Tigers Trampled Underfoot by Bison Stampede

Bison 7 Telford Tigers 2

15/10/11

On a night when scenes of X-rated violence erupted on the ice, Bison earned themselves an easy victory over a young Telford team tipped by many to end the season bottom of the EPL pile. And a new Bison hero emerged, one Joe Miller, a man who has undoubted talent but whose career has been chequered to say the least. Playing for his third team in a year, “problem player” Miller has had a fantastic start to his Bison career with 5 goals in his first 6 games. Last night he added another goal as well as 2 assists to his tally and earned a Gordie Howe hat-trick (a goal, an assist and a fight) when he was involved in an unseemly disagreement with Tigers’ Josh Bruce (no relation to Robert the Bruce, although he is a Scotsman) towards the end of the third period – more about that later.

Last week Bison fans were treated to a spectacular hat-trick of another sort from Marcel Petran with his trio of slap shot goals. In the 17^th minute Petran opened the scoring for Bison as he hammered in yet another of his slap shots. Craig Tribe worked the puck around the back of the net and passed to Liam Chong who saw Petran lurking dangerously on the point. Chong’s inch perfect pass was smashed in by the Slovak Cannon past a startled Declan Ryan in the Tigers’ goal. Marcel’s trademark “jazz hands” were raised aloft in triumph.

Bison were unlucky to end the period with such a slender lead, after outshooting the Tigers by 17 to 8, but within 4 minutes of the second Craig Tribe had made it 2-0, a fairer reflection on the balance of play. He bulged the net, after a Chris Wiggins shot was saved. However, the Tigers reduced the arrears only a minute later with a back door score from Andy McKinney assisted by Janak and Bruce. Bison’s 2 goal advantage was restored a minute later when the normally stay at home D-man, Sam Oakford, emulated Petran with a vicious slap shot goal assisted by Miller. 3-1.

On 34 minutes the crowd were treated to a comedy goal. It was a true pantomime “it’s behind you” effort from Steve Moria. Nicky Chinn carried the puck behind the goal and in the split second that it took for goaltender Ryan to turn from left to right to follow Chinn’s progress, the Bison skipper had slid the puck behind him with a back handed pass to Moria, lurking at the back post. The Canadian Colossus dragged the puck back and rifled home with Ryan looking the other way. The hapless goaltender’s first inkling that his pipes had been penetrated must have been the roar of the crowd. Never take your eye off the puck. O.K. that’s much easier said than done!

The Bison goal scoring machine was now in full swing and it didn’t take long for the scoreboard to click on to 5-1. Ollie Bronnimann fed Daniel Volrab, a former NHL draft pick of the Dallas Stars, who skated forward at speed and in impressive style, cutting in from the left flank and sliding an inch perfect pass to Joe Miller. Goal!

A minute later the Bison crowd rose to its feet in expectation of bloodshed as Nicky Chinn and Callum Bowley confronted each other merely to exchange constructive comments on the last passage of play I am sure. However, the baying crowd was to be disappointed as the ugly confrontation advanced no further than pushing, shoving and expressing those contrary opinions before the officials stepped in and doled out a 2 minute punishment to each.

Halfway through the final period Bison scored twice to move the score on to 7-1. The first was scored by Liam Chong assisted by Miller and Chinn. Chong broke clear, deked and slotted home. Markek Dubec registered the second. Fed by fellow Slovak, Petran, the impressive former Buffalo Sabres draftee cut in from the right wing and rifled the puck past a shell shocked Ryan, who then suffered the ultimate ignominy of a goaltender by being pulled. Josh Nichols was his replacement. Most of the crowd were too busy celebrating the goal and hadn’t noticed the goaltending switch, but Ryan’s blushes were not spared by the announcer who delivered news of his embarrassing situation to the assembled over the tannoy.

With 5 minutes to go Bison enforcer, Chris Wiggins, left his mark on the game in typical style. In revenge for a nasty hit on Liam Chong earlier in the game, so some said, Wiggie went toe to toe with Tom Watkins, the Tigers head coach. The hapless Watkins had no option but to turtle under the Bison man’s ruthless bombardment, but this didn’t stop Wiggins from continuing to rain in blows until eventually persuaded to desist from further action by the referee. It was Wiggins’s third fight in four games. The one game he failed to drop his gloves during was the previous game, for which he was suspended.

The game ended with another goal and another fight. The second Tigers goal was scored by Jiri Hanzal, assisted by McKinney not Gretl, and an explosive and indeed malodorous altercation between Joe Miller, looking for the final piece in the jigsaw of his Gordie Howe hat-trick, and the aforementioned non relative of Robert the Bruce, Josh. Gloves went down, helmets came off and the two opponents circled around like vultures, rolling up their sleeves to emphasise intent. When they came together X-rated violence erupted with a flurry of telling punches delivered by both men. The blood lust of the Bison crowd rose to fever pitch. The contest was terminated by Bruce falling on his back and Miller standing over him in a menacing fashion, claiming victory. There was way too little match time remaining for the men to serve their appropriate punishments in the box.