THE Basingstoke Bison finished their English Premier League campaign on a high, beating the Swindon Wildcats 6-3 at the Basingstoke Arena.

The Herd led 3-0 after Sunday evening's opening period thanks to two goals from Joe Miller either side of Doug Sheppard's strike.

Second-period strikes from Aaron Nell and Matias Aleksi Perkkio reduced Swindon's deficit to a single goal but Cameron Wynn's first goal for the Bison meant the hosts led 4-2 at the second buzzer.

Sheppard's second goal of the game extended the lead in the third period and while Swindon responded through Jonas Hoog, Sheppard completed his hat-trick to give his side a good win in their final regular season game.

The victory should give the Bison a boost ahead of home and away games against the same opponents in the play-off quarter-finals next weekend.

See Thursday's Gazette for a full report from last night's game and all of the build-up to the play-offs.