Swindon Wildcats' Successful Winning Weekend in Review

The days of Daryl Lipsey, Bryan Larkin, Lee Elliott and Ian Woodward will live long in the memories for many linked to the Swindon Wildcats after their Autumn Trophy win against the Milton Keynes Kings in Sheffield back in November 1991.

On Friday 16th March 2018, the class of 17-18 wrote their names in folklore too. Aaron Nell, Sam Bullas, Stevie Whitfield and Jan Kostal, to name just four, have become the heroes of tomorrow. The game on Friday with Basingstoke will live long in the memory for the 1403 fans who attended the game. After Sam Bullas and Phil Hill gave the Cats a 4-goal aggregate lead at the end of the opening period, the fans began to believe.

It wasn’t until Head Coach Aaron Nell secured a 4-2 win, and 7-3 on aggregate, with an empty net goal that the Better Link Centre truly believed they would be lifting a trophy for the first time in 27 years.

The celebrations, usually long lived, came to a premature end shortly after leaving the ice. The team knew the weekend’s work was not done. The Saturday was the start of the NIHL Britton Playoffs. Jeremy Cornish and his hard-working Streatham side were the opponents in the Quarter Final and it would be no easy contest for the Wildcats.

A 2-0 win in South London on Saturday saw us return to Swindon with one game left, to make a fantastic weekend a perfect one. Alarm bells rang slightly when Streatham reduced the aggregate score to one, but third period goals, from Swindon’s two most prominent locals Aaron Nell and Sam Bullas, ensured the Wildcats place in next weekend’s Semi-Finals.

Another two-legged fixture awaits against the Peterborough Phantoms this coming weekend, two very tough fixtures but two that have a prize of a place in the Playoff Finals that will take place the following weekend of the 31st March/1st April if all goes well for the Cats.

Tickets for the game with Peterborough are on sale NOW at Wildcat Sports or visit www.swindonwildcats.cloudvenue.co.uk – The game is this Saturday in a 6:15PM face-off! Be there and cheer on the boys as the NIHL Playoffs Continue!