BASINGSTOKE, UK – The Bison are enjoying a great start to 2012 as they extended their current winning streak to five games last weekend.
Five was the magic number for the Herd in Peterborough against the Phantoms last Sunday, as they won 5-2 thanks to four goals in the final period.
The opening 20 minutes belonged to the home side, but the second time in eight days Matt Colclough back stopped Basingstoke to victory as former Phantoms hero Stephen Wall watched from the bench.
Despite their early domination Peterborough managed to score just once from Greg Randall.
Bison’s Sam Oakford scored in the final minute of the second session to tie the game.
From there the omens were good for the visitors as the Herd have yet to lose this season when the former Great Britain international has hit the target.
That proved to be the case once again as in the final session the Bison built up a 4-1 lead thanks to Ollie Bronnimann, Steve Moria and Viktor Kubenko.
Peterborough pulled a game back from Tom Carlon, but Kubenko made sure of the victory with his second of the game a minute later.
“Matt Colclough came up big for us in the first period when we could have been four or five goals down. We built from that and once again as a team we turned in a very good performance, said Bison player/coach Steve Moria.
The previous night the Herd won their home derby day battle with local rivals Bracknell Bees 7-4.
The Herd had the better of the early part of the game as former Bee Craig Tribe and Moria both found the net.
A Bracknell powerplay strike from James Galazzi kept the visitors in touch at the first buzzer.
Then a crazy 53 seconds in the middle session saw three goals scored all on one shift against Moria’s line.
Lukas Smital made it 2-2, only for Moria to edged the Herd in front again and then Martin Masa tied the game again.
A second goal from Tribe gave the Bison a 4-3 lead at the second buzzer and that proved to be the major talking point of the game.
This was because Bees nettie Carl Ambler had come skating out of his net to intercept a long pass as Bison forward Chris Wiggins tried to chase the puck down.
The Herd forward did well not to knock the Bees goalie over, but there was contact.
To make matters worse Ambler’s poor clearance was fired back into the empty net by Tribe.
The visitors felt a penalty should have been called on Wiggins for goalie interference, by referee Antony DeCaux decided otherwise and Bees captain Rob Lamey talked himself into a 10 minute rest in the sin bin.
The referee became even more unpopular with the Bees players in the final period as two powerplays saw the Bison take a 6-3 lead thanks to a Joe Miller brace
Lamey did pull a goal back on a 5-on-3 powerplay, but a Miller shorthanded strike completed his first ever Bison hat-trick, which was the club’s fourth of the season at home and fifth in total.
“We scored goals at important times and I was very pleased with the way everyone played tonight. The four goal was the key one and the fact that Stephen Wall made a brilliant just before the end of the second period to make sure we went still leading 4-3,” said Moria.
Moria himself enjoyed a seven point weekend with 2+3 on Saturday and 1+1 on Sunday for easily his best return of the season.
Of course it was helped by the fact that the Bison scored four powerplays from five attempts over the weekend and Moria is very much part of the top PP line for the Bison.
“We changed a few things on the powerplay and at the weekend it worked well. I hope it continues as special teams are very important to any team, said Moria.
Next up for Basingstoke is the in-form Manchester Phoenix at home with the regulation win for the Bison set to win them the league series, while any other result would see Manchester do likewise.
The Phoenix have always enjoyed success on the road against the Bison and already have two wins in the Basingstoke barn this season, but the Herd will hope to take this one as they look to make it six wins on the trot.
The following night, the Bison head to Telford looking to equal a Basingstoke club record for the EPL of six straight road wins.
On paper this should be a simple away victory, but the home side are look overdue some success in their own barn and the Bison just hope it is not against them.
Contact the author Graham.Merry@Prohockeynews.com
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