BASINGSTOKE BISON coach Charlie Colon was left shell-shocked after seeing his side lose out 3-2 in a penalty shoot out in the Findus Challenge Cup semi-final against Coventry Blaze on Saturday in Nottingham. The disappointment was plain for all to see as his side came so close to beating the Blaze for the first time this season. The Bison raced into a 3-0 lead with just 19 minutes remaining after goals from Derek Higdon, Dru Burgess and Richard Little. Having already suffered two league defeats against Coventry, the odds were against the Wella-backed side. But with a place in the final beckoning Colon's side, the Blaze engineered an astonishing comeback to make defeat an even more bitter pill to swallow for the watching Bison contingent. Claude Dumas broke Robert Schistad's shut out to inspire the Blaze before a Stephen Cooper 54th minute strike made it 3-2. It was then left to former Bison Mike Shewan to equalise before the crushing 3-2 penalty defeat, Blaze captain Steve Chartrand scoring with the final shot to book the Blaze's final against Fife Flyers. Canadian forward Mike Ellis was unable to recover from injury and Rob Lamey was cup-tied following his spell with Guildford earlier in the season, something the club did not find out about until late Thursday evening. But it did not seem to affect the Bison until they contrived to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. A hugely disappointed Charlie Colon said: "It is a real heartache losing this way, but I can't fault my guys. They gave 100 per cent. "It is never over until the fat lady sings and they kept coming at us until the final whistle. "Many teams would have given up at 3-0 but not Coventry." Assistant coach and injured captain Mike Ellis said: "It is so easy as a player to think you have won the game at 3-0 and it makes it even more frustrating for me not being able to go out there and help the guys." Paul Thompson, the Coventry coach, still could not believe his team's fortune when he said: "I can't believe it. I was beginning to think we were never going to score, but luckily for me my team are not quitters."