WITH five wins out of five at home in January, the Basingstoke Bison will look to continue their impressive form into February.

The Sheffield Steeldogs are the first visitors of month on Saturday in a game that has a 6.30pm face-off.

This is only the second trip to Hampshire for the Yorkshire side this season and last time it proved a fruitless journey as they were well beaten.

Bison Canadian hot-shot Joe Rand scored a hat-trick on that evening and he would love to repeat the feat in the game on Saturday.

Since this game, the Herd have played three times in Sheffield, winning on their first visit and then losing the next two.

The last one of these was only a fortnight ago, when the Bison were edged out 6-5 in overtime, as Sheffield’s two star import forwards – Janis Odolins and Lubomir Korhon – both hit braces.

The Herd will again be without defencemen Matt Selby, Joe Baird and Brendan Baird, as well as forward Grant Rounding.

This did not hamper them last Saturday as they were comfortable winners over the visiting Bracknell Bees.

The Herd are currently third in the English Premier League standings and will start as favourites against the Steeldogs, who are seventh.

However, the Yorkshire side will not make it easy for them and they are scrapping for every point they can get, as they want to avoid dropping a place, which would set-up a play-off match-up with runaway leaders Telford Tigers.

Looking ahead to the visit of Sheffield, Bison player/coach Doug Sheppard said: “We have just one game this weekend, which means it is even more important we take the two points.”

“We have to make sure we shut down Janis Ozolins and Lubomir Korhon, as if we give them space they are going to hurt us.”

The contest is expected to be a physical encounter, as Sheffield are the top penalty takers in the EPL with 1,072 minutes compared to the Bison’s 757.

Also returning for the game on Saturday is the league’s penalty king, Andre Payette, who has just served a five-game ban.

Sheppard said: “Last weekend we managed to stay out of the penalty box and we need to do that again.

“We have to make sure we focus on the way we want to play.”