ICE HOCKEY LIVE: Slough Jets v Swindon Wildcats (From This Is Wiltshire)

8:57pm

What a terrific effort by Cats. Real resolve in defence and huge credit should go to Skinns in goal as well.

8:49pm

Rockman pulled.

8:49pm

One minute left.

8:48pm

Brave save by Skinns.

8:47pm

There are 106 seconds left.

8:46pm

Time out.

8:46pm

Slough pressing with the clock running down.

8:43pm

Just over three minutes left.

8:43pm

Visitors back to full strength.

8:42pm

Cats are just the one man down now.

8:41pm

Bullas off for delay of game.

8:39pm

Bakrlik gets two minutes.

8:37pm

Cats are now on nine penalties for the night, would you believe.

8:37pm

The officials have some sorting out to do now.

8:36pm

Bakrlik nails Baird, who winces as he comes off.

8:35pm

Sandvik and Towalski are in a heap. Sandvik claiming he was punched, but it's the Cats new signing who gets 2+10 for holding and misconduct.

8:32pm

Swindon have just over eight minutes to hang on.

8:31pm

Penalty killed.

8:31pm

Aldridge grimacing as he comes off. Looks like just a whack.

8:30pm

8:29pm

Two minutes for Fojtik for holding. Can't say I agreed with that decision.

8:27pm

Swindlehurst is getting his stick changed.

8:20pm

Shots on goal so far are 31 by Slough and 20 by Swindon. I'd largely put that down to the fact that Swindon have served seven penalties to Slough's two.

8:17pm

Swindon have 19 minutes to hang on to a one-goal lead. Feeling confident?

8:16pm

Penalty killed.

8:16pm

And we're off.

8:15pm

Don't forget Cats are still a man down, remember, albeit for 12 seconds.

8:14pm

Players back out.

8:12pm

Three minutes until we resume.

8:09pm

This match is very much there for the taking for Swindon. Slough have been nothing like as good as the first two occasions the teams met this season.

7:59pm

That's the second period done. Swindlehurst still has 12 seconds to serve when period three starts.

7:56pm

If Slough don't score on this powerplay, they never will.

7:55pm

Swindlehurst gets two minutes for high sticks. This is a test now.

7:54pm

Baird gets two minutes for hooking.

7:53pm

Just over two minutes left of period two.

7:51pm

Jets are back to full strength now, by the way.

7:50pm

Swindon have taken their chances very well tonight. Slough have not.

7:47pm

Cats powerplay.

7:46pm

I have to say that Slough have been massively disappointing tonight. Very little edge to them.

7:44pm

Finally Swindon manage to break out of defence and force Rockman into a couple of solid saves.

7:44pm

That's five powerplays Cats have survived with just over half the match gone.

7:43pm

Penalty killed.

7:41pm

Well, the Swindon fans aren't happy with that. Shane Moore gets 2+10 for checking from behind. Yet another Slough powerplay.

7:39pm

Handbags.

7:37pm

This has been a very strange game. Not much has happened for long periods.

7:37pm

Hoog trying to rally the troops from the bench.

7:30pm

It's gone a bit quiet at the Hangar.

7:28pm

Penalty killed.

7:27pm

Fojtik gets two minutes for boarding.

7:23pm

The second period has started.

7:20pm

Here they come...

7:18pm

Zamboni out. Two minutes till we're back underway.

7:17pm

Mayi congratulate you on becoming the first person to leave a comment on the Comments section on the live blog? You haven't won a prize, but you have made (a very small bit of) history.

7:14pm

7:08pm

They spent four more minutes serving penalties in that period but it matters not a jot. Swindon lead 2-0 and are in command as it stands. Skinns has impressed on his return to the side. Excellent penalty kill too. Slough could do with bucking their ideas up, mind, and I'm sure they will.

7:06pm

That's the end of the first period. Good job so far by the visitors.

7:05pm

It's a two-on-one for Slough but player-coach Slava Koulikov blows the chance, shooting straight at Skinns.

7:04pm

Penalty killed.

7:02pm

Two minutes for interference for Adam Greener.

7:01pm

Cats back to full strength now.

6:57pm

Just over five minutes left in the first period.

6:57pm

But immediately Slough are back on the powerplay as Joe Baird gets two minutes for interference.

6:56pm

Penalty killed.

6:56pm

Skinns has made a few decent saves so far.

6:54pm

The puck has just flown into the crowd twice and nearly taken the same girl out on both occasions. Well dodged.

6:53pm

Slough powerplay. Two minutes to Jan Melichar for hooking.

6:49pm

I'm sure we'd had about 13 goals by this point last Saturday.

6:44pm

Other than that, a pretty quiet opening.

6:43pm

Ex-Swindon man Ciaran Long pings off the outside of the post. Ryan Aldridge tried to sign him recently, of course.

6:40pm

Penalty killed.

6:37pm

Two minutes for Paul Swindlehurst for tripping.

6:36pm

The game is underway.

6:36pm

The man with the armbands tonight is Mr Popluhar, if you'll excuse me being tongue in cheek.

6:35pm

The net in one of the goals is being fixed...

6:33pm

My hunch was correct. Skinns is in goal for Cats. Gregg Rockman is between the pipes for Slough.

6:30pm

Players being introduced with the customary gusto.

6:28pm

6:27pm

6:27pm

We have clear ice.

6:26pm

Long-term injured duo Lee Richardson and Jamie Hayes not playing tonight of course, in addition to the absent Perkkio.

6:22pm

It's one of the bigger crowds I've seen at Slough. Good to see.

6:22pm

Zamboni still out there doing the rounds.

6:21pm

6:20pm

So I've received a mighty zero predictions so far. Hang your heads in shame.

6:13pm

The players are asked to clear the ice and they duly oblige. Eventually.

6:12pm

For those of you of a geeky nature, shirt numbers for the new boys are Sandvik (#24) and Betteridge (#11).

6:11pm

Where are these predictions then? Get them in!

6:08pm

Having had a decent look at him, I'm pretty confident Betteridge is wearing Jones' old jersey. Maybe he'll get his own at some point...

6:07pm

I'm not wildly confident in the 3G signal inside the Hangar. It seems to dip in and out. Might need a bit of patience during the game, but I will be doing my best!

6:05pm

Swindon could theoretically close the gap on Slough to two points this weekend. Easier said than done, of course.

6:00pm

For those of you who have had heads in the sand all day, Wildcats skipper Aaron Nell has been named as a reserve for Great Britain's Winter Olympic final qualifying squad. Nell attended a two-day training camp in Manchester earlier this week. Basingstoke's Greg Owen was the only EPL to make the full squad.

5:57pm

5:55pm

I'm not 100 per cent sure but I think Betteridge might be wearing Chris Jones' old shirt tonight.

5:52pm

And here come the Wildcats. Cue much cheering and drum-beating from the Swindon corner of the Hangar.

5:52pm

Slough's players have just come out on the ice.

5:49pm

Predictions for tonight please, however outrageous. Dont forget, use #swindonwildcats on Twitter when making your prediction.

5:48pm

5:46pm

Let's get an early shout in for you lot to get involved. Write your opinions in the Comments section below, or get that important point off your chest using #swindonwildcats on Twitter. I will reproduce the best comments in this live blog. Also, feel free to tweet me tonight, and throughout the week, on @nedpayne1. Always happy to hear from you.

5:43pm

The first thing I witnessed upon arriving tonight was the sight of half a dozen Wildcats players kicking a ball around in the car park. Let me put it this way, they are better with a puck than a ball.

5:42pm

Evening. Swindon take on Slough at the Hangar tonight. Get that laptop set up, sit back and enjoy.