Haringey Huskies 5, Peterborough NIHL2 Phantoms 2
Saturday 17th October 2026
There’s so much to like about that.
After the disappointing showing against Guildford, this had everything that we lacked the week before. Fight, cohesion, purpose, sheer bloody-mindedness. And most importantly, goals.
It’s been a couple of years since we’ve been able to celebrate this tie, and we were trying to work it out on Saturday but it’s 2024/25 in the 4-1 win at the Palace. Matt Hepburn with a centurion’s goal and Corey Taylor with a rocket from the right D.
Saturday’s a wild game. A brilliant spectacle, totally engrossing. It’s raucous until it doesn’t need to be, the Huskies seem to thrive in it, seem to want it and actively seek it. It’s what Richie Pickering may have had in mind last week when he dropped the gloves.
And that spirit is picked up and nurtured by several others. I like that Chris Beckett sits early for crosschecking. I like that it’s George Hagon who fights and that he’s willing and very able to mix it when the occasion presents itself. James Pentecost too, although it’s a game misconduct for fighting in the last five minutes.
The Phantoms have the edge at the opening.
Peterborough try to set up from behind our net several times early on, with four skaters out in front to receive. Luke Clark makes a couple of good saves at the crease as the Phantoms’ forwards try to jam the puck.
They take the lead after a couple of minutes though, a wicked one-timer from the face off on the left spot beats Luke’s glove for pace and it’s driven straight into the top corner across goal. Some shot.
Ryan Payne shoots wide, as does George who had time to set himself before shooting over the bar from the blue line.
It’s constantly end to end. Hard to draw a breath, hard to take stock.
Jordan Liddell is all action along the boards. Robbie Rejna with a lovely sell, shifts his weight then leaves his opponent and the zone behind.
Ruskin Springer Hughes makes our first goal. He does a huge amount of work gathering and maintaining possession, holds three Phantoms’ players off moving the puck to the crease before it comes to James Pentecost who scores at the doorstep. 1-1.
Chris has a shot held from the slot. Good opportunity. Marton Szasz is gloved from the right. Pete Tóth is at his formidable best. A big, barrelling hit in the d-zone, great on the penalty kill and clears the zone.
Luke makes a smart save on the pads, a delayed shot from the slot doesn’t have enough to catch him out. Jaden Boolkah sends a wrister wide from the point, then Chris hits a slapshot over from the blue line. It’s a wide open game.
The Phantoms’ second, it’s an awful goal to concede, totally of our own making. Peterborough harrying on the forecheck, we lose possession trying to break out the zone, it’s turned over and poked home from the crease. Suckerpunch.
But the Haringey response is good. Johan Persson and Robbie combine nicely down the left before Nathan Long has a couple of looks, both kicked out. He crafts a great chance right at the end of the period, gains the zone, past two Peterborough players and shoots across goal from the right. Would have been incredible.
If it’s even possible, we come out even more aggressive in the second. Max McEwan sees a couple of shots from the point saved. Ruskin finds Nathan across centre ice, it’s shifted to Conor Pollard who tries to jam short side but it’s covered. Conor rings iron moments later. So close, but something has to fall for us soon.
Robbie, George, Marton, Conor all have chances but can’t make them count. Luke makes an outrageous save, Peterborough players literally celebrating until he stuck out the blocker to deny through traffic.
It’s ragged and out of control at times.
Ruskin’s straight up the other end. Johan goes all the way, shoots, misses, wins it back again, drives to the right, finds Chris in the slot but it’s wide.
Pete clears from the slot, Marton’s denied on the breakaway from the left. Great chance, and had help with him. George makes the hit then Jaden draws a stick save. Lids with a dump and chase. One of these has to go in you feel.
George Hagon, the man they called Hagrid shows all the physicality of his namesake, drops the gloves and certainly had the better of it. It lights a fire under the whole place. The last three or four minutes of the period produce some of the best atmosphere we’ve seen at the Palace this year. Electric.
Chance after chance after chance, Haringey finally beat the Peterborough netminder again. It falls to Conor in the slot who whips it round bottom left and into the back of the net. Wow. What a release.
He should have scored again after the restart. Him and Marton head off on the breakaway but he’s denied across the slot.
The Huskies do make this dominant period count though, and Johan gets our third with a couple of minutes on the clock. It comes from Robbie in the corner and Johan lifts it high from the crease into the roof of the net. Sensational stuff.
Haringey dominate in the third. Peterborough have a string of penalties which doesn’t help their cause as they chase the game.
Marton makes it 4-2 after 40 seconds. So fast from the restart that I missed it.
Stephen Woodford overturns possession in the neutral zone and forces a save from the right. Emil Savy does enough in the slot to force the forward wide and the chance comes to nothing. Solid work.
Our fifth is so, so good. On the powerplay, we play it around the right and find Conor by the hashmarks who drops to one knee, ripping it short side, top shelf. Huskies playing some amazing hockey.
Nathan bursts forward in his trademark way and hits the sidenetting from the left. It looked like it went in initially from where I was standing. Woody rounds the net, puts it out front and Johan narrowly misses from the slot.
Ruskin has a couple of good chances that on another day might have found twine. But it’s increasingly academic. It ends with a sensational triple save from Clarky in the final minute of the game.
5-2 on the night. An incredible game, and a brilliant result.
Bristol are up next. I’ve been wondering for a few years what happened to the Pitbulls 2. They fell off a cliff after their championship win in 2022/23 but have made a very bright start to this season. They would have liked Steve Osman back but he’s just left the Cardiff Canucks for South 1 Cardiff Fire. Oli Shone continues to lead the line with eight goals in seven games.
The challenge to Haringey now is to keep these levels, to use this as the template.
You line them up, we’ll knock them down. On to the next one.
Let’s Go Huskies.
Photos:
Main graphic: Luke O’Donovan
Body: Phil Hutchinson
