BASINGSTOKE UK: The Bison enjoyed their highest scoring weekend so far this season, as they netted 16 times and won both games. On the minus side the meanest defence in the EPL also conceded eight.
Their excellent weekend started with a 5-2 home success over the Manchester Phoenix. A game in which the visiting cage man Stephen Fone did well to keep the score out of double figures.
Great Britain under-20 international Vanya Antonov scored the only goal of the first period, then Declan Balmer and Tomas Karpov who finished the weekend with eight points made it 3-0 at the second break.
A second from Karpov and another from Derek Roehl took the score to five, before Manchester scored twice from Gareth O’Flaherty and Joni Tuominen.
The following night in Sheffield, the Herd ran out 11-6 winners, even if they were a goal down after 44 seconds, after Tim Smith scored.
Captain Aaron Connolly levelled things and then Karpov made it 2-1 at the first interval.
The Herd extended their advantage as Long, Connolly and Karpov all scored, but then Sheffield hit back as Adrian Palak and Liam Kirk reduced the lead.
Sheffield’s Callum Patterson was then thrown-out on a match penalty for fighting, but during the five minute powerplay the home side scored shorthanded from Pavel Mrna.
Another Sheffield penalty, gave the Herd a two man advantage and Long scored and by the second buzzer it was 8-4 as Grant Rounding and Shaun Thompson also found the back of the net.
The Bison took 36 seconds to add goal number nine as Long completed his hat-trick and with it James Hadfield was pulled for Brandon Stones.
His shut-out lasted less than a minute, as Daniel Lackey took the visitors tally into double figures.
The goals still kept coming as Greg Wood scored for the home side, before Antonov netted the Herd’s 11th.
The game ended as it had started with Smith finishing the 11-6 scoreline.
“It was great to see a real spread of scoring this weekend and we played really well offensively. The only downside was we gave up too many goals, ” said Bison head coach Doug Sheppard.
The games this weekend are set to be a lot closer as the Bison face the top two in the EPL with a home game against the Milton Keynes Lightning on Saturday and then a road trip to the Telford Tigers on Sunday.
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