Is Chris the key for Cats? (From Swindon Advertiser)

Is Chris the key for Cats?

8:30am Monday 8th February 2010 in

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SWINDON Wildcats came from behind to earn a sought-after point on away ice at MK Lightning on Saturday following a determined and dogged display which belied their lowly position in the league table.

After watching his squad take their league-leading hosts into overtime, before succumbing to an Andre Smulter strike just 30 seconds into the added period, player-coach Ryan Aldridge was gushing with praise for his roster.

“It was a huge point for us,” he told the Advertiser.

“To go and take a point off Milton Keynes in their own building is massive, and that has been difficult for any team to do this year.

“But to do it coming back from behind as well is great, and we have to take away the plusses from the game.”

After a goalless first period, during which netminder Chris Douglas was called into action as early as the third minute when he kept out Kalgoun’s effort, Swindon fell behind midway through the second.

Former Wildcat Adam Brittle netted on 30:15 with his side on the powerplay to send his current club into the second break with the advantage.

But Cats refused to surrender, and despite being reduced in numbers with Joe Baird serving a major penalty, Jozef Kohut levelled affairs on 55:04.

Kohut’s shot from the point beat Lightning netminder Hollyhead to send the game beyond the allocated 60 minutes, leaving Aldridge beaming.

“We didn’t give up and just kept on battling,” he said.

“We even had the better goalscoring chances, we just didn’t put them away.”

The Cats player-coach recognised that his side’s recent change of fortunes on the ice have coincided with a change in attitude off it.

“There is a different atmosphere in the locker room now,” he said.

“In the last two or three weeks the guys have been playing with confidence in the offence and the whole feeling around the club is completely different.

“I was speaking with some of the Milton Keynes team and they said that, on paper, we are very strong but we have just not been playing together.

“But now we’ve started putting together solid performances against the top teams.”

Whether or not the Wildcats’ improvement has its foundations in the arrival of netminder Douglas is debatable, but Aldridge sounded out the veteran shot-stopper for his work since resuming duties for the Link Centre side.

“Chris has been making big saves at the right times,” he said.

“He did it again against Milton Keynes, and his saves allow the offensive line to have their own chances.”

Aldridge’s troops have pulled themselves back into play-off contention courtesy of their recent form, and the player-coach is confident they can continue the run through to the season’s conclusion.

“We’ve got seven massive games coming up, and they are the biggest of our season,” he said.

“With how we’ve been playing there’s no reason why we can’t keep going.”