SWINDON Wildcats marked their league debut with a complete performance as they won 4-0 at home to Invicta Dynamos. 

Swindon were handed a double boost for their first league game of the 2018/19 season as Renny Marr slotted back in between the pipes after serving his suspension.

Sam Bullas was also available after he missed Swindon’s win over Telford Tigers last Saturday. 

The first period was far from a classic 20 minutes of hockey, especially given how ruthless Aaron Nell’s troops were against the Tigers last week.

Marr was the first netminder called into action when he caught Callum Best’s effort as Swindon began to assert themselves on the game.

Without breaking the deadlock in the first 20 minutes, Swindon had a couple of chances where they could have opened the scoring.

Chris Jones and Floyd Taylor both had shots at goal, but neither could find a way past the visiting netminder, who represented a very resolute opposition.

As the period wore on, the Dynamos began to look a little jaded which opened the door for Swindon to take the lead in the second period.

Adam Harding started the second period in the sin bin after being found guilt of a late check, however, Swindon survived the resulting powerplay and began to push for the first goal of the night.

Invicta looked like they were bound to score, Matt Ford hit his shot hard and on target, only for Marr to fling himself across the net to save.

In the 26th minute, Swindon got back into the game and into the lead as Aaron Nell found the target from a tight angle to hand them a 1-0 lead.

Nell’s side were hoping to push home their advantage and almost did when Sam Godfrey saw his shot saved by Adam Long.

However, the netminder pushed the puck into the path of Adam Harding, only for the Welshman to miss the target.

The game turned into a scrappy affair in the second period, but Swindon were able to give themselves a two-goal lead when Sam Bullas finished a swift move timed at 36:51.

Two quickly became three for the Cats as they capitalised on a wobbly couple of moments for the away side, this time Floyd Taylor found the back of the net with the clock reading 37:35.

After their clinical end to the first period, the Cats were dealt a blow when Chris Jones was handed a five plus game penalty for high-sticking.

The third period was nothing more than a formality for the Wildcats as they secured their first league win of the season.

Jan Kostal ensured the points stayed in Wiltshire where he added Swindon's fourth with 28 seconds remaining. Swindon return to action tomorrow night, where they will look to make it a four-point weekend with a victory in the reverse fixture.