Featured in the paper every Thursday, Bracknell Bees head coach Doug Sheppard gives his latest views on Bracknell’s season on and off the ice in an exclusive column.
LAST WEEKEND we had the unusual treat of two home games.
First we entertained Peterborough, the league leaders. Games between our two teams have been high-scoring, reflecting the high level of skill of the players.
We expected goals. What we didn’t expect in a 10-goal game was that the Bees would score eight of them.
Tyler VanKleef scored in the first few minutes. From that point on the team played its best hockey of the season. The offence finished clinically. The defence, with Danny Milton in goal and captain Joe Baird back on the ice, frustrated the opposition, even in the third period when they raised their game.
During an interval, we were treated to a beautiful display of dancing by Sophie. Thank you.
Everyone was looking forward to Sunday’s game against local rivals, Basingstoke Bison. We’d lost on their ice by 6-2. What we didn’t expect was another eight-goal game, with Bison scoring six times.
This time we found ourselves three down after 10 minutes. From that point on the team had to dig deep against a confident team.
On Saturday, the fans showed their appreciation of the high level of hockey being played. On Sunday, the players appreciated the sustained support of the fans.
We’ve just got one game, away, this weekend. There’ll be time to draw breath, knowing that the semi-finals of the cup are just two weeks away.
What do we take away from our weekend? Expect the unexpected!
