Image (C) Jo Loat
FINAL SCORE : Leeds Knights 4 Bison 1 (1-0,1-1,2-0)
Sunday 17th October 2022
By Nigel Simmonds.
Refs : Mr Hands & Mr Williams
Lino’s : Mr Arnold & Ms Stanley
After Saturday evenings hard fought, but unfortunate narrow defeat, your GalaxC Cooling Services sponsored Basingstoke Bison, travelled to South Yorkshire, to play the return leg of a double header, against the much fancied title favourites, the Leeds Knights.
Bison missing Adam Jones, Oli Hemmings-Maher & Roman Cathcart…. But, they were boosted by the return of Alex Sampford, who re-signed late last week.
Sam Gospel & Jordan Lawday both getting the nod, to start between the pipes.
Bison would get an early powerplay chance, with Knights Josh Hodgkinson picked up a Tripping call (1.27), but sadly couldn’t make the man advantage tell and Leeds killed the penalty successfully.
Knights would take the lead, with a delayed penalty goal (4.24).
The official had already signalled an upcoming penalty, on the Bison player, but Leeds managed to keep the play alive and Adam Barnes (D Hehir, Haywood) tapping in at the back post, after a good pass, with Lawday, already out of position.
Knights then had their own powerplay, when Marcel Balaz picked up a Slashing call (6.50). The Knights PP unit came out and tested Lawday a couple of times, but couldn’t find a way past him. Just before the penalty had ended, Zach Brooks picked up a High-Sticks call (8.46). Both teams saw out their respective penalties and returned to full strength.
Bison would get another man advantage, when Bailey Perre was called for Tripping (11.29). Gospel made some big saves to keep the Bison out, but Leeds had a great chamce just as the penalty time was running down. Lewis Baldwin sending Dylan Hehir clean on through, but Lawday made a huge save to deny him. Knights returned to full strength soon after.
A few minutes later, there was a ‘bit of afters’ following a whistle. Gaël Lubwele & Kieran Brown tussled and exchanged blows. Then, Matt Haywood & Brendan Baird traded punches.. Leeds Josh Hodgkinson also getting involved.
Penalties called, were .. Brown & Lubwele both received Cross-Checking minors, with additional minor Roughing calls each. Baird, Haywood & Hodgkinson all picked up minor Roughing calls (16.49).
After it all calmed down, Bison would end up with a powerplay opportunity. Leeds however, would see off the penalty successfully.
At the buzzer for the first interval, Knights led 1-0 going into the locker rooms.
Into the 2nd period and it was very much deja-vu for the Knights, as Josh Hodgkinson picked up another early Tripping call (22.52).
Bison would however, make this man advantage pay off. Bison skipper George Norcliffe (Doughty, Milton) beating Gospel near post, with a lovely one timer (23.57).
Leeds kept pressing and almost took the lead again, when Cole Shudra set Grant Cooper free, but he was denied by a superb double save by Lawday.
Bison would receive another penalty, when Aidan Doughty was called for Boarding (29.22). For me, this was a lame call, especially after what the officials had let go before this
Sadly, it would cost the Bison the lead. Zach Brooks (C Shudra, Cooper) netting cooly past Lawday, after some slick passing in the build up play (30.22).
Soon after, Brendan Baird & Carter Hamill traded blows after a whistle and both were given minor Roughing calls (32.01).
Bison almost equalised, but Hallam Wilson saw his shot hit the base of the post and come out again, with Gospel well beaten.
Both teams returned to full strength.
A couple of minutes on and again some more fiestyness, after a whistle to stop the play. Zach Brooks wasn’t happy with Marcus Mitchell and Brooks dropped the gloves ready to go, but Mitchell wasn’t interested in the slightest. Both players picking up Roughing calls (34.45)… but no extra ‘Unsportsmanlike’ call for Brooks, especially as he dropped the gloves !
So, a bit of 4-on-4 play, but that would soon become 4-on-3 in Bison’s favour, when Knights Sam Zajac was called for Kneeing (34.58). Bison had a great chance on the powerplay, but Sam Gospel made three quick timely saves to deny the Bison. Both teams killed the penalties successfully.
That was all the action and at the 2nd interval break, Knights went in with a 2-1 lead, with it all set up nicely for the 3rd period.
It would be a quiet start to the 3rd period, with neither team appearing to grab the game by the scruff of the neck.
Gaël Lubwele would pick up a tame Tripping call (44.54). Thankfully, it wouldn’t cost us this time and Bison would kill it off successfully.
Then another flashpoint arose behind the play.. Cole Shudra & Josh Kelly both dropping the gloves and having a fight. Not really sure what went on, but Josh got in a good punch and it was over.
Kelly picked up a 5 min Fighting major, as did Shudra, but the Leeds player was also awarded a 5 + Game penalty for Slashing (47.59).
This gave the Bison a 5 minute man advantage and a great opportunity to tie the game. Unfortunately, the Bison really squandered the man advantage, but take nothing away from the Knights Penalty Killers… they pressured the Bison into silly mistakes and at times we struggled to put a couple of passes together, which led to Leeds breaking down the play and as the penalty was running down, the Knights got their reward for all the hard work killing the penalty.
Jordan Griffin found Grant Cooper, who skated into the Bison zone, getting off a good shot. Lawday got a glove on it, but the puck looped up over and almost like in slow motion, the puck slid towards the goal. A last ditch attempt by Jordan and a Bison defenceman to try & stop it, failed with the puck agonisingly trickled over the line, for a short-handed goal (51.58). This gave Leeds some breathing room and almost killed any chance Bison had to get back in the game.
Sadly a few minutes later and the Knights scored again. Carter Hamill (T Shudra, Baldwin) jumped into the play, picking up the puck and skated into the Bison zone. He got a good shot off, but Lawday made a great save, but the puck fell kindly back to Hamill and he followed it up, by putting the puck past Lawday, to give Leeds an extended lead (57.25).
Into the final 2 minutes of the game now and another fiesty exchange.. that had been brewing between the teams all game. Knights Zach Brooks involved again, as he went after Alex Sampford, after a hit that seemed pretty harmless, but a couple of Leeds players felt that the Bison forward had caught the Leeds player with a high elbow.. so we’re a little incensed by that.
Sampford was awarded a Roughing call, as was Brooks, but the latter was also given a 10min Misconduct penalty for his actions (59.07). Not going to lie, Brooks is quite the hot head !!
The remaining time ran down and at the final hooter, the Knights had completed another deserved 4pt weekend, leaving them the only 100% unbeaten team in the league
Bison put up two really hard fought efforts against a team, that I believe will go on to win the league.
I’m sure that Ash & the team will feel aggrieved, that they came away with nothing to show for all their hard efforts, over the two games. As a fan, you can’t ask for any more from your team.
Match Stats:
Knights Stats : Cooper 1+1, Barnes 1+0, Brooks 1+0, Hamill 1+0, Baldwin 0+1, Haywood 0+1, D Hehir 0+1, Griffin 0+1, C Shudra 0+1, T Shudra 0+1.
Nets : Gospel (25/1)
Bison Stats : Norcliffe 1+0, Doughty 0+1, Milton 0+1.
Nets : Lawday (33/4)
PiMs : Knights 59 Bison 23
SoG : Knights 33 Bison 25
MoM Knights : Sam Gospel
MoM Bison : Jordan Lawday
The Bison are next in action, when they travel back up to Yorkshire this Saturday (22nd), for our first meeting of the season, against the Sheffield Steeldogs.
Please remember, we have NO Home game this coming weekend.
But, we are back in action at the Bison Arena, when the Bristol Pitbulls come visiting, on Wednesday 26th October .. Good Tickets still available by clicking the following link: https://iceaccount.co.uk/basingstoke-bison?Reference=Bison-Website
