Pitbulls Claim Overtime Victory Over The Wildcats

By Xanthe Boursier-Gazzard

The Bristol Drive North Pitbulls secured a narrow 1-0 overtime win on Saturday night against the Swindon Wildcats in a match that saw both teams unable to score in regulation time.

The Pitbulls started off the first period with several strong chances against the current league-leading Wildcats. Despite a penalty called on defenceman Josh Batch for tripping, the home side retained composure and cleared the zone, rejecting the visitors’ opportunity of lighting the lamp with the man advantage. Bristol soon returned to full strength, bringing the puck back into the offensive zone, allowing Calum McGill and Sam Smith to take shots on net before the first twenty minutes could come to an end.

The second period seemed to replicate the first, with another power play going in favour of the Wildcats. Jake Bricknell headed to the penalty box to sit two minutes for slashing; however, despite this, much like the first period, Tommy Nappier was able to hold his own under pressure, keeping the scoreline at zero as both teams struggled to find a way to navigate their many shots to the back of the netting.

A third penalty was killed by the Pitbulls in the final period regardless of shots from Sam Godfrey and Tomasz Malasinski that came close to crossing the goal line. The tension between both teams continued to build as opportunities in front of the net were unable to convert to an addition on the scoresheet, with both Renny Marr and Nappier consistently covering the puck. Despite the multiple shots put on net across the past three periods, the game continued to remain goalless as the clock hit the sixty-minute mark of the cagey encounter, resulting in an extra five minutes of overtime. John Dunbar was finally able to break the deadlock just under a minute into the three-on-three gameplay, weaving the puck past Tyler Watkins and flicking a shot past the left shoulder of Marr, sparking celebrations across the sell-out crowd.