Image (C) Jo Loat
Final score: Basingstoke Bison 2-3 Swindon Wildcats (League)
By Matthew Church
Saturday 11th February 2023
Refs: Bicknell and Matthews – Linos: Olczak and Young
Buoyed by their against-the-odds win away in Milton Keynes the previous weekend, to make it four straight victories, the GalxC Cooling Services sponsored Basingstoke Bison returned home to host the Swindon Wildcats for the final time this season.
Games between the two sides usually produce an abundance of goals but tonight would prove a more cagey affair, with defence winning the battles and each team struggling to create many clear-cut chances. Import forward Colby Tower looked lively for the visitors from the outset and looked most likely to put his side in front, but netminder Alex Mettam kept his multiple efforts at bay. Down the other end, the Brits led the way for the Herd as Zac Milton and George Norcliffe both went close but not close enough, with Renny Marr in the Wildcats’ goal standing firm. Therefore, it meant that a fast-paced opening period drew to a close with a 0-0 scoreline.
Thankfully, as the middle frame began, fans did not have long to wait before the game’s opening goal arrived. However, it would be the away side cheering as they went ahead at 22:17 through the aforementioned Colby Tower (assisted by Malasinski and Nell), who poked the puck home from in tight, with netminder Mettam out of position following a scramble. The Bison increased the intensity immediately and had multiple opportunities go agonisingly close, leaving the home crowd with heads in hands as their team somehow failed to convert the pressure into a goal.
With less than three minutes of the period remaining, a goal finally did arrive for the Herd and it was scored on the powerplay by Edgars Landsbergs (Morris, Lubwele) at 37:17, who was closest to a rebound given up by netminder Marr and dived forwards to knock the puck home. This left the game level at 1-1 after 40 minutes and meant a nervy final period was in store.
With fans perched on the edge of their seats, the home side continued to match their higher-ranked opposition across the ice and looked confident of causing an upset. That belief only increased when at 53:53, the Bison took the lead for the first time, a moment met with thunderous cheers from the stands. A saved shot was found loose in front of the net by fan-favourite import Marcel Balaz (Lubwele) who reacted quickly to sweep home for a 2-1 lead.
Holding onto leads has unfortunately proven problematic for the Herd this season and once again, a game would slip from their grasp as Chris Jones (Cowley, Godfrey) equalised for the Wildcats at 55:27 to level the game at 2-2 and cause concern for every home fan. Inexplicably, there was still time for the Wildcats to strike a cruel blow and snatch the win from the Bison, as they scored a powerplay goal at 57:38 through Colby Tower (Nell, Malasinski) to go 3-2 ahead. In a desperate last-ditch move, Alex Mettam was taken from goal for the extra skater but the Bison could not score and were left disconsolate after being in a winning position with barely six minutes to go.
Match Stats:
Bison stats: Lubwele 0+2, Balaz 1+0, Landsbergs 1+0, Morris 0+1
Netminder: Alex Mettam 27/30 (90.00%) plus 1 on empty net
Wildcats stats: Malasinski 0+2, Nell 0+2, Towers 2+0, Cowley 0+1, Godfrey 0+1, Jones 1+0,
Netminder: Renny Marr 19/21 (90.48%)
PIM: Bison 10 – Wildcats 10. SOG: Bison 21 – Wildcats 31.
Bison MOM: Landsbergs – Wildcats MOM: Tower
Looking to bounce back next weekend, they face the league-leading Leeds Knights at home on Sunday 19th February, tickets are available to purchase for Sunday’s game by clicking the following link: https://iceaccount.co.uk/basingstoke-bison?Reference=Bison-Website.
See you all there!
