SWINDON Wildcats showed their teeth at the Link Centre this evening as they chewed up Sheffield Steeldogs in ruthless fashion.

The Cats were in need of a big performance having been hit for six at Peterborough Phantoms in their previous English Premier League match, while they were also struck down by Milton Keynes Lightning in their last home match 10 days earlier.

Stevie Lyle’s side did not disappoint as they turned in their best display of the campaign to the delight of a raucous Link Centre.

Tomasz Malansinski led the way with a hat-trick of goals and captain Jan Kostal helped himself to two, while new signing Carlo Finucci also hit the back of the net on his Cats debut having arrived earlier in the week to replace Miroslav Zalesak.

Cats were on the front foot from the off and skipper Kostal brought out the first save of the match from Sheffield stopper Dalibor Sedlar.

Andrew Hirst squeezed an effort just , over the top of Lyle’s goal at the other end before a cracking bit of play from Neil Liddiard forced a goalmouth scramble but the Cats just could not get the puck over the line.

They did not have to wait long to break the deadlock, though, as Kostal struck to gave them the lead their play deserved after just six minutes.

Finucci almost made it 2-0 immediately afterwards but was denied by Sedlar before slack Cats defence allowed the visitors to draw level as Tim Smith caught out netminder Lyle with a powerful effort.

That was as close as it got, though, as the remainder of the contest was a totally one-sided affair.

Malasinski was thwarted by Sedlar before the Cats turned the screw during power play periods, netting twice when Sheffield were a man down.

Malasinski put them ahead, flicking Aaron Nell’s long-range effort over the line before Nell got on the scoresheet himself when Sedlar could get nowhere near another shot from distance.

And the Cats’ lead could have been even bigger by the time the buzzer sounded as Nell saw another effort crack against the post.

Lyle had to be alert to keep Arnoldas Bosas at bay as the second period got under way and play went from end-to-end as Finucci was denied by Sedlar before Lyle saved from Craig Elliott Sedlar then kept out Malasinksi and Sami Ryhanen in quick succession, while Lyle pulled off a big save to thwart Hirst.

Liddiard then shot just wide for Cats but once they did find their radars again the floodgates opened.

Again the Cats made the most of a powerplay as Malansinski tucked home Ryhanen’s pass with Sheffield a man down, the first of three goals in three minutes.

The Malasinski-Ryhanen combination paid off again as the former got number five to complete his hat-trick and he then turned provider as Kostal found the net to put the hosts 6-1 to the good at the end of the second period.

Even when the Cats were shorthanded themselves early in the second period the visitors could not stem the tide as an unstoppable strike from Sam Bullas made it a magnificent seven.

Adam Harding then got in on the act with goal number eight for the home side, while the entertainment kept flowing as Cats’ Matt Selby and Elliott, of Sheffield, were both ejected from the game.

Owen Griffiths was then thwarted by new Steeldogs stopper Thomas Barkworth twice in succession but Floyd Taylor was on hand to finish the job as the goals continued to flow, while new man Finucci then made it a perfect 10.

Keen not to be left out Corey McEwen hit the back of the net in the dying stages to take the Cats’ tally to 11 and complete an astonishing night’s work.