trophy presentation after the match but a Callum Fowler goal at 4:17 followed by a Maris Ziedins strike just over a minute later to give the travellers a 2-0 lead perhaps put a dent in the anticipation of the post game excitement for Surrey’s team who ultimately went on to drop a 4-3 decision.  After falling into deficit Milos Melicherik cut the lead in half when he slam dunked a perfect goal mouth Lubomir Hurtaj pass at 12:59 to skate into the 2^nd just a goal back.  Unfortunately for the Flames, another Ziedins goal, this time at 22:07, re-stored the 2 goal cushion they nursed through to the final session.  At 41:29 the Flames pulled one back with a Rick Plant goal and then evened the score in the 54^th minute, but a Warren Tait goal just 75 seconds from time silenced the home crowd and sealed the result. 

 

Flames Head Coach Paul Dixon was disappointed with Saturday’s defeat but looked ahead to an exciting playoff draw:

 

“The Peterborough game was hard to take not only because we worked so hard to tie the game and lost it with a very late goal, but because we played very well and dominated most of the time so should have been ahead from nearly start to finish.  It was just one of those nights where we simply got outscored.  It is frustrating but it happens, and in the end it did not impact our overall position and helped create a very exciting 2 game playoff series next weekend against a local derby club in the Bison.  We have had some great games this year and each of use has won games in either building so it is there for the taking for either side.  We will train hard this week and get ready to put everything we have into securing a berth at the finals weekend, and hopefully, an opportunity to put a 2^nd trophy in the Guildford cabinet this season.”

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