LUKAS Smital has promised the Bracknell Bees will give a much better performance against Manchester Phoenix in their EPIHL fixture at the Hive this Sunday than they did when the same two sides met last weekend, writes Dave Wright.

They played them twice in Red Hockey Challenge Cup, losing 6-2 at home on Saturday and 4-0 in Deeside 24 hours later.

“It was a nothing game,” said player-coach Smital after the home defeat. “We just played; there was no pressure. We have had a hard season and we now have a short bench. 

“But from now on all games are in the league, so we are playing for points and we are trying to catch. It will be an absolutely different story next Sunday – I can guarantee that.”

Smital took the opportunity to rest ace netminder Alex Mettam last Saturday and give his own 16-year-old son, Matt, his first start between the pipes.
“He made some brilliant saves; he kept us in the game for a long time,” said Lukas.

Thanks to Matt’s brilliance, Bees even led 1-0 at the end of the first period and there were more than 30 minutes on the clock before the game turned, with Phoenix scoring two unanswered goals before the end of the second period and winning the final stanza 4-1.