SWINDON Wildcats had their claws blunted as they slipped to a disappointing defeat at Sheffield Steeldogs this evening.

A combination of below-par finishing and the form of Sheffield’s import netminder Dalibor Sedlar ensured that Stevie Lyle’s men left South Yorkshire full of frustration in the wake of their second reverse of the new season.

Wildcats were made to enter the ice to the theme tune of the Benny Hill Show but their efforts to prove that they’re no joke suffered an early setback as the hosts took the lead.

Tom Squires embarked on a jinking run with just under four minutes gone and cut the puck back for Arnoldas Bosas to gleefully slam home the opening goal of the evening.

When the visitors earned their first power play of the evening, Sami Ryhanen blasted an effort down the throat of netminder Sedlar whilst the Sheffield goalie was forced to beat away a powerful strike from Aaron Nell.

Neil Liddiard also cracked one against the frame of the goal but a man advantage couldn’t inspire Swindon back to level terms.

However, just moments after it was five-on-five again, the visitors did get their equaliser as Sedlar could only beat away a shot from Toms Rutkis, allowing birthday boy Sam Bullas to knock home the rebound with ease.

That joy was short-lived however as the Steeldgos broke on the counter and after the puck slid kindly for Stanislav Lascek, the Sheffield man smartly squared into the path of Bosas, who slammed home his and his team’s second of the match to make it 2-1.

In the second period, Rutkis, Tomasz Malasinki and Sami Ryhanen all threatened as the visitors searched for a way back into the game but up the other end, Lyle was forced to pull off a vital reaction save to prevent Lubomir Korhon sneaking a shot in at the far post.

However, Swindon were seemingly struggling to swing the pendulum back in their favour and breaking down the resilient Steeldogs was proving a difficult task.

The hosts’ Bosas came close to grabbing his hat-trick as he arrived late but a combination of Wildcats men somehow diverted his strike away from the net.

The Wildcats were let off again when Andrew Hirst reacted quickest to a pinballing puck but the Sheffield man fired wide of an unguarded net to leave home fans with their heads in their hands.

After being cross-checked by Ashley Calvert, Bullas shoved over his opponent and the pair dropped gloves before exchanging blows but even that tussle failed to really spark the visitors into action, with Matt Selby’s having a rare strike on goal but drawing a comfortable save from Sedlar.

However, Nell did draw another great stop from Sheffield’s Czech goalie late in the period but the home side maintained their advantage as the two teams played out a mid-match goalless stalemate.

But a molehill soon became a mountain for Swindon to climb as the home side made it 3-1 early in the third and final period, with a host of black shirts swarming the Wildcats goal before forcing the puck over the line from point-blank range, Lascek wheeling away in celebration as he claimed the final touch.

Ben Morgan almost got himself on the scoresheet as he fired just wide and a sublime double-save from Lyle prevented the home side adding their tally moments later but all of the visitors’ fortune was coming in front of their own goal as they continued to toil in attack.

Malasinski did tee up Jan Kostal but Sedlar’s impressive evening continued as he kept out the Swindon skipper’s driven attempt before Calvert found himself with time and space to take aim at the Wildcats goal but Lyle stayed big and pulled off a smart stop of his own.

Sedlar wasn’t done turning on the style and his excellent catch to pluck a Nell strike out of the air provided another moment of frustration for the away side as the clock ticked down toward the final buzzer.

After failing to get on the end of Harvey Stead’s knock forward, Nell displayed his dismay, and that of his beaten team-mates, by smacking his stick against the glass in annoyance.