We caught up with Wildcats captain Shane Moore after Saturdays win against Peterborough (7 - 1) to speak about the current winning streak, his experience as captain so far and fighting Eric Piatak!
S.W.S.C: Another fantastic win for the Wildcats tonight. What is the atmosphere like in the locker room, on the bench?
Shane: Really, really good. I think we've turned the corner now. Everyone is positive. We're all reading from the same hymn sheet. It's a great feeling in the locker room and it's great to be a part of it. Everyone's really positive and I think we're playing great as a team right now. Everything's going well!
S.W.S.C: So what is it that has clicked for you guys now?
Shane: I think the big thing that happened really was Aldy (Ryan Aldridge) making smart changes. Bringing in Aaron Nell was a no-brainer when he became available and he's been a massive signing for us. But also, with Richardson coming in, he's a versatile player. Playing both D and forward gives us so many options. It means we can still play six D all night and that keeps the D fresh. And we've got three lines of forwards if not more so everyone's fresh coming in. We've got a lot of talent back there.
S.W.S.C: And then for you as captain. We are a few months in now, just how is it going for you? How are you finding the pressure?
Shane: It's been interesting for me, you know. I was captain when I was a junior but I haven't been captain in my whole senior career, and I've played senior hockey since I was fourteen! It's been a bit of an adaptation but I've been really been pleased with how the boys have responded to me. We have a bit of banter, but everyone's been playing well and it's a credit to the boys. They are playing well for me and playing well for the coach.
S.W.S.C: So, is there any tactic which you have deployed yourself to influence the change?
Shane: You know, I play my game nice and steady. I speak with Aldy occasionally, but I leave most of the changes up to him. My real strengths lie in being on the bench and on the ice motivating the guys, keeping them going and just controlling the D-Zone for them.
S.W.S.C: We had a thrilling end to tonight's game (Fight with Peterborough's Piatak). What sparked it off?
Shane: I hit the guy in the corner and he turned around and elbowed me in the face so I looked at him, he threw down his gloves and grabbed on to my shoulder pads. The first punch I caught him with split his nose right open and that pretty much ended the fight to be honest. I was a bit disappointed by the way he reacted at the end after he lost the fight. I caught him with a couple of good ones and he was heavily bleeding but to lean over myself and the linesman and bleed all over us was very disrespectful in my opinion so I was very disappointed with that. But yeah, a very good way to finish the game! Especially with a sell-out crowd. The game had everything we could ask for. Good goals, good hits and a fight to finish!
S.W.S.C: So, looking forward. Swindon still have some games in hand which we will look to win. What's the game plan?
Shane: The game plan should be the same every night right now. You know, we're playing hard. I think teams should adapt to us rather than us adapting to them right now. You look at teams like Guildford which we have beaten recently. We played our game and that was successful for us. We played hard and competitive and they had to adapt to us. That's how we've got to keep going because at the end of the day, those teams can't adapt to us and can't skate with us right now.
S.W.S.C: So is this the Swindon we can expect to see every night now?
Shane: Yeah, I think this is the Swindon you will see for the next few weeks and definitely going into Play-offs as well. Keep playing hockey like that and it will be successful for us. That's the way Aldy wanted to play at the start of the season, aggressive, and I don't think we did play it that way at the beginning of the season but with the changes, we've got enough bodies. We can play with energy, hard and aggressive and that's working for us right now.
S.W.S.C: So if the fans keep coming and making noise they will be entertained?
Shane: The fans are brilliant right now! To have those guys with us, it's a brilliant feeling. We're getting sell-out crowds at the moment at home and that's great. The away support is brilliant as well! Keep on coming!
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Next home game: Saturday 1st February versus Guildford Flames, Face-off 5.45
See you there!
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