6:30am Monday 8th March 2010
SWINDON Wildcats player-coach Ryan Aldridge is adamant his side can secure the final English Premier League play-off spot.
Aldridge was delighted with the overall weekend performance of his Cats team after they thumped eighth-placed Bracknell Bees 8-0 on Saturday before falling foul to ill luck in last night’s 5-2 away defeat to Slough Jets.
“We know that play-off spot is still within our grasp,” said Aldridge.
“We know it’s possible and we will give everything to get it until it is mathematically impossible.”
Cats took the lead twice on away ice at Slough, only to see umpiring decisions go against them and the rub of the green run in favour of the home side.
Raimonds Danilics opened the scoring for the visitors on 15.31, and Cats held the lead until the opening break.
After the first interval, with Jason Cassells serving a slashing penalty, Swindon thought they had doubled their lead short-handed, only to see Lee Richardson’s apparently good goal ruled out.
Slough capitalised on the incident and equalised through Slava Koulikov on 29.34.
Cassells restored Cats’ lead, when Danilics’ parried shot fell to the Canadian, who poked home from close range on 31.20.
Former Wildcat Keiran Long frustrated his old team, levelling for Slough on 34.51 after good combination play with Koulikov, and Vlad Emersic gave Jets the lead for the first time on 46.50, before cruel misfortune struck to extend Slough’s advantage.
An innocuous shot deflected off defenceman Joe Baird’s skates and beyond Chris Douglas on 54.32 to put paid to Cats’ hopes.
And Koulikov rounded off the scoring, catching Cats on the stretch to fire past Douglas on 58.39.
Aldridge was pleased with his side’s display, saying: “We have played well all weekend, and we managed two huge points against Bracknell.
“It was a high for everyone, we have had a great weekend of hockey. Now we just need to keep the momentum up for the rest of the season.”
On Saturday night, a four-goal first period blitz sent the Link Centre outfit on their way to an emphatic victory, and their first shutout of the season, against Bracknell in front of a raucous home crowd.
Jozef Kohut rounded Carl Ambler for the opening goal at 8.24 and youngster Sam Bullas doubled the lead from close range 37 seconds later.
Kohut hit the post on the powerplay before Aaron Nell powered down the middle from deep to make it 3-0 at 13.42.
Bracknell’s Ambler was taken off in favour of Adam Marashi soon after, but the replacement gloveman was a mere spectator minutes in when Nell’s shot hit post and bar.
The Wildcats forward got his second at 16.44 when he was sent clear by Raimonds Danilics, and slammed past Marashi to make it 4-0.
Even being short-handed did nothing to stop the flow of Swindon goals at the start of the second period, as the hosts ran riot.
This time it was Lee Richardson who found the net on the break, with not a Bracknell shirt in sight.
Gareth Endicott’s pass allowed Jason Cassells to add a sixth at 24:37 and the Bees’ misery was compounded 12 minutes later as they had a seemingly legitimate goal ruled out.
Jan Krajicek then made a mug of Marashi as he ground to a halt when one-on-one, before beating him with the aid of some fast stick work.
Nell completed the scoring in the final period as he returned to the ice following a penalty, and having received a pass from Kohut barely a second later, skated unchallenged towards the Bracknell goal and rounded Marashi with ease.
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