JAN Kostal will be leading from the front on the ice once again as he prepares for another season as Swindon Wildcats skipper.

Powerhouse forward Kostal has re-signed for his fourth campaign with the Cats and will begin his third year in a row as club captain on Saturday when Guildford Flames visit the Link Centre in their English Premier League opener.

The Czech Republic import is known for his combative approach and he believes he has to set the tone out on the ice if he wants his troops to follow in his footsteps.

“I am very happy that I can be captain again. I want to captain by example and I am looking forward to the new season,” said Kostal.

“I want to play every game hard, that’s my style. I want to be a danger on the ice for the other team’s defence men and I want to fight for the team until the last second of the game, that’s my job.

“I am sure we have a good team. The signings we have made over the summer are good and I am sure it will be a successful season. We have good personalities in the guys and I think if everybody plays as one, everything will be okay.”

With EPL teams having just pre-season results to analyse so far, it is difficult to gauge which sides will be fighting it out for honours this term.

However, Kostal does not think it will take long for the cream to rise to the top and just hopes his Cats are one of those in the thick of the action at the right end of the table.

“It is difficult to say what we are capable of right now but when we play every evening, whether we win or lose, it is important that we have a good feeling from the game,” said Kostal.

“When we play hard every evening we will be successful. I can’t say if we will be first or fourth but I think when we play like one man on the ice, we can be successful.

“It’s hard to say who the strongest teams are at the beginning of the season, maybe after a few games we will see how strong the other teams are.

“After a couple of games we should know who will be in the first half (of the table) and who will be in the second half down. After a couple of games, we will see the power of the other teams.”

The Cats finished their pre-season challenge matches with a 4-3 defeat at reigning EPL champions Basingstoke Bison last night.

Tomasz Malasinski returned from international duty to score twice either side of a Petr Polodna strike to give Swindon a second period lead.

However, two goals fromVanya Antonov and an effort from Shaun Thompson put the hosts in a commanding position.

Lee Richardson's late strike with just three minutes on the clock wasn’t enough to prevent Swindon falling to their second defeat of pre-season.