Bracknell

Two big squads clashed at the Hive in Bracknell on Sunday night in the Battle of Berkshire with final honours even in one of the most thrilling games seen this season.

At stake was second place in the EPL behind Guildford, and this game certainly did not disappoint the fans from both sides who were entertained to a classic struggle.

The Jets were boosted by three players from their under 19 team who had made their Jets debut on Saturday, although they did not get the chance to play on Sunday, and the Bracknell Bees had four members of their ED 1 side, the Hornets on the bench, though they too saw no ice time, so tight was the game.

The Jets stunned the home crowd after only thirty-one seconds when Joe Ciccarello netted a rebound from Euan Forsyth off netminder, Steve Briere's pads. The lead was short-lived however, as Shaun Thompson scored a good solo goal past Stephen Wall.

Both teams' defences were outstanding with early powerplays being defended and Wall had a degree of luck as a couple of the Bracknell Bees' efforts went just inches wide.

Paddy Ward hit Briere's post and the Bracknell netminder had to make some quality saves before three penalties, in quick succession, gave the Jets a long powerplay with a two man advantage. Despite defending well, Steve Moria put the visitors ahead in the eighteenth minute with a classic powerplay strike.

The Jets defence spent most of the middle period defending their own zone against a determined Bracknell onslaught but Wall, sacked earlier in the season by Bracknell as 'not being good enough' had something to prove and was absolutely outstanding. The home side missed some good chances to level the match and the period ended goalless, the Jets having been outshot in the period by 18 to 8.

The Bracknell Bees must have been disappointed not to at least be level at this stage, and continued in the same vein at the start of the final session.

Mike Ellis whipped in a shot which did beat Wall after only fifty-three seconds had lapsed and Ryan Aldridge hit the metalwork. Slough were again on the defensive for much of the period, at one point defending a two man advantage after a 'too many men' call was followed by a hooking minor against Terry Miles.

Against the odds, the Jets again returned to full strength but then a controversial incident saw Wall make a 'save' on the goal-line. Referee Dave Cloutman went to the goal judge for a decision, and gave the goal

to the Bracknell Bees Mike Ellis. The Jets hit back with time running out for them. A penalty to Adam Greener allowed the Jets to call a 'time-out' and Gary Wishart scored the equaliser on the powerplay from some distance out, set up by Ciccarello.

This set up a frantic end to the match. Stu Simmons was excellent in the back in these final minutes - another player whose season had begun at Bracknell - and the home side called their own 'time-out' at 59.03.

Bracknell fans went wild when they thought that Ellis had scored with six seconds remaining, but Cloutman washed out the goal, scored by being kicked in.

This perhaps righted the 'wrong' that Slough fans felt had been done to them after the Bracknell Bees' third goal.

A tie was good enough to keep the Jets in second place.

icBerkshire ~ Bracknell