FOLLOWING a short weekend, Ashley Tait and his Basingstoke Bison side are itching to get back on the ice.

After the 4-1 defeat against the Swindon Wildcats on Saturday, the Herd will be looking to get back to winning ways.

Player / coach Tait said: “There are advantages and disadvantages to having a short week.

“Yes it means players can rest and recuperate, but after suffering a defeat like we did the only thing that you want is to get back out on the ice and make amends.

“So it has been a little frustrating having to wait all week sitting on a loss, when all the players are fighting to get the next week.

“We just need to make the most of this time we’ve had off and put the energy into training as hard as we can ahead of this weekend’s fixtures.”

First up for the Herd this weekend is a game on home ice against the London Raiders.

And Tait is hoping to make that home advantage count for something.

He added: “The guys always look forward to playing on home ice.

“Having the crowd behind you is always a huge factor and when we are looking to bounce back from a defeat we need the home crowd more than ever to show us their support.”

In training, the Bison have also seen the return of Liam Morris to the ice, a player Tait hopes will be back to full fitness sooner rather than later.

As well as hosting the Raiders this weekend, the Herd will travel to Streatham on Sunday as they return to normal double-header duty this weekend.