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Flames stage late comeback
The Basingstoke Bison scored less than 30 seconds into the game, but an ending at Spectrum that would make a Hollywood screenwriter blush saw 3 unanswered goals in less than 5 minutes, including the overtime winner by Milos Melicherik, to help the Flames overcome a late 2 goal deficit to convert a sure loss into a win. The win, in combination with the 6-4 road success from 24 hours earlier in Slough moved the Flames winning string to 7 games.
After the Bison opener by Mindaugas Kieras, the home team got it back when Martin Masa finished a 3 way passing play by taking a feed just off the side of the net before floating around Dean Skinns to slide a backhand into an empty basket. Unfortunately for the home support, the Bison took the advantage again shortly thereafter when Ollie Bronnimann converted a 2 on 1 with the last goal of the period at 6:54. Near the game’s midway mark, a Lukas Smital strike levelled the score before the Czech winger gave the Flames their first lead of the night less than 60 seconds later; a lead they held into the final stanza. At 42:07 Chris Wiggins pulled the travellers back on level terms and Ben Davies put them in front again 18 seconds after that. Jez Lundin tapped home a Smital pass to pull the game even again at 49:51, but goals by Steve Moria and Ondrej Lauko in the 53rd and 57th minutes, respectively, offered the Bison a healthy lead with little time on the clock. Cue the recovery: Masa made good on a perfect David Savage pass at 57:38. Mark Lee was removed from the Flames net in favour of an extra attacker, which turned out to be Smital who then completed his hat trick less than 90 seconds after Masa’s goal to force the extra session where Melicherik’s overtime heroics at 62:25 finalised the unlikely conclusion.
After the cup semi final between the Flames and Slough Jets on Wednesday, the pair of sides were assigned to each other again just a few days later later in Slough for a league outing in which the travellers paid little mind to a 1-0 deficit just 19 seconds into the contest to eventually secure a 6-4 win. 37 saves by Lee and 9 points between Melicherik, Nathan Rempel and David Longstaff, who collected his first hat trick with the club, highlighted the game record. After the quick opener by Adam Calder, Longstaff equalised about 12 minutes later as the sides finished the period on level terms. Less than a minute into the next frame, another quick Jets goal, this time by Joe Greener, put his side ahead, but Matt Towe pulled it even again at 27:57 to pave the way for another Longstaff marker inside the session’s final 5 minutes as Spectrum’s team held the lead with a period to play. Just over 2 minutes beyond the final re-start Darius Pliskauskas brought the Jets level, but for the last time. At 55:47 Longstaff collected his 3rd to put the Flames in front for good before Smital added the eventual winner 59 seconds after that. Just 44 seconds from time, the Jets pulled one back to prompt removal of Gregg Rockman from their net in favour of an extra skater but Jez Lundin foiled the strategy when he scored on the empty cage to nail down the result.
Paul Dixon looked back at the weekend:
“We are certainly pleased to be on a bit of a run now and feeling confident each night out. I think our confidence showed most while we were trailing late against Basingstoke to continue to believe we could win and actually pull it off. Obviously there is some luck involved in engineering that kind of dramatic finish but if you give up before the clock winds down, which is what sometimes happens when things are not going your way, there is no chance to make something happen. From that perspective there was a lot to be happy about. Having said that, our overall performance against Basingstoke was not something with which to be particularly enamoured. We were very sloppy defensively and made some major errors that cost us countless outnumbered situations in the neutral zone, resulting in far too many quality chances for a Bison team who can score with the best in the league. I am sure the Bison feel a bit the same way about their own performance so we were fortunate that we just did a bit more to get the win. On Saturday we put in a much better performance. I thought we played with more intensity and we did a better job of limiting their opportunities and getting, again, some timely late scoring, only this time in control as the game timed out.”
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| 12th March 2006 19:00 | ||
5-3 |
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4-5 |
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1-4 |
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4-4 |
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| 11th March 2006 19:00 | ||
2-4 |
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5-8 |
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| 19th March 2006 19:00 | ||
5-1 |
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4-1 |
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5-2 |
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| 19th March 2006 19:00 | ||
3-7 |
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| 19th March 2006 19:00 | ||
1-1 |
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| 19th March 2006 19:00 | ||
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- Campbell and Flames agree terms
- Flames re-sign David Savage
- Longstaff stays with Flames
- Flames re-sign Curtis Huppe
- Towe departs Flames
