IT has taken a long time in coming, but Bracknell Bees have finally achieved their first four-point weekend of the season, writes Dave Wright.
And, more remarkably, the win-double came at the expense of NIHL Division One leaders Telford Tigers.
The brilliant Bees claimed the home match 5-3 on Saturday before winning Sunday's return 3-2 thanks to an overtime goal from Dominik Gabaj.
Having defeated second-placed Swindon Wildcats 3-2 a week earlier, it is also the first time for more than a year Bees have won three matches in a row.
These results against the top sides underlines head coach Doug Sheppard's claim that 'if we put together a 60-minute performance, we can beat any team in the league.'
Sheppard will be hoping for something similar this coming weekend when they face two crucial fixtures with the Raiders.
Bees have leapfrogged the Romford side into eighth place, going a point ahead of their rivals and another four-point return this coming weekend would considerably boost their chances of making the play-offs.
Both clubs have to meet each other four times in their remaining 10 league fixtures.
Last Saturday, the first period failed to produce a goal despite a combined total of 19 shots, but it took just over two minutes of the second to get the scoreboard ticking over with Bees' Josh Smith scoring a powerplay goal.
Josh Ealey-Newman netted at 24.18 to double the advantage before Ricky Plant opened Telford's account at 36.10.
Within a minute, Roman Malinik netted Bees' third, only for Jack Watkins to quickly reply for the visitors and a short-handed goal from Adam Taylor at 41.25 saw the teams level at 3-3.
The game could have gone either way, but Bees were more clinical with their finishing and Smith (43.15) and James Gallazi (PP at 47.54) saw Bees secure a deserved win on a night when they out-shot their visitors by a 33-25 margin.
That statistic swung 41-27 into Telford's favour on Sunday, but Bees netminder Adam Goss turned in another top performance.
It was the home team on the board first when Jason Silverthorn scored a powerplay goal at 14.50.
Gabaj equalised at 18.12, only for Silverthorn to restore Tigers' lead at 19.06.
A goalless second period set up a tense third period, which saw Harvey Stead (47.52) bring the scores level on the powerplay.
By this stage, both sides had seen a player sent from the ice, with Telford's Tom McKinnon (checking from behind) and Bees' Josh Martin (fighting) both penalised.
Bees came under pressure late in the game, but they defended well to take the game into overtime.
Goss continued to keep Bees in the hunt with a number of good saves before Gabaj, voted his side's man-of-the-match, netted the winner at 63.02, his 28th goal in 26 appearances.
It was Telford's fifth successive defeat, three of them at home, and their lead at the top of the table is now down to two points ahead of their trip to second-placed Swindon this weekend.
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