BRACKNELL Bees maintained their 100 per cent English Premier Ice Hockey League home record with a 4-1 victory against rivals Basingstoke Bison on Sunday.

The hosts made a dream start as with little more than three minutes on the clock they took the lead through Frantisek Bakrlik.

The game became an entertaining end-to-end affair, but Bees moved further ahead when player-coach Lukas Smital made it 2-0 in the 10th minute, with the assist going to Frantisek Bakrlik.

Bison lost Alan Lack to a two-minute minor for holding at 11:38, but his side survived the powerplay, and it was Bees’ Lewis Turner who was then handed two minutes for hooking.

However, the Bees stood firm and saw it off with ease and survived the remainder of the period with their two goal lead intact.

The visitors got into the contest eight minutes into the second stanza when Ciaran Long danced his way past the Bees defence and caught netminder Alex Mettam off guard, the assist going to former Bee Ryan Watt and Stuart Mogg.

A series of penalties went against both sides, but the Bees regained their two-goal cushion with a little under two and half minutes left in the second period as Milan Kostourek netted the Bees third goal of the evening with the assists going to Vanya Antonov and Matt Towalski.

Jan Bendik received a two minute minor for tripping with only 23 seconds of the third period on the clock, but the Bees penalty kill unit managed to see off the danger once more.

The hosts soon had an advantage themselves as the Bison’s JJ Pitchley was handed a minor penalty at 43:08 for holding and Bracknell scored their fourth goal of the night with a little under 14 minutes remaining in the game, courtesy of Towalski, aided by Kostourek and Antonov.

The Bees were clearly now on a high but had to stay focused as the Bison called a late time-out and were then handed another power play opportunity as Frantisek Bakrlik was handed two minutes for roughing at 52:51.

Basingstoke dug deep in search of a late goal, but it wasn’t to be as the Bees defended well and the penalty expired.

The final few minutes passed with the Bison having a few good chances but thanks some excellent work from man-of-the-match Mettam they didn’t succeed in managing to narrow the score line.

Bracknell had less success the previous evening as they slipped to a 3-0 reverse at EPIHL Playoff champions Peterborough Phantoms.

Goals from Darius Pliskauskas and Jason Buckman put the home side 2-0 to the good at the end of the first period, and a Marc Levers strike in the final stanza completed a convincing success for the Phantoms.

Josh Tetlow picked up the man-of-the-match award for the Bees.

Bracknell Bees are home to Manchester Phoenix on Saturday at 6pm, before travelling to Telford Tigers on Sunday at 5.30pm.