Swindon Wildcats earned themselves a second victory in as many outings, after defeating the travelling Sheffield Steeldogs in an eventual 5-4 fixture.

An ever competitive line up between the two sides soon bought about its first goal and one that came from the hands of the visitors.

Some close play on the Swindon net would lead British forward Tom Squires to find the Steeldogs first and beat netminder Stevie Lyle in the process.

However the ‘Cats soon found a response, after Aaron Nell was to be found by import Jan Kostal and led Nell to tuck the puck past Dalibor Sedlar from close range.

A penalty ridden end to period kept the teams at a 1-1 score however after the restart for the second period, Swindon soon found that next defining goal. Some good team chemistry between the home sides’ Ollie Betteridge and Henri Sandvik would see the two attack the Sheffield half, before the Finn would finish in fine form and hand the Wildcats the lead.
A surge in pressure by the hosts would test the ‘Dogs and at the half way stage, the ‘Cats would strike once more. This time with Aaron Nell turning his hand to assisting a goal and set up import Jonas Hoog for a wristshot finish.
The drop of the next puck then pushed the play into the Sheffield end once more, before the home sides’ Lee Richardson would strike from the blue line and consequently find the net for a 4-1 game.
Despite several minutes of in-form play the ‘Cats would then concede moments later, as the Steeldogs’ Lubomir Korhon would prove why he carries an import role with a well placed effort past the body of Stevie Lyle between the pipes.

Despite the goal Swindon would close out the period on top and stand just 20 minutes away from a 2 point home victory for the night’s contest. This momentum soon came to fruition as the third period opened and Adam Harding would display an impressive individual effort before netting the ‘Cats fifth. This was before Lee Haywood would then reply at the other end just minutes later, courtesy of a pin point from previous scorer Korhon.
A 5-3 scoreline drew the game into the final minutes and with the travelling side looking for goals, the netminder was pulled to the bench. The extra attacker would prove vital and give Korhon his second goal through a screened wristshot. However with time on their side and some good defensive work, the home side would hold out from here and consequently earn themselves a 5-4 win on home ice.

An important 2 point victory now leaves Swindon 5^th in the EPL table and in reach of climbing the standings once again next weekend. The side will welcome the Manchester Phoenix to the Swindon Ice Arena before then travelling to Peterborough to take on the Phantoms on Sunday.

Final Score: Swindon Wildcats 5 – 4 Sheffield Steeldogs

Man of the Match: SWI – Richardson / SHE – Gibson

With thanks to Scott Gummerson – Press Officer
pressoffice@swindonwildcats.com

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