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Ben Callaghan: Stevie's Back and the Four Point Weekend is Ticked Off
IT'S been a turbulent couple of weeks for Swindon Wildcats. A period which initially seemed like doom and gloom has resulted in the return of Stevie Lyle and the first maximum points weekend of the campaign ticked off. Total Sport columnist Ben Callaghan offers his thoughts...
What a difference a week makes again in the world of Swindon Wildcats ice hockey. Aaron Nell’s first few days in charge were to be a challenge. A stunning demolition of Guildford at the Link would be followed up by a tough loss to the Bison.
Week two for Nell would however prove to be a much better week. On Thursday lunchtime the club announced the swift return of Stevie Lyle as a player only. This news massively boosted the Cats. For all the criticism that has been made of the way the club handled the change of coach, they should be commended for getting Lyle back between the pipes as quickly as they did.
Stevie was set against playing but I’m sure there were compromises on both sides, which have now massively boosted the Cats. Stevie Lyle is the best British netminder in the EPL. He can win you games on his own back and not many Brits come with such pedigree. I’ve heard the phrase ‘let down his team mates’ brandished by a few fans recently, but I’d guarantee none of the guys feel let down by Stevie for what he did. He’s bailed the guys out on many occasions in the past and the rest of the team will know what a fully motivated Lyle can bring to the table.
The players’ reaction would have been excitement rather than anger. I’m sure a few jokes were made but water is well under the bridge now. We’ve got our Stevie back and what a returning weekend he and the team had.
They’d been craving the first four-point weekend of the season and going up against the top two sides in the EPL no-one really gave them much of a chance. The Wildcats proved the doubters wrong yet again, and they never cease to surprise us.
A 4-0 lead in MK was always going to be enough to win the two points. I’ve always maintained, if you win two periods of hockey a night you’re more than likely going to win hockey matches. On Saturday Swindon did this, and despite an MK comeback to make it 4-3, they remained in control and got the win against the league leaders.
Sunday was always going to be tough. Basingstoke have a very obvious game plan of crashing the net and following everything up in front. It may not be pretty, but it works. Bar the second period on Saturday I thought Swindon coped well enough to deal with whatever the Bison threw at them.
It was gutting to concede the goal with 16 seconds on the clock but ultimately it is something the team can learn from – and still they got the all important win with a beautiful Jonas Höög goal in sudden death overtime. Clutch hockey at its best. Hopefully this is a sign that the old Jonas Höög is getting back to match fitness. When he does, he’s going to be a really big threat for the Cats as we all know he can be.
This weekend is just the single game for the Cats. MK at home will be tough and they’ll want to bounce back, but a rejuvenated Swindon with the monkey off its back could be a very dangerous team. Don’t forget, its Kids Go Free so why not bring the whole family down for Sunday’s match. It really should be a cracker.
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