Guide to Peterborough Phantoms
Home: Peterborough Arena
Founded: 2002
League: English Premier League
Colours: Orange, Blue, Black
The Phantoms may be only 10 years old this summer but they have made an impact in the English Premier League. Whilst formed in 2002 ice hockey and the city of Peterborough go back to the early 1980’s when the Peterborough Ice Hockey was formed. Their top side the Peterborough Pirates made a name for themselves in the early 1990’s and reached the British Championship finals and finishing runners up to the Durham Wasps in 1991.
The Pirates went on play in the British National League until the push for professionalism got too much and they could not compete financially. The Pirates were replaced in 2002 by the Phantoms who entered the English Premier League.
The move was an instant success as the Phantoms won the League and Cup in their first season. That was followed up a year later by another Cup success. However that success was short lived as Phantoms went 4 years without another trophy.
In 2008 that ended as the Phantoms took the Knockout Cup and followed that up a year later with the greatest season in Peterborough ice hockey history. In 2009 the Phantoms took the League, Playoff and Cup treble becoming the only side in English Premier League history to achieve the feat.
Following that success though the Phantoms have endured some leaner times. The influx of the Basingstoke Bison and the Manchester Phoenix into the league upped the stakes in the English Premier League in terms of on and off ice professionalism. Whilst bigger budget teams already in the EPL like Milton Keynes and Guildford could afford to take the jump to meet the newcomers Peterborough couldn’t and slipped down the standards.
The 2012 season was not their best as the Phantoms terrible start to season left them stuck in the bottom 2 until the last game when they made the playoffs by a single point.
The next seasons could also be a struggle for the Phantoms as they look to compete with bigger budget teams but with their core players already signed up for next season and Great Britain U20’s team manager on board Paul Bignell there are positive steps to building an organised outfit. As the Sheffield Steeldogs proved in their 2012 campaign an organised side can take on the top sides and even win.
