Bison can’t buy a win

BASINGSTOKE, UK – After six straight victories the Basingstoke Bison now can’t buy a win having lost three on the bounce.
On Saturday the Herd faced a Manchester Phoenix side minus influential play maker Tony Hand and could not have got off to a better start as Steve Moria netted after just 37 seconds.
Maybe at that point the Bison thought it was going to be a stroll in the park, but with Manchester making the most of their turnovers Tom Duggan netted twice before the first break to give his side the lead.
With the Bison unable once again to break down a Manchester side who clogged the neutral zone Duggan completed his hat-trick and Ciaran Long then made it 4-1 with a shot which went off the back board and in off the skate of Herd goalie Matt Colclough.
At that point the home side must have felt it would not be their night and a
blue line blast from Ladi Harabin on the powerplay added a fifth for the Phoenix.
The home side’s cause was not helped when power forward Chris Wiggins was dismissed on a 5+game for boarding Harabin as the Manchester player hit the boards head first.
Bison’s Viktor Kubenko hit the post, but that was as near the home side got to adding to their tally as Steve Fone took the man-of-the-match award away from Duggan.
“We started to play as individuals and not as a team against Manchester hence why there were so many turnovers and odd man rushes,” said Bison player/coach Moria.
The following night, the Bison travelled to near neighbours Bracknell and found Carl Ambler in inspired form as he was beaten just once from 52 shots.
The Herd once again took the lead in this contest from leading scorer Joe Miller, but Bracknell who managed just 20 shots all game levelled when Martin Masa jammed the puck in at the post on the powerplay.
The second session saw former Bison player Shaun Thompson ad Peter Jasik took the score to 3-1 which was how it finished.
It meant that for the first since 1997, the Bison had lost twice in the same season at the Hive in the league.
“I think if it had been the week before we would have score eight or nine, but last weekend we could not buy a goal and this was from quality shots,” said Moria.
Just three days later and the Herd were on the road again this time to Milton Keynes to face a Lightning side they had yet to get a point off this campaign.
That sequence continued as MK won 4-2 getting a great start scoring after 37 seconds from Leigh Jamieson.
The Herd equalised from Nicky Chinn, but within a minute Adam Brittle restore the home side’s lead.
Joe Miler on the powerplay made it 2-2, but MK player/coach Nick Poole put his side ahead again in the final minute of the second period.
As the game clock ran down the visitors pulled their netminder Dean Skinns getting his first start in nine games, but they were unable to send the game into overtime as Juraj Gracik scored an empty netter.
So with just three games left before Christmas of which two are this weekend the Bison will be looking for as many points as they can get starting with a visit from the Telford Tigers on Saturday.
The Herd currently lead the series 2-0-0 over their rivals and won very comfortably on home ice last time 7-2 with seven difference players finding the back of the net.
Since then the Bison have also enjoyed a road victory in Shropshire which was not so easy as they had to come back from 2-0 down to win 3-2.
On Sunday, the Bison travel to Manchester for their final league visit of the season and could well be this campaign unless the sides met in the play-offs.
Having lost twice on home ice to the Phoenix in Altrincham their results have been very different with an overtime loss and a 3-0 shut-out success.
  “Manchester play a more open style at home which should make for   fast and exciting game and we will go there hoping we can win,” said Moria.
Contact the author Graham.Merry@Prohockeynews.com