By Frankie Notaro
A rare Friday away game and Sunday home game is on the cards for the Bristol Honda Pitbulls this weekend. To start off they make the short trip down to the Slough Ice Arena on Friday to take on the Berkshire Bees for their away fixture of the weekend, and then the Pitbulls return back to the Pound on Sunday night for their Pride Night where they take on the Milton Keynes Lightning.
Now, let’s talk hockey and what you need to know going into this weekend!
Team Recap
The Berkshire Bees have had a few big results in the past month go in their favor, after securing wins against the Milton Keynes Lightning and Leeds Knights to start their year with a bang. They’ve seen a shift in their roster after Vanya Antonov made the decision to move to the Swindon Wildcats early on this month as well as Josh Poole and Harry Thomas recently deciding to make the move to continue their 2024/25 season with the Pitbulls. Through the departures they have also seen the addition of Ralfs Circenis and Louie Allen joining the team to boost their offense for the next half of their season. Going into Friday’s fixture they will be without head coach Ashley Tait due to suspension but Marcel Balaz was given the all clear to continue playing after being reviewed. The Bees are currently in 11th place with 19 points after 8 wins and 27 loses so far.
Milton Keynes are coming into this weekend after only playing one game last weekend against the Sheffield Steeldogs and will be hungry for points as they continue to battle with Leeds and Swindon for league champions this season. The Lighting are currently occupying 2nd place within the league after they have been able to collect 54 points, which leaves them 1 point behind the Knights and they have both played 36 games. Milton Keynes have been able to win 18 games in regulation as well as a further 7 in overtime/shootouts but then have also lost 7 games while losing 4 more in overtime/shootouts.
Ones to Watch
Going into the fixture against the Bees, the Pitbulls will need to watch out for Ralfs Circenis and Ty Cathcart. Since Ralfs made the move to Berkshire, the Bees have entered a new style of play which has seen them gel more as a team and this has been seen through some results that have shocked teams across the league. The Pitbulls will need to limit his one on one chances as this is a strength of his and could easily make a difference during the game but from the 5 games he has completed, he has collected 6 points from 3 goals and 3 assists. In terms of a physical presence and within the defensive plays, the Pitbulls will need to watch out for Ty Cathcart as he has really settled into a style of play that is very direct and will be a key part of plays for the Bees.
For the Lightning, the Pitbulls will need to watch out for Jordan Cownie and Ross Venus. Jordan Cownie has really started to prove his worth after some important plays have fallen on his stick to make game winning plays. He currently is the Lightnings’ top point scorer with 52 points from 16 goals and 36 assist but limiting his opportunities on the night will massively impact Milton Keynes’ unexpected opportunities. Ross Venus has also been a massive part of the Lightning’s offensive plays this season as he has been able to pick up 48 points with 21 goals and 27 assists. Like Jordan Cownie, limiting Ross Venus on the puck will also shut down the Lightning’s chances and could have an impact on the score line.
Special Teams
The special teams could be a big part of the game on Friday evening as the Bees’ powerplay stands at 20% effective in comparison the Bristol’s that stands at 22.86%. If the Bees find themselves on the power play, the Pitbulls will need to keep Will Stead under control as has scored the most power play goals for the Bees as he currently has 9 power play goals. But this is where Bayley Harewood has the opportunity to boost his power play goals as he has scored 6 on the power play this season and will be keen to keep pushing those stats higher.
When it comes to the penalty kill, the Pitbulls’ stands at 69.61% whereas the Bees’ is currently 78.95% but these numbers could mean nothing on the night as the Pitbulls, even though they are short-handed have been good offensively while been a skater down as Bayley Harewood has secured 5 short-handed goals so far this season and nothing is stopping him from extending those numbers tonight. The Bees penalty kill unit is very hard to get past as it’s very tight and direct to the opposing players but if the Pitbulls get close enough to the net, they may be able to find the crack in the play.
For the game against the Lightning, their power play unit is 19.84% effective going into the weekend and this will be something that both Joe Wilson and Tim Wallace will want to work on as it could benefit their plays and also the scoreboard if they work on their power play. A player to look out for during the Lightning’s power play will be Harry Gulliver as he has seen a lot of success while having an extra skater on the ice as he has been able to get 4 goals from it. Something that has been strong for the Lightning is their penalty kill as like Bees they have a very tight style of play during this time. One on one chance if able to find may be a way of getting around the Lightning while they are short-handed but that means making the direct plays and moving straight into the neutral zone after gaining possession.
Now onto the fun stuff! Who’s ready for some competitions?!
As its pride weekend we have a very special shirt off the back raffle as you have a chance to win as all 22 jerseys are up for grabs! Now that’s something! Don’t forget to grab your tickets at the merch table where you can all get 50/50 tickets and while you’re there… Why not get a foam hand or even a horn? We’ll bring the boys, you bring the noise!
Lets pack the Pound on Sunday night, see you all their Pitbulls fans!
