Good evening and welcome to the Hangar for tonight’s game. It’s the second in a home and away weekend against title contending Basingstoke Bison. Our opponents are still in contention for all three titles this year but with Manchester having games in hand in the league run they will be looking to ensure they drop no points in their run in.
What a game we enjoyed last Saturday. What odds would you have got before the game started on getting a point let alone both of them against Guildford? It was nice to see Rocky back playing again and back in form. He played like the goalie we knew he was despite an average start for us this season and with a little bit of luck from the pipe work twice he kept Guildford in the game. What was great to see was a predominantly young team, missing a top scorer as Kamil was out injured, compete for 65 minutes against a vastly experienced and high value team. There were times when fatigue could have allowed heads to drop but Craig kept them focussed and on their tasks.
Worth a mention also was the performance of Andrej Vasiljevic. Yes he has learned his hockey in a high standard league but when it came to penalty shots despite being beaten on the first shot he remained cool, denying Otapovsky from close in and forcing Duggan to attempt his from wide of the net. At the other end Jamie Line and Ales Padelek slotted their chances home like seasoned pros who spend their whole lives taking penalty shots.
All that is history now and we have to focus on the here and now. Basingstoke are a good team, well coached and well staffed and their supporter are always a credit to them home and away. Despite the fact it’s a Sunday game there is sure to be a great atmosphere in the Hangar tonight as the teams do battle.
I know you’ve spent of recent with the Valentine shirt auction and the Coventry deadline being brought forward but don’t forget to consider getting your End of Season ticket evening. It’s back at the Copthorne Hotel on Saturday 12th April and tickets are available tonight plus you can pay in instalments over the course of this month.
Enjoy tonight’s game
My team, your team, OUR TEAM
Mark
