Bison beef up at the back (From Basingstoke Gazette)

Bison beef up at the back

8:57am Monday 24th May 2010 in

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THE BASINGSTOKE Bison have beefed up their blue line for their coming English Premier League with the signing of defenceman Ricky Skene.

The 28-year-old joins from the Herd’s arch rivals the Guildford Flames, where he has spent the last five seasons.

Before heading to Surrey, he enjoyed a year in Basingstoke in the Elite League during their 2004/05 campaign, the first season that Mark Bernard was in charge of the team.

The solid, hard-hitting defenceman was born in Chicago, but having played his junior hockey in Slough, he qualifies as British for the EPL.

This now brings the defensive core of the Herd to four players as he joins already signed Tony Redmond, Sam Oakford and Kurt Reynolds in what looks a strong quartet of British blue liners.

Talking about the signing of Skene for the coming season, Bison player/coach Steve Moria said: “Ricky means business. He plays hard, puts his body on the line and plays every game to win.

“We are getting a solid D-man, a real competitor who brings natural leadership to the Bison.”

One player not returning to ice for the Bison next season is British forward Shaun Thompson.

He returned to the Herd early in 2010 from Elite League Hull Stingrays having been Basingstoke’s top British scorer the year before.

He is returning to the Elite League having signed for the newly formed Braehead Clan in Scotland.