Basingstoke hitman Lauko is ready to swat Bees in derby battle (From Basingstoke Gazette)

Basingstoke hitman Lauko is ready to swat Bees in derby battle

8:00am Thursday 18th February 2010 in

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A DERBY day battle royal is on the bill on Saturday night, as the Basingstoke Bison clash with their oldest rivals the Bracknell Bees for the final time in Hampshire this season.

So far this campaign, the Herd have stung the Bees four times in English Premier League encounters and will look to do the same again, in a match which has a 6.30pm face-off.

The Bison currently look invincible on home ice and chalked up their ninth straight league win last Sunday with a 4-1 victory over the Sheffield Scimitars.

It is the Herd’s best run at the Basingstoke Arena since the club achieved 12 consecutive league wins in the 1998/99 season.

There is sure to be plenty of goals in Saturday’s contest as in the previous two home meetings the Bison have enjoyed 12-0 and 8-5 victories.

The other reason both netminders should be in for a busy night is the top two hot shots in the EPL will come face-to-face.

That being the Herd’s Ondrej Lauko and the Bees’ Jaroslav Cesky.

Basingstoke’s Slovak sniper netted a hat-trick last Sunday to take his tally to 46, while Bracknell’s Czech sharp shooter has hit the net 44 times.

A bumper crowd is expected on the night, which is a special one for the Bison as they are using the game to support the Value for Valour programme, with proceeds from the evening going to ABF – The Soldiers’ Charity.

As a tribute to the troops the Herd will wear specially designed camouflaged jerseys as they battle for another win against the Bees.

It is sure to be a great evening and it is all in a good cause. Service personnel will be attending the game and The Soldiers’ Charity will be holding a collection, running a stall and having a raffle with some great prizes.

Bison player/coach Moria said: “I think having a brand new uniform for the game is going to give both the team and the fans an extra buzz.

“We have done well against Bracknell all season, but we are not going to take them lightly, especially with the most dangerous player in this league in Cesky.

“They are scrapping for the final play-off spot at the moment and want to pick up as many points as they can. We are playing with a lot of confidence at home at the moment and we want to keep that winning feeling going.”

Adding extra spice to the game is that the Herd include a number of former Bracknell players, one of which, Scott Spearing, made his long awaited return last weekend from a bad knee injury.

Moria said: “It was great to see Scott back and we will work him into the line-up slowly as he will need a few weeks to get his game legs, but by the end of the season I can see him being back to full fitness.”

One ex-Bee who will miss the game is Canadian Joe Ciccarello, as he sits out with a knee injury picked up a fortnight ago in Slough.

Before the Bees, who include former Basingstoke players Nicky Watt and Shane Moore, turn their attentions to the Bison on Saturday, tonight they have a home league game with Guildford.

After Basingstoke entertain Bracknell, on Sunday night, the team make the trip north to Altrincham to face the Manchester Phoenix, looking for their first road win there.

Having lost the opening four league meetings between these sides, last time around in Basingstoke the Herd edged a 2-1 win and Moria is keen for his side to repeat that.

With Basingstoke currently fifth in the table, there is a chance that they could face the Phoenix in the play-off quarter-finals on the first weekend of April.

So that adds another incentive as to why the visitors want to come away with victory.

The Bison boss said: “I am confident we can win on Sunday as we are playing well. They are a strong team, but we only lost in overtime last time so it would be nice to come away with the two points on Sunday.”