Ice Hockey - Manchester Phoenix 3-2 Milton Keynes Lightning (From Messenger Newspapers)

Ice Hockey - Manchester Phoenix 3-2 Milton Keynes Lightning

9:40am Tuesday 23rd October 2012 in Sport By Kyle Green

AN all-action performance from forward Andy McKinney helped make sure Manchester Phoenix stayed top of the table on Sunday night.

Canadian born Brit McKinney netted two goals and dropped the gloves in a scrap with Lightning forward Grant McPherson as Phoenix bounced back from a 3-1 loss in Basingstoke on Saturday.

Phoenix took the lead early with McKinney’s first of the night before Ciaran Long was ejected from the game for a check to the head of Lightning’s Dan Harris leading to tempers reaching boiling point between man of the match McKinney and McPherson.

The visitors drew level mid way through the second period as Leigh Jamieson netted from close range, but McKinney put Phoenix ahead for a second time early in the third period as he joined the rush into the Lightning zone unmarked and beat Alex Mettam in the visitor’s goal.

However the Lightning came back strong and struck a power-play goal through Adam Carr which sent the game to overtime for the third week running.

Neither team could find the winner in the extra period which left Michal Psurny to net the game winning penalty shot after netminder Steve Fone denied all three Lightning attempts.