Ice hockey: Ryan Aldridge was relieved to head back across the Solent with a point as Swindon Wildcats missed the chance to jump into the English Premier League’s top six after a 5-4 overtime defeat at Wightlink Raiders last night.

Damon Larter’s strike 48 seconds into the added period gave the home side, who led 2-0 and 4-2 during the clash a 5-4 success.

Import ace Jozef Kohut scored twice in the final period to draw Cats level, before Larter’s intervention clinched it for the bottom side.

Aldridge said: “Given the way we played, I’m relieved to get one point really.

“It’s a tough place to come and play and we made a few sloppy errors which cost us a chance of winning.’’ Cats had the better of a free-flowing opening period, which looked certain to end in a stalemate until one and a half seconds before the buzzer.

Former Swindon men Juraj Rusic, Gareth Endicott and Joel Petkoff had efforts saved by visiting netminder Ladislav Kudrna but, at the other end Raiders stopper Mike Brabon, also an ex-Swindon player, was kept busy by a succession of efforts from the Cats line.

Aaron Nell had the best of them, but saw his effort saved while the Cats also took two penalties for slashing.

Then as the period drew to a close, the short-handed visitors were stung as Rusic’s pass found Petkoff who tapped home at 19.58.

The pinball hockey continued in the second period and Cats fell further behind when Danny Hughes followed up Rusic’s shot at 23.36.

But they were back in it within seconds, Brabon only parrying Michael Farn’s shot and both Kohut and John Wheaton having shots, the latter’s flying in at 23.54.

It was all square at 27.17 as Kohut’s pass found Nell and his hard shot went in despite being partially saved by Brabon.

But a sloppy goal gave the Raiders the advantage again at 28.17, Rusic jabbing home.

And it got worse for the visitors as Lee Brathwaite was ejected from the game for a rare ‘slew footing’ call (using his feet to knock an opponent’s skates out from under him) on Endicott.

Shawn Mole scored Wightlink’s fourth at 47.25 after being fed by Petkoff before the Cats launched a fightback.

Kohut netted from a near-impossible angle at 51.55 while the visitors were short-handed and did it again at 56.34 to equaliser slamming the puck home from behind the goal off Brabon as the Raiders anticipated the pass.

Cats had plenty of chances to try and win it in normal time, Matty Davies, Job Sitko and Kohut all going close.

But at 60.48, Larter’s speculative drive from the blue line went under Kudrna to seal the home side’s triumph.