It's been no secret that coach Richie Hargreaves has been unhappy with his team's performances so far this season. Despite opening the scoring against the Swindon Wildcats Ice Hockey Team inside two minutes, this game quickly went no better than their previous five winles...s games and the team found themselves 4-1 down at half-distance.
But, Bristol found the resolve to tie the game at 5-apiece by the end of the second and took a 6-5 lead into the dying seconds of the game only to see Swindon's captain, Loris Taylor, tie it all up with 42 seconds left to play. It's a result that finally ends Bristol's losing streak. But, one suspects it's a result that neither team find particularly satisfying.
The other draw had a more immediate impact for Bristol. Chelmsford Warriors Ice Hockey Team's 5-5 cup tie at home to the Peterborough Islanders finally ended the long odds hope that Bristol had of qualifying for the Cup Finals Weekend.
Chelmsford led the game 1-0, 2-1, 4-2 and 5-4, but each time, Islanders forced themselves back to level terms. Adrian Woodyard's 2+1 made him the top scorer of the game. For Peterborough, Nathan Pollard ended his recent pointless streak by scoring his team's first goal.
Elsewhere, Slough Jets Live carried on with their relentless steamrollering over their opposition with a 9-1 win over the Lee Valley Lions.
Unlike last week, this was essentially a full strength Jets squad. Zoran Kozic returned to the squad with 4+3, as did Alan Green with 2+4. Danny Milton took over in the net again, recording a 17-shot shut-out over the first two periods before letting his younger brother assume the duties for the third period. Joe Berry finished the night's scoring by beating Joshua Milton with two minutes left in the game.
On Sunday, the Basingstoke Buffalo went one step closer to qualifying for the Cup Finals Weekend with a 10-4 win at the Wightlink Tigers. Buffalo now only need a draw in their game against the Haringey Racers in February to finish the job off.
Tigers actually led the game early in the second period, but Basingstoke simply blew them away with an outstanding second-half performance. A hat-trick by Matt Lawday and a six-point performance by Dan Lackey doing most of the damage.
Report by Graham Goodman - Bristol Pitbulls Media Officer
