Buzzer report: Swindon Wildcats 1 Peterborough Phantoms 0

A resolute Swindon Wildcats side dug in to register a 1-0 victory over Peterborough Phantoms, confirming an incredible four point weekend against opposition each at the top of the table.

As part two of their double header of away fixtures on the road, Swindon Wildcats arrived in Peterborough, looking to make amends from a 6-1 defeat upon the same ice earlier in the season.

Fresh off the back of a penalty shots win against MK Lightning the day previous, it would perhaps have been understandable for Swindon to begin the match in sluggish fashion. On the contrary, Cats began brightly, gauging the tempo of their opponents in the opening moments.

Phantoms looked to assert their authority immediately, but could only test Stevie Lyle from distance. First, Lloyd Gibson would be denied by the Welsh netminder, before his team mate Marc Levers also saw his efforts come to nothing.

As a passage of resolute Wildcats defending caught Phantoms on the back foot, high up the ice, Swindon immediately looked to capitalise. Jonas Hoog took the puck from out on the right and tested Janis Auzins with a flick of the wrist.

The Phantoms’ keeper saved the original effort, but the rebound fell to the potent Tomasz Malasinski, who generously played in head coach Aaron Nell to tuck away the first goal of the evening.

With their feathers ruffled, Phantoms upped the pace. Wildcats managed to keep their hosts at bay, and were afforded a brief break as play was stopped, as a stray puck to the face of Scott Robson required traces of blood to be cleared from the ice.

As the period drew to a close, Peterborough opted to add a dash of venom. Wildcats import Carlo Finucci quickly acquainted himself with the ice, as he was sent crashing to the ground by Levers.

As Finucci limped gingerly off the ice, his Wildcats team mates circled like angry sharks, demanding justice for the seemingly illegal move. As a result, it was Swindon who would lose a man, as number 13 Sam Bullas was given a ten minute penalty for personal misconduct in the aftermath.

From this point, the blue touch paper had been lit. Tempers flared as Jonas Hoog was smashed into the boarding by Greg Pick, before moments later Aaron Nell was grappled to the ice by William Weldon in an incident completely off the puck.

The buzzer brought an end to the first period just as the volcano threatened to erupt, with Swindon leaving the ice with a slender 1-0 lead.

The interval saw Nell have a quiet word with a number of his troops, to settle a few nerves and tame tempers. As both sides took to the ice once more, a notable absentee was Finucci, whose injury sustained in the first appeared to have put a premature end to his evening.

The second period, much like the first, saw the puck whir from end to end with hardly a moment to take breath in between. Both sides set up in solid lines, perhaps wary of such a heated tie spilling over into a goal fest.

As play ensued, a greater level of decorum fell upon the tie, though it did not stop big checks going in at every available opportunity.

Phantoms looked to work in import Darius Pliskauskas wherever possible, but the big Lithuanian was denied by Lyle again and again, like a well-polished routine.

At the 35 minute mark play paused as blood again needed to be removed from the surface. Wildcats’ Harvey Stead promptly switched jerseys before patching up a nick sustained in the check. With the source of blood leakage tended to, play resumed.

Both sides continued to go toe-to-toe, but neither would fall. The second buzzer sounded with the score still finely poised at 1-0 to the Cats.

Phantoms took off in the third like a bull in a china shop, looking to press Wildcats whenever possible. Martins Susters found his groove for Phantoms, weaving through the Swindon defence, but failed to find the vital finishing touch.

As the heat notched up, Wildcats began to dig in. A full-stretched dive from Neil Liddiard, at the skates of Edgars Bebris, epitomised the passion with which Wildcats were putting into the performance.

As the minutes ebbed away, a nervous tension spread across the home supporters, Swindon’s victory seemed to be getting closer.

With two minutes left on the clock, Padelek forced a fine save out of Lyle, the rebound requiring Adam Harding to lash clear.

A time-out was called by the Phantoms in the latter seconds. Nell took the opportunity to bark commands at his troops.

The hosts hooked their netminder in favour of the additional man, but it was too late. Wildcats were simply too resolute and, as the full-time buzzer sounded, the travelling fans burst into rapturous applause. An impressive four point away weekend was complete.