PLAYER-COACH Aaron Nell felt Swindon Wildcats cashed in a 'get out of jail free card' in order to start the new NIHL South season with a win this evening.

The Cats edged to a narrow 1-0 penalty shoot-out success over Milton Keynes Thunder after the campaign’s curtain-raiser ended in a 3-3 draw at the Link Centre.

Swindon trailed 3-2 heading into the final 10 minutes but Sam Bullas restored parity to send the contest into overtime, although no winning goal was forthcoming.

Penalties were required to settle matters and Chris Jones put the Cats in front with the first strike, although that was the only one of six shots to hit the back of the net as goalkeeper Renny Marr proved to be the home side’s hero by saving all three Thunder efforts.

Nell said: “We have to give Milton Keynes credit, I thought they worked extremely hard and for the first two periods, they deserved to be in the lead.

“We pulled back in the third but Milton Keynes came extremely hard and we had a get out of jail free card in the end.

“There were some big saves by Renny and a good goal in the shoot-out by Jonesy.”

Swindon lay siege to the Thunder goal throughout the contest, registering 48 shots to the visitors’ 25, but found netminder Tom Annetts in inspired form as he made a string of fine saves.

Rio Grinell-Park put the visitors in front in the first period but Nell levelled things back up early in the second.

Ross Bowers restored Thunder’s lead and although Sam Zajac got a second Cats equaliser, Milton Keynes still held the lead going into the final period when Jamie Line hit the back of the net.

However, Swindon raised their game in the final period and Bullas hauled them level once more before Nell’s troops finally sealed the win in the shoot-out.

“We had a lot of shots but we need to go to the net harder. Our three goals came from the point, getting traffic and pucks to the net,” said Nell.

“We were way too passive for large parts of the game and the goals came from getting traffic and going to the tough areas. The goalie played really well and if he could see it, he was going to stop it.

“We are going to have to be a lot better than that. Milton Keynes worked harder than us and frustrated us for large parts of the game and that can’t happen.

“We got some big goals by crashing the net and then some big saves by Renny at the end.”

Swindon have their first away game of the season tomorrow when they travel to Invicta Dynamo.