Easy win for Phoenix

DAVID Beauregard scored one and had a hand in two others as Manchester Phoenix thrashed Basingstoke Bison 5-2 last night.

Icing new signing Lucas Burnett, Tony Hand’s side were simply too good for their opponents despite wasting at least 10 chances to make the scoreline more emphatic.

Although it took 12 minutes to get on the board through Kenton Smith’s blue-line blaster, Manchester never looked in trouble.

In fact, intentions were signalled early doors when Brett Clouthier pummelled Bison’s Jeremy Cornish in a second-minute scrap.

From there it was all Phoenix and after Smith’s marker came Beauregard’s 11th of the season. Hand then made it three with a sweetly taken finish.

Danny Stewart bundled one in to give Basingstoke a chance midway through the game, but Luke Fulghum restored the three-goal advantage with a rifling shot from the left three minutes before the end of the second period.

Mark Richardson pulled another one back for the Bison with six to go in the third period but Adam Walker sealed the win with a coolly-taken empty-netter just 23 seconds before time.

It left Basingstoke still seeking their first Elite League victory and Manchester in third place after eight games.

“We put in a professional performance against a team that always make you work hard for the points,” said Phoenix player-coach Tony Hand: “I thought both goalies played well as both teams made chances and both made some key saves.

“But out attention has to switch to Thursday night and the Challenge Cup tie here against Edinburgh. We’ve had a good start to the season and a victory on Thursday will almost certainly see us into the next round.”