After ending 2023 on a high due to a 7-4 win on home ice on the last day of 2023 against the Bristol Pitbulls, the TSI World Bees now look to take their success at the end of last year and progress on it going into 2024 as they have a one game weekend as they prepare to take on the Swindon Wildcats at the Slough Ice Arena on Sunday evening. 

The Swindon Wildcats are currently in 4th place within the league standings after completing 27 games and from those games picking up 36 points due to 17 wins, 8 loses and being able to take 2 games to overtime but then dropping the 2nd point, which leaves the Wildcats securing 67% of the points that have been on the table for them to collect over the first half of this season. Swindon are going into this weekend after just ending a 3 game winning streak after a loss on Monday evening at Planet Ice Milton Keynes as they Lightning were able to pick up a 5-1 victory against the Wildcats but this will be something Head Coach Aaron Nell will want to put in the past and improve on going into the first weekend of fixtures this year. 

The power play unit that the Wildcats have put out this season has been very effective as it stands going into this weekend with it being successful 32% of the time for Swindon as they have managed to use 36 out of 112 man advantage situations they have had this season. This will be something the Bees’ defence will need to watchout for to try to limit the chances Swindon get during their game on Sunday as the Bees power play unit have only been able to use 24 out of 119 times they have had the man advantage during their games completed. The penalty kill unit at the Wildcats is pretty even compared to the Bees’ as Swindon’s currently stand with 74.55% of their penalties that they faced being able to be killed while the Bees’ stands at 74.04% being killed.

The Wildcats have been forced to face 835 shots on goals against them in 27 games  they have completed and are finding themselves facing an average of 31 shots on goal per game on their netminder while the Bees are averaging 32 shots on goal per game on the opposing teams’ netminder. Swindon have been able to have 904 shots on goal across their games this season and are on an average of 33 shots on goal per game against the opposing team’s goalie while the Bees are currently seeing roughly 37 shots on goal a game from opposing teams. It is also worth mentioning that Wildcats have seen a total of 102 goals being scored against them this season so far while also being able to get 129 pucks to the back of netminders across the league and only 1 of those goals in favour of the Wildcats have been scored while being short-handed and it was scored by Russell Cowley.

Coming into this fixture against the Wildcats this Sunday, the Bees will need to watch out for the likes of Reed Sayers who has collected 19 points this season from 8 goals and 11 assists but is able to help his team push the puck into the opposing teams defensive zone to try to give his team more of a chance of creating more opportunities during the game. Through doing that he has also managed to only pick up 4 minutes worth of penalties in the 27 games he has completed. In a more defensive perspective, Tyler Plews will be someone the Bees’ forwards will need to try to push past in order to try to make more chances to try and secure these 2 vital points that are on offer on Sunday in the Bees’ playoff push.