TOMAS Karpov enjoyed an excellent weekend as the Basingstoke Bison won two games out of two to move to the top of the English Premier League.

The Czech sniper scored two goals in Saturday's 6-2 win over the visiting Telford Tigers before hitting a hat-trick as the Herd won 4-3 away at Manchester Phoenix last night.

The results leave the Bison top of the table, level on points with second-placed Milton Keynes Lightning ahead of a summit meeting between the teams at the Basingstoke Arena on Saturday.

Karpov was in top form at Manchester last night and opened the scoring at 4:28, with Kurt Reynolds claiming the assist.

Phoenix levelled on the powerplay at 7:42, Nico Aaltonen finding the net from Michel Satak, but Joe Rand edged the Bison back in front four minutes later, with Shaun Thompson and Aaron Connolly getting the helpers.

However, Manchester hit back to level before the end of the opening period, James Archer finding the net after good work from Ben Wood, while Satak's second of the game had the hosts ahead early in the second period.

Karpov got his second goal of the game to make it 3-3 at 29:01, firing home to end a goal-mouth scramble, with Connolly and Ryan Watt getting the assists.

Robin Kovar hit the post as Manchester looked to regain the lead, but it was the Bison who got their noses in front at 38:11, Karpov completing his hat-trick on the breakaway from Stuart Mogg and Miroslav Vantroba.

The Phoenix pushed for an equaliser, but they were not able to find a way past Tomas Hindlovsky in the Bison net as the visitors held on to make it a four-point weekend.

The previous night in Basingstoke, the Herd enjoyed a more comfortable evening against surprise strugglers the Telford Tigers.

Watt opened the scoring with just 1:24 on the clock, firing home from close range after visiting netminder Thomas Murdy had saved Karpov's effort.

Despite both sides getting in plenty of shots, there was no further scoring before the end of the first period, but two goals in the space of 16 seconds shortly after the first break gave the Bison a big advantage.

Connolly got the first at 20:24, with Joe Rand and Mogg getting the assists, and Karpov made it 3-0 16 seconds later, with Alan Lack and new signing Alex Symonds providing the assists.

Telford called a timeout and switched netminders, a change that had an immediate impact as Phillip Hill reduced the deficit, scoring on the powerplay at 21:59 from Maxim Birbraer and Peter Szabo, with Thompson in the penalty box for holding.

However, the Tigers then got into penalty trouble themselves, with the Bison adding powerplay goals at 27:07 and 28:19 to extend their lead to 5-1.

Thompson got the first, with Karpov and Joe Greener credited with the assists, while Karpov scored the second himself.

Szabo scored from Daniel Davies and Jason Silverthorn to reduce the lead to three goals at 33:22, but Reynolds fired home through traffic to make it 6-2 before the second break, with Karpov and Watt getting the assists.

Telford scored twice in the final period to get themselves back into the game, but the Bison held on to secure the win.

Davies scored an excellent goal to make it 6-3, finishing off a move involving Birbraer and Hill, while Macauley Heywood completed the scoring, taking advantage of some poor defending to net from Adam Joseph Taylor and Silverthorn.