BASINGSTOKE UK: The Bison bounced back to winning ways and extended their lead at the top of the English Premier League to four points, after they beat title rivals Milton Keynes Lightning 3-2 last Friday night.
The evening proved to be a great one for Rene Jarolin as the Slovak sniper netted two goals,as he faced his former side for the first time since they released him earlier in the season.
Jarolin’s first goal came on the powerplay at 4:31 as he slotted in at the back post after Shaun Thompson’s shot caused a scramble in front of the MK goal.
The Bison doubled after Aaron Connolly and Joe Greener combined for Jarolin to net his second at 24:18.
A minute later, it became 3-0 as Ciaran Long’s shot came off the goalie’s pads and Karpov buried the rebound.
A double powerplay saw MK pull as goal from Jordan Cownie.
The Herd should have added to their tally, but Connolly’s shot crashed off the crossbar and Karpov saw his effort cannon off the post.
The final 20 minutes saw Milton Keynes reduce the lead to one as Grant McPherson tipped Frankie Bakrlik’s shot.
The following the Herd won 4-3 at the Hull Pirates after overtime as Matt Towalski hammered in the winner at 63:46.
The only goal of the first 20 minutes was scored by Hull’s Finnish import Tommi Laine at 14:11.
The Bison took just 50 seconds of the second session to level things from Stuart Mogg and then Joe Greener scored with a penalty shot after he had been hauled down by Nathan Salem.
The visitors added a third goal from captain Connolly, as he fired home Thompson’s pass at 28:51.
Hull’s player/coach Dominic Osman reduced the deficit to one by the second buzzer and then Laine made sure the game went into overtime as he scored four minutes from the end of relegation time.
It was left to Bison Brit Towalski to score the winner assisted by Ryan Watt and Kurt Reynolds.
“It was important for us to get back to winning ways, after we lost our previous three games. So I was pleased with results as the W was what we were looking for,” said Bison head coach Doug Sheppard.
The Herd will take a break from league action on Wednesday night as they travel to Guildford for the second leg of their EPL Cup semi-final.
The Bison lost the first leg on home ice 1-0 and awaiting the winners are current play-off champions Peterborough.
On Saturday night, the Herd return to league action with a top against bottom clash with their local rivals the Bracknell Bees looking to complete a series success over the Berkshire visitors.
The following day, the Herd will then travel north to face the Manchester, looking to maintain their 100 per cent league record against the Phoenix this season.
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