WHEN we lost to Swindon several weeks ago, I was critical of how the team had approached the first period.

Last weekend, we lost to Peterborough, but I have nothing but praise for the team’s performance.

They maintained this form on Sunday when they defeated a much improved London Raiders team.

We were pleased to put together 125 minutes of good hockey over the weekend for our fans, especially as so many had travelled to Peterborough.

This was the second time this season we had arranged for a coach for an away fixture. Their support always energises the team and on Saturday night they added to the atmosphere for everyone in the rink.

With several players coming back from injury, we were able to play at a higher tempo.

We held a deserved lead going into the third period. The home team brought the scores level two minutes from the end of regulation time.

We were disappointed to lose in the penalty shoot- out, but the fans cheered the team off the ice. They knew they had seen one of the best performances of the season.

For Sunday’s game, I decided to tweak the top two lines, giving our two import players the opportunity to play with different partners. Both lines contributed well to a high-scoring win.

We’re still undefeated in the league.

This weekend we have just one game, but I know the game will be a sell-out.

We’re playing our local rivals from Bracknell. We’ve met three times already, winning narrowly twice on their ice, but losing 5 -2 on home ice.

That’s a score line we’ll be doing our best to reverse. We’re coming into the game in good form, and we’re confident that the Basingstoke fans will continue their support.

Why not join them, if you can get a ticket!