WHAT a great feeling, to know you’re part of a team that has played its best hockey of the season and extended its unbeaten run to 10 games.

On Saturday night seven different players got on the score sheet. It was a special night for local boy Oscar Evans scoring for the first time in a Bison shirt.

The fans know that since I first came to Basingstoke I’ve always seen it as part of my job to encourage and develop local talent. All seven goals were applauded, but the crowd were especially loud in their applause for Oscar’s goal.

It’s a big step up from training with the senior players to taking your place beside them in a match. This new league allows me more opportunity to offer this experience to young lads keen to learn how to apply their skills and skating in the rough and tumble of real time hockey.

I’m usually on my own on the bench, but have been joined lately by some of our injured players. We went into Saturday’s game with a four-man defence. By the end of Sunday’s game, that was further depleted.

We dominated the opening period against Telford, everyone working hard against a team that had already beaten us twice this season. When Dan Scott had to serve out a penalty following a heavy hit on Elliot Dewey, that put even more pressure on Kurt Reynolds and Joe Baird in defence.

Kurt had been given the Bison Belt on Saturday. He handed it over to Elliot Dewey who played through his injury on Sunday.

The belt is awarded after games we have won. Here’s hoping it changes hands twice this weekend.

Congratulations to Roman Malinik who justifiably won back to back awards as man of the match this weekend.