Banners On The Road – Swindon Wildcats vs Milton Keynes Lightning

NIHL National Division

Swindon Wildcats 4-2 Milton Keynes Lightning

Wildcats: Bebris, Billing x2, Malasinski

Lightning: Herrman x2 (1pp)

Round 11: Getting to Swindon is usually not too bad but the phrase “M4 closed” is enough to make a monk with a vow of silence shout out an obscenity. After crawling through the back roads of Wiltshire and face-off being delayed, I eventually made it into The Link Centre and breathed a long sigh of relief.

The MK Lightning had arrived not long before myself so were furiously unpacking when I arrived. They were missing a few of the recent absentees such as Dillon Lawrence, James Griffin and Harry Gulliver but the returning Ross Venus was of interest to all. Following on from his ban after his hit on Peterborough’s Duncan Speirs, the Phantoms had put out a press release that day bemoaning the DOPS system and Venus’ sanction for the hit. The bigger question on the ground this evening were how would Venus look and would he make it over the 100 point barrier? Jordan Hedley was rested in favour of Will Kerlin.

Swindon were also a key body down in Aaron Nell, injured during the previous evening’s encounter with Bristol. Renny Marr continued between the pipes for the hosts.

It was Kerlin who was called into action first as the Lightning backstop was called to stone Balint Pakodzi and Swindon pressed on from there. The Wildcats were making more of the running in the early stages, forcing the visitors to soak up the pressure.

Just as the Lightning started turning things back to a more even playing field, they were beaten by a moment of brilliance. With the puck wrapped around the boards behind the Wildcats’ net, Josh Shaw dropped back to collect the puck but was called off by Edgars Bebris. The Latvian born defenceman proceeded to skate through his own zone, then neutral ice then into the Lightning zone. Bebris proceeded to look up and snapped a shot over the shoulder of Kerlin to make it 1-0.

Then everyone blinked and it was 1-1. Luc Johnson had his pocket picked and Rory Herrman raced in and slid it under the puck under Marr’s pads to tie the game.

The two sides started to neutralise each other, both rosters seemingly taking a minute to recalibrate and try again.

However, the Wildcats slowly turn the game back in their favour and another piece of high skill put them back in front. Sam Bullas, thrust onto the top line because of the absence of Nell, won the battle behind the net, fed the puck to Tomasz Malasinski on the half boards who played the pass that only he could play, firing the puck across the seam to Glenn Billing racing it at the back post to give the Wildcats back the lead.

The Lightning responded, increasing their tempo but not finding a way through before the first buzzer sounded. 2-1 felt like a fair score given the balance of play.

The first half of the second period was an even state of affairs. The sides had clearly taken the break to refocus on their systems and try to really establish themselves in the game where the first had arguably been allowed to ebb and flow too much. Billing and Venus hit the iron at their respective ends but ultimately it felt that both sides lacked the killer touch.

A poorly timed and directed hit by Rio Grinnel-Parke to Russ Cowley saw the physicality increase on both sides as the big hits started to fly in as well as some cross words.

Eventually one did too much, Reed Sayers called for slashing just after the halfway mark of the game. The visitors took quick advantage. Ross Venus and Rory Herrman sped into the zone and Venus fired at the net. The puck proceeded to hit the post, hit the other post, hit the back of Marr and drop down. Herrman put his stick into the mix to try and get the puck over the line and was credited with the goal albeit I’m not 100% sure he got the important touch.

Then we blinked and Swindon took the lead back. The hosts pushed off of the ensuing faceoff and again, Billing was given space too close to the goal and fired past Kerlin. The parity had lasted twenty seconds.

The second came to an early conclusion, a hit from Josh Shaw to Ross Green drew blood and with a likely cut of the ice and a clean up needed, Mr Matthews and Mr Pickett decided that 12 seconds of the middle frame could wait. This did provide the amusing site of the respective keepers skating out after the break and not scuffing up the crease to then swap ends and furiously get things to their liking.

The start of the third didn’t really offer lots of out and out chances. The game was in a good spot as Swindon lead and MK knew they had a chance to turn the game but neither side seemed to be able to really push the opposition aside. Both teams were obviously not at full strength but also seemed to be unable to really hit top gear or were holding back that last little bit knowing that the playoffs are drawing nigh and they will face each other.

It had been a game for moments of individual brilliance and the game deciding goal was just that. Sat on 99 points, Tomasz Malasinski decided that if he was bringing up the century then he was going for style points. Billing laid it off for the Polish forward to skate into the zone and rather than taking Archie Salisbury on, used the young defenceman as a screen. Will Kerlin didn’t see the shot till the puck was behind him.

At 4-2 down it didn’t look like the Lightning were coming back from the game and they didn’t. Whilst mathematics meant that the result didn’t matter and MK did have bigger fish to fry, momentum is a funny thing.

This game was many things; a dead rubber, between a cup final, keeping the wheels running, avoiding injuries, trying things out, it felt like the 11^th round of a very close boxing fight where neither fighter is 100% sure who is winning so rather than swinging for the fences, they trust the jab and keep their opponent at bay.

The word I used about Milton Keynes to people on the night was uninspired. The quality was very obviously on show but they didn’t seem to have the “oomph” that we’ve seen from them at times this season. I get why, the Seahawks were and are the obvious focus currently but it would have been a helpful statement to make to push past Swindon on their way.

The Lightning weren’t bad but it felt like they just didn’t get out of third gear at times. There was a lot of industrious work and good performances, Liam Stewart in particular put himself about well at both ends of the ice and Archie Salisbury got stuck in. Rory Herrman is an alarming talent at this level and it’s no surprise why he has so many points. Venus’ return saw him a bit rusty but grow into the game.

Swindon were the better team on balance of the 60 minutes and rightly won the game. Renny Marr seems to be in his groove and defensively the Wildcats did a good job of pushing the onrushing forwards out wide and limiting the effectiveness of the shots.

The big players had better games for Swindon than their opponents. With Nell out, Bullas created the space and that let Billing and Malasinski go to work. If you can’t effectively shut down a guy going for 100 points, you won’t win. One side did that better than the other.

Ultimately neither side lost much here. Neither quite at full strength, flying in a holding pattern. There is a time coming in a few weeks where all will need to put all their cards firmly on the table.

Lowlight of the night: The injury to Ben Solder, not nice to see someone walking around on crutches.

Highlight of the night: The Malasinski goal, that’s how you tally your 100^th point.

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