BASINGSTOKE, UK – Basingstoke Bison have gotten off to a tremendous start to their first ever EPL season. After tasting defeat on opening night against fellow EPL newcomers Manchester Phoenix, Steve Moria’s men went on to record three straight victories and in doing so have made their best start to a league campaign for many a year. Wins over Guildford, Peterborough and Romford have shown the rest of the league that the Hampshire outfit are not to be taken lightly. 
With the whole squad being virtually revamped, a lot of new faces have joined the team this year. One of those new faces comes in the form of hulking Lithuanian defence man, Mindaugas Kieras. The 29-year-old native of Elektrenai is no stranger to the EPL, having played in the league from 2005-07. In that time he cemented himself as one of the most dependable defenceman to have ever suited up in the second-tier of English Hockey. ‘Mindy’ as he is commonly known by his team-mates, has also been an integral part of the Lithuanian hockey program, which is one of the fastest-growing hockey nations in the world, having already been capped well over 50 times for the senior side. His last outing in the UK was with the Milton Keynes Lightning where he racked up 20 goals in 37 games becoming the top scoring blue-liner that year. Recently Pro Hockey News caught up with the Lithuanian to discuss some of his thoughts on the league, the Bison fans and what personally he is hoping to achieve this year, among others. So how does it feel for “Mindy” to be back in the UK? “Yeah, its been great actually. I kinda missed the UK, so I was glad to be able to come back. Obviously I have played in the country before so i knew the language and what to expect beforehand, which made it easier for me, so getting settled in wasn’t too much of a problem“. Coming back to the UK was therefore a fairly easy choice, but there were some important reasons and in particular his choice of team 
“Firstly, I missed the EPL and the many challenges it brings. I really enjoy playing in this league. It’s really a fun league to be a part of. I was really glad when the Basingstoke opportunity came up, the thought of being part of Basingstoke’s debut season in the EPL excited me very much. I really think this current team has the potential to go on and challenge for the league title and play-off trophies. It’s such a well built team and we have a great bunch of guys here and a excellent player/coach in Steve Moria. Overall I came back to look for new challenges in my career.” Naturally there are differences between the two leagues. “The one big difference is that the Latvian league is a full-time professional league. Each team is built up to support a professional hockey team. Most players in Latvia don’t have jobs or other work commitments like they do in the EPL, so I think that’s the main difference. But having said that I feel that Basingstoke is one of the most professional organisations in the league and I’m impressed with the set-up of this club. In terms of the playing style the Latvian league is much more technical with emphasis on tactics and strategies and is not as physical as the EPL.” Basingstoke Bison have struggled in recent years in the Elite League, but that hasn’t dampened the fans spirits. Mindy was asked whether the Bison fans are enjoyable to play in front of. “They are a very loud bunch for sure. The players are really pleased with the size of the crowds so far but we’re expecting to see more of them. We are looking to improve game on game and hopefully this will draw in the bigger crowds. As a player it feels really pleasing to see such great fans and support. Hopefully this year we will be able to bring some good exciting hockey to Basingstoke. “ 
What are the aims for the returning goal scoring Lithuanian to the Hampshire side? “I haven’t really set myself any personal goals for this year, im just looking to bring some of my experience and hockey skills I picked up from playing in my homeland and the Latvian league to this team and help them challenge for top honours. I’m looking to put myself in that limelight again and find that form I discovered playing with the Milton Keynes Lightning a couple of years back.” concluded the 29-year-old. As you can see Mindy has nothing but good things to say about the Bison and the EPL in general. Many of his team-mates are also glad to have his experience on-board, Moria especially who described him as a “General on skates” and as “A huge presence both 5on5 and on the power play” Look out for more interviews with the Bison team members throughout the season, right here on PHN. Contact the author at Sandro.berish@prohockeynews.com
You must be logged in to post a comment.