Bison score three third-period goals to condemn Pitbulls to fifth straight defeat.
By Jake Clements
Brendan Sellan scored the game-winning goal with under five minutes to play to pick up Basingstoke’s first win since returning to the league this season.
Basingstoke scored two goals late in the first period before the hometown Pitbulls rallied back through goals from Jacob Bryceland and John Dunbar.
But it was Sellan’s sumptuous deflection that confirmed the two points would be taken back to Hampshire. Will Stead added an empty net goal before former Pitbull, Adam Harding, rounded off the scoring with less than 15 seconds on the clock.
A first period that was a split affair, with both teams struggling to get a handle on the game. Both teams sporting import netminders in Tommy Nappier (Bristol) and Max Wright (Basingstoke) saw their goalies forced into a number of saves through the opening exchanges.
After some sustained Pitbulls pressure in the Bison zone, a quick breakout saw the visitors open the scoring.
Thomas Relf played the puck to Zach Wilson down the left wing boards. The former Manchester Storm forward crossed the blue line and fired a wrist shot past the outstretched glove of Nappier.
The shot from a distance caught the 27-year-old goalie off guard, and the man from St Louis could only watch the puck fly past him and into the net.
A second followed before the end of the period. With four seconds remaining in the first, Relf was afforded too much room at the top of the zone, and the veteran defenceman stepped into a slapshot that zipped past Nappier before he could even move.
Pitbulls ended the first 2-0 down to a side who had only played one competitive outing since the sides last met in the final week of preseason in September.
The Bison are still awaiting the opening of their home rink, but you wouldn’t know that through the opening 20 minutes of play.
The second period was favourable for the home team.
A plethora of opportunities befell the home team, and ‘The Pound’ was getting ever restless with the puck not being able to penetrate the wall-like Wright.
Former Berkshire Bee, Wright, metaphorically stood on his head to keep the scoreline at 2-0.
He was eventually beaten by Cardiff Devil’s prospect, Jacob Bryceland. The Telford-born winger sent the puck flying through the body of Wright after some good work by fellow Devil, Bayley Harewood, created the shooting opportunity.
With the deficit halved, the Pitbulls pushed on for another goal to restore parity.
Despite heavy amounts of offensive zone time, a combination of savvy defending, Wright’s body and the crossbar did all they could to keep the home side from equalising.
The third period began where the second left off, with Max Wright pulling out all the stops to keep his side on the right side of the scoreline.
His best save of the evening came early in the third. Former Solway Shark, John Dunbar, pounded upon a loose puck and played a lovely saucer pass across to Owen Smetham. The 20-year-old saw his shot miraculously stopped by the left pad of the Bison netminder. Any elevation on the shot, and the game would’ve been tied at two goals apiece.
A matter of moments later, the aforementioned Dunbar scored his second goal in as many home games.
Owen Smetham worked hard to bounce off a couple of checks before sending the puck back to Reece Cochrane at the blue line.
The 24-year-old shifted it across to Butler on the opposite side. The Manitoba native let a wrist shot go, which Dunbar expertly redirected past the stranded Wright to finally restore parity.
It was Dunbar’s third goal since joining from Solway, which in turn made him the team’s leading point scorer on the season.
The Pitbulls, having been invigorated by the tying goal again, piled on the pressure looking for the go-ahead goal.
The visiting Bison weathered the storm before former Erie Otter captain Sellan restored their lead.
The Pitbulls lost the draw in their defensive zone cleanly, and the puck ended up on the stick of Shankar.
The Canadian-born Irishman recognised he had two forwards unmarked in front of the goal.
He played a clever low shot which allowed Sellen to open his stick blade and elevate the puck over Nappier’s pad and into the net, kissing the post on its way through.
The large Bison following burst into rapture, knowing they had the all-important goal with under five minutes left to play.
The Pitbulls pushed for their second tying goal of the game but came up short when Jake Bricknell was stripped of the puck at the blue line by Will Stead.
The former Bee, who scored 26 goals last season, opened his account for the season with the easiest goal he’ll score all year. He drifted past Bricknell and backhanded the puck into the wide-open net, putting one more nail in the Pitbull’s metaphorical coffin.
2023-24 Pitbulls” assistant captain, Adam Harding, finished off the game’s scoring with 14 seconds remaining.
The Pitbulls lost a board battle in their own zone before the puck squirmed to Harding’s stick in the high slot. He saw his shot ramp up off of Tanner Butler’s stick and nestle into the top corner, giving Basingstoke their first win since March of 2023.
The Pitbulls failed to win for the fifth consecutive game, meaning the club has picked up just one point out of the last ten available to them.
It’s a run of games which has seen the team be outscored 33-12 across those five fixtures.
Their start matched that of last season, where after seven games they sat outside of the playoff spots.
The Pitbulls have to wait until next Saturday to stop their slump when they play host to the visiting Hull Seahawks, who currently occupy 8th position on the same points as Bristol.
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