Bison hang hopes on Line (From Basingstoke Gazette)

Herd look to Jamie for forward speed

8:50am Thursday 7th May 2009 in Ice Hockey By Graham Merry

THE BASINGSTOKE Bison have added some speed to their forward line with the addition of quick Brit Jamie Line.

The 19-year-old is a current Great Britain junior international and last year had a split season in the English Premier League, starting with the Bracknell Bees and finishing with the Slough Jets.

That gave the Luton-born teenager his highest ever points tally to date of 24, which included 11 goals.

Bison player/coach Steve Moria played with Line last season and knows he will be another super addition to the squad.

Moria said: “He is small in stature, but big on commitment he is the last guy off the ice at training. When he joined us in Slough in January we were not playing well as a team, but Jamie was the shining light for us in that month.

“He has fantastic speed and is not afraid to hit and at his age he is only going to get better which is great for the Bison.”

Teenager Line is looking to stamp his mark on the team and earn a call-up for the GB under-20 later in the season and said: “I am excited about coming to Basingstoke as this is a fresh challenge for me. This team is certainly going to be one of the contenders and that will make for a really good season,”

Tonight will see the Herd announce another signing at their season ticket evening, which is in Q’s Bar at the Basingstoke Arena starting at 7.30pm.

On Tuesday night, there is the Basingstoke Bison Supporters Club AGM also in Q’s Bar, starting at 7.30pm.