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Wildcats: Nell's Weekend Assessment
Swindon Wildcats endured a mixed weekend, with a win and a loss leaving them with just two points. A victory on over Manchester Phoenix on Saturday saw Cats continue their recent scintillating form, with Nell notching the 250th goal of his professional career. But a loss on Sunday was to follow, as Cats' first trip to Bracknell in the 15/16 campaign ended in a 4-3 defeat...
Head coach Aaron Nell spoke to Total Sport following both clashes, giving a frank assessment on the fortunes of his side.
As the full-time buzzer came down on Saturday's Manchester Phoenix win, Nell admitted his side were fortunate not to let the lead slip away, after lacking a killer instinct at crucial periods.
"We started a bit slow and then really picked it up for about 40 minutes and the last 10 we just need to get a little bit of that killer instinct," Nell said.
"Maybe in the first 10 minutes of the third period we were playing so well that we took the foot off the gas a little bit," he added.
Nell went on to praise the win, and his side's determination to get the points on the board regardless, but admitted the young Wildcats side still have a lot to learn.
"We let our foot off the gas a little bit tonight and they (Manchester) smelt blood and got right back into it. But a win is a win. We played well enough in those first 50 minutes to be able to let our foot off the gas, but that is still something we're going to work on."
"It is a learning curve for us. We are very young and we are going to be very good in spots and struggle in others."
The Phoenix clash also saw Nell find the back of the goal for the 250th time in professional ice hockey, a landmark he acknowledged but was quick to attribute to the team.
"I've been here a long time and it's always nice to get a landmark goal. But it was good play and it was a big goal for us to get some breathing room."
Turning all attention to Sunday's result, it was a different story following Wildcats' first visit of the season to Bracknell Bees, as another 4-3 scoreline this time did not fall in Swindon's favour.
Commending the work rate, Nell said: "We are disappointed we lost, but we worked hard for 60 minutes and we went all the way to the end."
The Cats' head coach conceded, on the night, the puck simply did not fall his side's way.
"We had a lot of chances and on another night it could have been a different scoreline.
"We didn't quite get the bounces tonight and that happens.
"The first period wasn’t our best period and in the last minute one of the best players in the league scored a great goal and that happens.
“If we got through that first period at 0-0 it might have been a different hockey game.
"We didn’t quite get the bounces in the second or third and had chance after chance but didn’t get the bounces tonight," Nell added.
Swindon Wildcats are back in action on Saturday, November 28, as they face Telford Tigers at the Swindon Ice Arena. Tickets are available to purchase here.
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