BASINGSTOKE, UK – The Bison will be keen to end their three game losing streak when the Telford Tigers come to town on Saturday. The Herd shipped seven goals in their defeat in Bracknell on the second weekend of the EPL season and then did the same thing last Saturday to the visiting Slough Jets.
This was a game the Bison should have won having led 2-0 and 6-3, but team defense went out the window and Slough’s sharp shooters were able to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.
Early on in the contest, the home side led thanks to a brace of blue line blasts from Slovak defenseman Marcel Petran.
However, Slough who offered very little in the first 10 minutes were level by the break as Aaron Connolly and Canadian Adam Calder scored.
The teams swapped goals early in the second session as Nicky Chinn netted for the Herd and then Calder grabbed his second.
The home side then took control of the game as Jacob Heron scored followed by two powerplays goals from Daniel Volrab and what was Petran’s hat-trick strike made the score 6-3.
Slough called a time-out and it paid dividends 10 seconds later as Darius Pliskauskas reduced the lead and that was down to one after Ryan Watt who has played for every team at Basingstoke from under-10s to the senior team fired in from the right wing.
The final 20 minutes saw Slough on top and thanks to Tom Carlon and Calder’s hat-trick strike they won the game 7-6.
In total 13 goals were scored in Basingstoke, while ironically was one more than the other four EPL games played on the same night all put together.
“It was a awful game to play in and we made so many mistakes and gifted them their goals,” said Bison player/coach Steve Moria.
The following night, the Herd were looking to repeat their narrow win over Sheffield which they enjoyed the week before.
Basingstoke took the lead from their top British goal scorer of last season, Ollie Bronnimann, as he netted his first of this campaign.
However, despite out shooting the home side 21-7, man-of-the-match Ben Bowns was not to beaten again until the final minute of the contest.
In the meantime, the Steeldogs scored four times with Janis Ozolins getting the first two, followed by Ben Morgan and Greg Wood, before Heron netted a late consolation.
“We played better in Sheffield than we did against Slough, but Sheffield have a couple of players in Bowns and Ozolins that will win them matches and Bowns did that tonight,” said Moria.
The Bison ended the evening having out shot their hosts 43-25 and maybe should have scored on one of their seven powerplays.
The night before the PP had been in good form netting their best return so far of three from six.
That is something they will hope to repeat against a Telford team who themselves will be keen to build on a their penalty shoot-out victory over early leaders Manchester.
The Bison should be at full strength, but if they play as open as they did against Slough, the Tigers could well roar again.
Even if the history books go against that, as Telford have only won twice in 12 league and play-off visits to Basingstoke.
That number of games between the sides is really surprising when you consider both clubs were formed over 20 years ago.
On Sunday night, the Bison head to Guildford which is sure to be another close game with the Flames themselves looking to get back on track after a shock defeat at the hands of a depleted Peterborough line-up.
Traditionally Bison Flames games are normally close affairs with a single goal deciding it and this will probably be the case again this weekend.
Contact the author Graham.Merry@Prohockeynews.com
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