Overtime magic for Phantoms

For about two minutes, what initially appeared to be an easy victory for the Bracebridge Phantoms hung in the balance.
Despite having secured a commanding 6-1 lead over the Temiscaming Titans by the end of the first period, the Phantoms’ momentum had slackened significantly over the ensuing two periods of the Saturday, Sept. 22 game. Hometown hockey fans were left hanging on the edge of their seats as the Phantoms entered the last 60 seconds of the third period with a mere 7-6 lead.
With just 12.2 seconds left in the game, shock waves rippled through Bracebridge Memorial Arena as the puck squeaked past Phantoms goaltender Joe Jermain.
The Titans had mustered an extra set of legs on the ice to secure the last-minute foothold, gambling with an unguarded net of their own.
The Titans’ last stand, however, unravelled about one and a half minutes into overtime, when Phantoms defenceman Michael Spacek landed the decisive goal. It was the Czech Republic native’s third goal and fifth point of the game.
“He’s probably one of the best defencemen in the league, and he picked it up in this game,” said assistant coach Nico Figliano.
The aggressive defenceman is currently one of the Phantoms’ two top scorers. Spacek has banked seven points in the Phantoms’ first five games, a number shared only with forward Tim Murphy.
“He’s a scoring defenceman, he will put up points. But he’s a good defensive player too,” said Figliano. “Big boy, good hitter. He’s got a really well-rounded game.”
Figliano said the team will be continuing to look into cutting back on the number of penalties it garners. Throughout Saturday’s game, the team’s aggressive play meant it played much of the second and third periods short-handed, a factor that weighed heavily in the Titans’ comeback.
“I think about 15 of those last 20 minutes were short-handed for us,” said Figliano.
That heavy-hitting bravado also meant that the game ended early for two Phantoms players. Enforcer Jake Lobato was sent back to the dressing room after a fight in the first period, followed by winger Cody Burtch, who was dinged for head checking.
“We do have a highly skilled team, but in the kind of rink that we play in, that really tiny rink, we do have to be physical, so we are a physical team, and we bring that every night,” said Figliano. “That’s one of our things, we want to be physical, because we got a lot of big boys on our team too.”
However, Figliano was quick to add that the team is also looking to play a more “well rounded” game going forward.
“We’re looking to cut down on our penalties; we’ve been taking way too many penalties for the first couple of games,” he said.
The Phantoms will be in action again this Saturday in an away game against the Powassan Eagles.

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