Miller Hat-trick Stings the Bees

Bison 7 Bracknell Bees 4

7/1/12

Joe Miller (no relation to Mutch the  Miller as far as I am aware) took his season’s tally to 22 goals with a smartly taken hat-trick as Bison recorded what looks like a comfortable win on paper, but actually wasn’t. They made their opportunities count with no fewer than 3 power play goals not to mention a short handed goal amongst the haul of 7. However, they didn’t have it all their own way and there was a time in the 2nd when they appeared to have lost their way and allowed a spirited Bees side to wipe out a 2 goal deficit.

Bison cruised into a 1^st period 2-0 lead. On 10 minutes, Sam Oakford’s slap shot from the point was deflected past Bees’ netman, Carl Ambler, by Craig Tribe. 5 minutes later it was 2-0. During a power play with Ben Johnson (not the Canadian sprinter) serving time for hooking, Marcel Petran sent in one of his characteristic rocket powered slap shots from the point. Ambler stopped the puck, but could only juggle it to the ice. Canadian colossus, Steve Moria, was on hand to sweep it over the line.

The Bees halved the deficit with a power play goal of their own shortly after. Another hooking call resulted in Jacob Heron having his collar felt by the referee. A smart passing move involving Lukas Smittal and Rob Lamey set up James Galazzi with a tap in goal. The period ended at 2-1 to the home side.

We had to wait until 12 minutes into the 2^nd period for another goal, but then were treated to a veritable avalanche with no fewer than 3 in the space of a minute. First of all Smittal found himself in on goal. He fired a vicious wrist shot past Stephen Wall to level the scores at 2-2. Only 11 seconds of play later, Bison restored their lead as Viktor Kubenko took the puck around the back of the goal and fired a pass to Steve Moria, who bagged his second of the night. Bison’s lead was short lived. Martin Masa made it 3-3 with a wraparound goal which must have left a goaltender of Stephen Wall’s experience a trifle disappointed. Had we been able to Wally’s face it would no doubt have been red.

On 35 minutes Nicky Chinn found himself going “down the steps” for hooking (well not literally – it is actually up a step into the box). Bison survived the resultant power play in no small measure thanks to the actions of blueliner Dan Harris, who performed a series of text book defensive plays to block the right hand channel, even throwing himself to the ice on a couple of occasions. It only goes to show you don’t have to touch the puck to do the job effectively.

Bison regained the lead only 41 seconds before the second buzzer with a most unusual score. The puck broke down the ice and was chased by Chris Wiggins and a defenseman. For some reason Carl Ambler decided to charge out from his net like an angry rhino. It seemed like a strange decision as his own player was just ahead of Wiggins and appeared favourite to take the puck. Ambler clattered into puck, Wiggins and all. The puck spilled wide to Craig Tribe, who must have been delighted to see the empty net gaping before him. He shot firmly into the net with the accuracy of a bullet fired from Annie Oakley’s Winchester rifle. It was his second of the game and it made it 4-3. Bees players swamped the referee, protesting that Wiggns had obstructed Ambler and prevented him from getting back into the net, but the officials held in a contrary opinion and the goal stood.

And so into the 3^rd. On 46 minutes Bison old boy, Rick Skene, found himself doing porridge for holding. Bouncing Czech, Daniel Volrab, took the puck forward and then delivered a perfect pass from behind the goal line to Joe Miller to score his first of the night. The Czech/Welsh combination struck again to move the scoreboard on from 5-3 to 6-3 only 3 minutes later with Miller hammering in at the back door after another wonderful set up by the elegant stick handling Volrab. Steve Moria registered the second assist. It was Bison’s 3^rd power play goal of the game.

On 52 minutes an opprobrious fracas of the most shameful variety took place. Following an unsporting hit from behind by Smittal on Liam Chong, Chris Wiggins sought to seek vigilante revenge on Skene. The officials allowed the confrontation to proceed no further than handbags and then promptly dished out a 2 + 2 for charging and roughing to Wiggins, a 2 cross checking to Smittal and a 2 roughing to Skene. I have to say it didn’t look very “rough” to me – just a bit of pushing and shoving.

Moments later Slovak cannon, Marcel Petran, fired in another unstoppable trademark slapshot, this one from the point. I say unstoppable, but it wasn’t really. In fact it proved very stoppable, albeit in a most unconventional fashion. The puck crashed into Ambler’s mask and sent it spinning from his head. It doesn’t matter how you stop ‘em I suppose.

Bison then went belly up on the discipline front from with Reynolds, Petran and Volrab all ending up in stir for three separate infractions committed within a 40 second period. However, they very nearly scored a short short handed goal in the ensuing 5 on 3 with Moria skating clear and hammering in a long range shot which Ambler blocked. It seemed unlikely, especially to the glass half empty Bison fans, that their 3 could survive against the Bees’ 5 and so it proved with Rob Lamey finishing a smart move from Thompson and Galazzi for 6-4. With just under 3 minutes left on the clock and still short handed was it too preposterous to suggest that Bison could throw away their 2 goal lead? Some may have thought so I am sure, but Bison proved stalwart in defense, Alamo style - the difference being that they weren’t all killed like Davey Crockett and his companions. And much to the chagrin of the travelling Bees support, Bison cemented the victory with a short handed goal from Joe Miller to make it 7-4. Moria set free Miller, who broke forward, deked and scored off his backhand to complete his hat-trick with only one minute left on the clock. It was Steve’s 4^th point of the game – 2 goals and 2 assists. Well done to him and all the team. Without wishing to sound disrespectful to the Bees, these are the sort of home ice games which Bison should be winning, but which have proved problematical on past occasions.