BASINGSTOKE, UK – With only one win in their last six games, it is no surprise that Bison player/coach Steve Moria has made a switch to his line-up with the Viktor Kubenko returning to the Herd in place of fellow Slovak Marek Dubec.
The 34-year-old from Zvolen is expected to be in the line-up for Basingstoke’s home game against the Swindon Wildcats and the Bison faithful will hope he is the spark the team’s offence needs.
In their last three games their team has scored just three times including a shut-out on Saturday in a very low scoring 1-0 defeat.
Kubenko certainly put up the numbers last year in Basingstoke leading the Bison in both points (84) and goals (48) in 53 games.
He also hit a club record in the EPL of five hat-tricks and twice scored four times in Telford and Peterborough.
This season he has been playing in his homeland for HC Detva where he returned 10 points in 10 games.
“We know what Viktor can do. He is a player who can go out and get you a goal and that is something we have been lacking this season.
“For me he was one of the top three players in the EPL last year and I am very pleased to have him back,” said Bison player/coach Moria.
The Herd’s boss is keeping tight lipped on what lines he will play once Kubenko arrives, but one suspects the Slovak will link up with Moria and Joe Miller.
Last season the Kubenko – Moria – Ben Davies line racked up the points and there is no reason to think that fellow Welshmen Miller will not do just as well as Davies linking up with the two imports.
That would then leave Czech forward Daniel Volrab to centre a line with Nicky Chinn and Ollie Bronnimann which on paper should work very well.
Only time will tell on what has been decided and all will be answered on Wednesday night, when the Bison will hope to snap a three game losing streak against a Wildcats side who won against Manchester last Saturday and then crashed and burned in Guildford 24 hours later going down 7-0.
The Herd had been the victims of shipping goals themselves in recent games, but last weekend that was not the case as they only conceded five and one of them was an empty netter.
At home on Saturday they suffered their first shut-out of the season as Alex Mettam turned away all 38 shots as Milton Keynes won 1-0.
Leigh Jamieson got the winner shorthanded in the first period as the visitors dominated early on.
They maybe should have been further ahead, but Bison netminder Matt Colclough played a solid game making 28 saves.
The Herd found it hard to string two passes together in the opening 40 minutes also could not get to grips with the visitors solid forecheck.
The final period was the most even of the contest, but the Bison could not find a way past Mettam.
That also proved to be the case again the following night this time in Milton Keynes, as Mettam looked set to record a double shut-out, before being denied by a Moria powerplay strike at 56:27.
However, by then Matt Towalski and a brace of goals by Adam Carr both with teams playing four-on-four had the home side in command.
The Herd pulled their netminder, but that only allowed Jamieson to hit the empty net and keep the Lightning top of the pile.
The Bison will now hope the return of Kubenko can get their campaign going in the right direction.
Contact the author Graham.Merry@Prohockeynews.com
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