BASINGSTOKE Bison will be looking to maintain their excellent start to the season by making it five wins out of five when the new-look Guildford Flames visit on Saturday.

The Herd sit proudly atop the table after a penalty-shot victory over big-spending Telford Tigers last weekend, and player/coach Doug Sheppard is delighted with the start his side have made.

“I am pleased with the way it’s going,” he said. “We have made a great start and it was a really good win on Saturday.

“We have been playing really good team defence and getting some excellent goaltending as well. If you have those then you have a chance in every game.

“The goal is to keep the good run rolling along.”

The next team in the Bison’s way are a much-changed Guildford Flames side. The Surrey side have made something of a slow start, but Sheppard believes that there is plenty more to come as the team gels together.

“We have not seen the best of Guildford yet,” he said. “They brought in a lot of new faces over the summer and will only get better. It is taking them a while to gel but with the players they have they can be a threat to anyone and they will be getting better every week.

“They always have a very good powerplay unit and work the transitions between lines well.

“We just have to continue defending well as a team and limit our turnovers.”

Basingstoke go into the game in pretty good shape injury-wise. Their only absentee is Michael Wales, who is nearing fitness after a long-term injury.

On Sunday, the Bison continue their English Challenge Cup campaign with a trip to Kent to face English National League side Invicta Dynamos.

“We won our first game in the competition 5-1 against Chelmsford, but they were well organised,” Sheppard said. “If we take the ENL teams lightly then they could give us problems. It should be a good game of hockey and we will need to prepare properly.”

The Bison are only allowed to ice two imports, so Sheppard and one other will sit the game out. Their places in the line-up will be taken by youngsters Hallam Wilson and Alex Sampford.