BASINGSTOKE, UK – The Bison will be hoping to stop their current losing streak extending to a club record five for the English Premier League when they travel to Bracknell on Sunday.
However, the omens do not look good as so far the first five games of this six game series have all been won by the home side.
The Herd are still suffering from injuries, but should have only three players out of their line-up and the team will also have had a week for those affected from sickness to recover.
So it should be a strong showing from the Bison, but the Bees have been buzzing against them this season at the Hive and last weekend crushed the Telford Tigers 11-1 on home ice.
“With being short benched recently having one game this weekend is great for us, but I really want us to get a winning run going as we head to the play-off. Doing that is Bracknell will be tough, but not impossible.” said Bison player/coach Steve Moria.
Last weekend, the Herd suffered a double header defeat against another Berkshire outfit the Slough Jets and so lost that series 4-2.
It started so well for the Bison in the home game on Saturday night in front of a bumper crowd of 1,300.
They took a 2-0 lead thanks Joe Miller and a stunning solo strike from Chris Wiggins.
However, hat-trick man Aaron Connolly pulled a goal back with just 8.1 seconds left in the first period.
With the hits flying in the Jets took a 3-2 lead as Doug Sheppard and Connolly scored, only for Basingstoke captain Nicky Chinn to equalise.
That was as good as it got for the home side as from then on Slough dominated as Adam Calder, Connolly’s hat-trick strike, Dan Davies and a brace from Darius Pliskauskas saw them win 8-3 and so inflicted the biggest home loss on the Bison this season.
Basingstoke then suffered a 4-3 reverse in Slough the following night with all the home side’s goals coming from former Bison players as Joe Greener and Sheppard with a brace each.
The Jets led 2-1 at the first break after Greener and Sheppard scored either side of a Joe Miller strike.
The period also saw Canadian Calder dismissed for high sticks on Kurt Reynolds which cut the young defenseman’s face.
The second session saw Marcel Petran level things before Greener and Sheppard struck again.
Daniel Volrab grabbed the Bison’s third who out shot the Jets 52-42, but ended up on the wrong end of a 4-3 scoreline.
“I felt we looked tired in Saturday’s loss as being short benched caught up with us. We played a lot better in Slough and were unlucky not to get something out of the game,” said Moria.
Contact the author Graham.Merry@Prohockeynews.com
