Images (C) Jo Loat
Final score: Basingstoke Bison 6-3 Telford Tigers (League)
By Matthew Church
Saturday 3rd December 2022
Refs: Belfitt and Matthews – Linos: MacPhee and Prior
For their first home game in the month of Christmas, the GalxC Cooling Services sponsored Basingstoke Bison welcomed the Telford Tigers to Hampshire, as the Herd looked to bounce back from a disappointing loss against Hull the previous weekend.
Boosted by the pre-game news of signing defenceman Tom Barry on a two-way deal with Widnes Wild, the Herd made a dream start to the contest by taking the lead at only 1:20, as they won an offensive zone face-off and young d-man Tom Banner (assisted by Lubwele) shot through traffic and the legs of netminder Brad Day to score.
The home side had more of the scoring chances during the first period and looked increasingly likely to double their lead, which meant it came as a shock when the Tigers levelled the score at 12:00. The hugely experienced Rick Plant (McKenzie, Silverthorn) collected a rebound in close and flicked the puck home for a 1-1 score.
With the clock winding down towards the first period break, there was still time for the Herd to respond in style as Tom Barry (Doughty, Landsbergs) marked his Bison debut with a fine goal at 19:17, finding himself all alone in front of goal and calmly slotting home to the delight of the home crowd.
A frantic start to the middle frame saw the Bison joy short lived as the visitors brought themselves level again at 21:03 with a powerplay goal, import Vladimir Luka (Rose, Silverthorn) using space to rifle home for a 2-2 game.
Fortunately, fans of the Herd would not have to wait long for their team to retake the lead as remarkably a third defenceman would score, this time Brendan Baird (Balaz, Doughty) blasted home from the blue line at 25:06 for a powerplay goal to move the Bison 3-2 in front. Shortly after, a dream debut for Tom Barry (Norcliffe, Lubwele) was completed as he scored his second at 29:17, Bison pressure forcing a turnover and a shot fell to Barry to tuck home for a 4-2 lead.
Barely had the goal been announced before the Tigers fought right back and reduced the deficit to one goal at 29:57 when Scott McKenzie (Plant, Silverthorn) rushed up ice and scored from the left wing.
In similar fashion to the opening period, there was still time for the Bison to wrestle back momentum before the second period break and extend their advantage once again with some clinical play. Another turnover behind the net saw Zac Milton (Lubwele, Norcliffe) skate out to the left of netminder Day and snipe home at 36:04, handing his team a 5-3 lead after 40 minutes of play.
A nervous final period saw the Tigers looking to dominate play and hunt for goals they desperately needed, whereas the Herd were focused on defence and happy to play on the break. Jordan Lawday in net and the Bison players in front of him continued to frustrate the visitors and they could not find a way through as the clock wore on.
Pulling netminder Day for the extra skater with one minute to go backfired on the Tigers, as Marcel Balaz (Baird, Mitchell) saw a speculative flick from the left wing creep over the line and into the empty net at 59:03 to confirm a 6-3 win, which meant a first home victory since October 9th!
Next up at home for the Herd, is a visit from the Romford-based Raiders IHC on Saturday 10th December.
Tickets are available to purchase from the following link: https://iceaccount.co.uk/basingstoke-bison?Reference=Bison-Website
See you all there!
Match Stats:
Bison stats: Lubwele 0+3, Baird 1+1, Balaz 1+1,Banner 1+0, Barry 2+0, Doughty 0+2, Norcliffe 0+2, , Landsbergs 0+1, Milton 1+0, Mitchell 0+1
Netminder: Jordan Lawday 29/32 (90.63%)
Tigers stats: Silverthorn 0+3, McKenzie 1+1, Plant 1+1, Luka 1+0, Rose 0+1
Netminder: Brad Day 21/26 (80.77%)
PIM: Bison 10 – Tigers 14. SOG: Bison 27 – Tigers 32.
Bison MOM: Barry – Tigers MOM: Luka
