THE Basingstoke Bison have added even more firepower to their line-up, with the re-signing of their leading British goal scorer Ciaran Long.

The news comes hot on the heels of the return of his line mate Tomas Karpov, and the pair certainly put the fear into every defence of the English Premier League.

Long scored 29 times last year and also picked up 34 assists in a points tally of 63.

The Birmingham-born forward was one of the top Brits in the EPL, which did not go unnoticed, as he was voted on to the All Star first team for the league.

Long will return for a third straight full year in a Bison uniform, but before this he will be heading to the other side of the world to play for the Canterbury Red Devils in New Zealand.

Bison head coach Doug Sheppard said: "Ciaran is a one of our core players and he can play anywhere as a forward. He is a key member of the powerplay unit and penalty kill. So I am really pleased he has re-signed."

Long is delighted to return and said: "I really enjoy playing in Basingstoke, so it was a really easy decision to re-sign. We know it is going to be tougher this season, as the league is getting better every year. I like this as a player and I think we can win trophies again."

Talking about playing in New Zealand, Long said: "I am really looking forward to the experience as I have never been to New Zealand."