WHAT better way to renew league hockey in 2019 last weekend than to win both games, home and away.
But it wasn’t just the points that were important. The players wanted to continue the progress they had made. The fans wanted to know how much they had to look forward to in the coming months.
Our visitors on Saturday were Peterborough, the only team we had yet to beat. A win against them would signal how competitive we would be as the remaining league games were played. We also knew that next month the two teams would be competing against each other in the semi-finals of the cup.
The game didn’t disappoint.
We had started strongly in the first period, taking a well-deserved lead. However, in the second period Peterborough pushed on and scored two quick goals.
The tension mounted in the third period as we battled to draw level. We withdrew our netminder and the team equalised in the last few minutes. So we had the drama of overtime.
As Shaun Thompson raised his arms in the air having scored the winning goal his team mates rushed on to the ice to celebrate and the fans roared their support. This was an evening for everyone to remember, another great hockey night at the Hive.
Perhaps understandably, we had to battle hard on Sunday for a win when we travelled to Milton Keynes.
This weekend we are looking forward to a local derby in Basingstoke this Saturday and then we entertain London Raiders on Sunday.
The Hive is buzzing. Come and join us.
Featured first in the paper every Thursday, Bracknell Bees head coach Doug Sheppard gives his latest views on Bracknell’s season on and off the ice in an exclusive column.