THE Bespoke Guardians Swindon Wildcats have announced long-serving defenceman Stevie Whitfield has extended his stay in Wiltshire for another season.

Fresh off the back of a successful testimonial last weekend, Whitfield has signed a contract which sees him take to the ice for an 11th consecutive campaign at the Link Centre.

The Wildcats defenceman has been a mainstay on the club’s roster since the 2011-12 season and has played a crucial role in the successes the team has had in the last few years - most recently the Autumn Cup triumph midway through the most-recent campaign.

The testimonial game last weekend was a brilliant celebration of Whitfield’s time with the club, with former stars Jonas Hoog, Stevie Lyle, and Jan Kostal all stepping back onto the ice to celebrate with their former teammate.

Confirming the news to the Wildcats in-house media team, head coach Aaron Nell was pleased to have such a loyal servant back in Swindon again.

He said: “Bringing Stevie back is crucial for us. With Lidds (Neil Liddiard) retiring there was always going to be some changes on the blue-line, and Stevie will contribute night in night out like he has done since stepping into the senior side.

“The fans absolutely love him, and he’s a huge part of the leadership in the locker-room as well.

“His testimonial was an awesome night, and I was delighted to see so many fans turn out for him the way they did.

“We’re all looking forward to the new season and I know Stevie will be a large part of everything we do in the 22/23 campaign.”

The Wildcats have asked anyone that is interested in sponsoring Whitfield or any other part of the club to email sally.price@swindonwildcats.com.