BASINGSTOKE Bison maintained their 100 per cent start to the season, as they beat visiting reigning league champions Manchester Phoenix 3-2.

This was despite the game getting off to the worst possible start for the home side, as the visitors scored after just 21 seconds from Robin Kovar.

In an even opening 20 minutes, the Herd levelled things thanks to a powerplay strike from Ciaran Long at 6:04.

The second session was very different story, as the home side completely dominated out shooting the visitors 21-6.

Joe Rand and Kurt Reynolds had early chances, before the Herd took the lead as Andy Melachrino fed man-of-the-match Joe Greener to score at 24:10.

The Phoenix then lost import forward Kovar for speaking out of turn to referee Matt Thompson and then smashing his stick by the sin bin, which saw him swiftly sent to the dressing room.

The Bison were now piling on the pressure and Manchester man-of-the-match Steve Fone was doing well to keep them out.

Grant Rounding fired a shot across the net, which Cameron Wynn so nearly got a touch on and then Nicky Chinn fed Aaron Connolly, but his shot was saved.

Tomas Karpov had the puck in the net at 31:24, but it was disallowed for a high stick earlier in the build-up.

Then in the final minute of the session, Greener and Rand were unable to force the puck home in a goal mouth scramble.

The visitors started the third period another import down after Johan Burlin broke his skate, but they were far from out of the game as the team’s traded chances.

The Herd made it 3-1 with their third powerplay goal of the night from Melachrino, after he was found unmarked by Greener at 52:25.

The Phoenix hit straight back 61 seconds later from Michal Psurny.

Soon after, the visitors were handed a powerplay, but for the fifth time on the night they were unable to score.

As the game entered the final two minutes, Manchester were reduced to just one import.

This was after Frantisek Bakrlik took a heavy fall, after a big open ice hit from Bison’s Miroslav Vantroba.

Then with 31 seconds left, Joe Graham was forced to take a penalty, to stop Melachrino and with it went any chances Manchester had of sending the game into overtime.

Tonight, the Herd travel to Peterborough Phantoms for what will be tough encounter and next Saturday they entertain the leaders after the first weekend Telford Tigers.

Scoring; Bison: Greener 1+2, Melachrino 1+1, Long 1+0, Karpov 0+2; Phoenix: Psurny, Kovar 1+0, Hand, Neil. Thompson, Bakrlik 0+1. Shots on Goal: Skinns 34, Fone 52. Penalties: Bison 12min, Phoenix 44.