Lightning shut out by Wildcats

League - Lightning 0, Swindon Wildcats 3, Sunday March 9, 2014

Lightning were shut out at home for the first time this season when Swindon Wildcats emerged as 3-0 victors at Coventry Skydome.

The hosts ran out of ideas in how to overcome a two goal deficit at the end of the first period - a gap that grew to three by the mid point of the game.

Lightning have had very few training sessions since the turn of the year because of midweek games and it seemed the lack of them was exposed by Wildcats.

Too often players were trying to take the puck almost the whole length of the ice - only to be dispossessed. And when they did try to pass there was a lack of understanding with team mates.

Swindon grabbed the lead after 3mins 47secs when Aaron Nell crashed the puck in past goalie Stephen Wall from Jonas Hoog's set up.

Ross Green and Stan Lascek both had chances to get Lightning back on terms before Wall was called into to action to stop a Henri Sandvik effort.

Lightning survived an eighth minute penalty on Michael Farn but could not get enough pressure on goal when Sam Godfrey's spell in the sin bin for holding Lascek gave them the extra man.

When Janne Jokila was rightly penalised for holding Jan Kostal the visitors were able to add to their tally at 19mins 2secs with a powerplay strike from Nell - again Hoog was the provider.

Even though Lightning outshot Wildcats 15-5 in the first period there was not enough quality to beat goalie Steve Lyle.

Nick Poole's charges started the second session brightly with Adam Carr and Lascek going close. 

But that was all negated with a goal that many could see coming - Nell firing in on Wall only to have his effort blocked before Hoog was in position to sweep up the left overs at 28mins 35secs.

Lightning immediately called a time out to steady the ship.

Although it did end Swindon's scoring it didn't do much to turn the game around.

Within a minute Tom Carlon and Ryan Watt clashed with both receiving four minutes for roughing and two minutes for delaying the game.

Sandvik was called for interference and the best Lightning could manage on the powerplay was a Lukas Zatopek shot from the blue line.

The third session saw Lightning - as in the first two sessions - again outshoot Swindon but it brought no reward. Man of the match, Green, took, the puck all the way from defence to goal but unfortunately his finish was not good enough to beat a goalie of Lyle's experience.

Zatopek had a blast from the left and Blaz Emersic an effort from closer range - but this was a night when Lightning could have played till midnight and not scored.

As it happened:

0-1 3.47: Nell/Hoog/F Taylor

0-1 8.35: Pen: Farn - hooking 2

0-1 13.15: Pen: Godfrey - holding 2

0-1 18.09: Pen: Jokila - holding 2

0-2 19.02: Nell/Hoog/Pekkarinen

0-3 28.58: Hoog/Nell/F Taylor

0-3 28.58: Timeout MK

0-3 29.51: Pens: Carlon - roughing 2+2; delaying game 2

                            Watt - roughing 2+2; delaying game 2

0-3 30.22: Pen: Sandvik - interference 2

0-3 33.57: Pen: Lascek - holding 2

0-3 57.43: Pen: Symonds - delaying the game 2