Matt Towalski was also on target at the Hive, confidently slotting away a second-period penalty as the hosts quickly closed the gap at the foot of the table with MK Lightning – beaten 2-1 at Sheffield Steeldogs on the same night – to eight points.

Bees players and supporters, though, will be delighted to see results continue to improve, as another high intensity performance helped extend their winning streak.

It was a ferocious start by the hosts, with defencemen Lewis Turner and Pavel Strycek both going close, while Wildcats netminder Stevie Lyle showed quick reactions when Danny Ingoldsby looked to pounce on a loose puck.

Yet a Swindon side who arrived in Bracknell having tasted defeat just once in their last 13 outings went close to breaking the deadlock when the unmarked Jonas Hoog shot wide.

What would prove to be a busy night for Bees netminder Tom Annetts, with the goalie facing some 42 shots during a man-of-the-match performance, was only just beginning, as both Aaron Nell and Tomasz Malasinski unsuccessfully chanced their luck to break the deadlock.

At the other end, Bendik and Turner endured similar fortunes, while player-coach Lukas Smital was a fraction late when attempting to convert Scott Spearing’s cross-shot.

The clear cut chances, though, continued to fall the way of the visitors, but Nell missed the target from a yard out and the game remained scoreless at the interval.

Nell, however, soon made amends for the miss, firing the Wiltshire side in front on the rebound a minute and 46 seconds into the second stanza.

And this was while his side were short-handed following a delay of the game penalty handed to Alex Symonds moments earlier.

Bracknell responded though Smital, whose shot was stopped by Lyle, who thwarted Bendik soon after.

But they were not behind for long.

Bendik, a D-man by trade but recently ushered into a more attacking role, was at it again, following up his two-goal salvo during the 7-4 Challenge Cup success at Wightlink Raiders the previous evening with the equaliser. It was a tidy finish from the Slovak, who swept home after another blocked Smital strike had fallen kindly to him.

Fellow import Radek Hubacek then fired wide as Bees looked to up the ante, yet they also demonstrated some doggedness as a effort from Swindon’s Steve Whitfield was followed by a mass scramble, with the hosts holding out.

Determined work by James Galazzi, who would later drop the gloves with opponent Floyd Taylor, looked to have laid a goal on a plate for Spearing, but the forward screwed his shot wide of the pipework.

However, Bees soon nudged themselves in front when Towalski was upended when unleashing a strike, leaving the referee with no option other than to award a penalty shot. The forward dusted himself down and coolly sent the puck between the legs of Lyle.

Swindon, now chasing the game, launched a tirade of efforts at goal as the session neared a close, but both Annetts and Bees held firm.

Both sides continued to spurn opportunities in the third period, where Smital was unable to convert.

A clever use of the boards then allowed Betteridge a sight of goal, but his effort shaved the post.

Missed opportunities would prove costly for Swindon, who were condemned to a rare defeat when Bendik wrapped up the points on 46.09. Vanya Antonov and Smital provided the assists, with the latter spraying the puck to his teammate, whose first touch deceived Lyle and allowed him to tap into the corner.

With a third victory now on the cards, Turner had two glorious chances to add an extra coat of gloss to the result late on, but the D-man lacked a clinical touch, sending both opportunities over the crossbar.

Wightlink Raiders 4-7 Bracknell Bees BRACKNELL Bees were in seventh heaven thanks to a comprehensive victory on the Isle of Wight in their final British Challenge Cup match on Saturday.

Bees were missing Lukas Smital and Pavel Strycek due to competition rules and also Lewis Turner and Vanya Antonov but added Harvey Hind-Pitcher, Tom Relf, Danny Ingoldsby, William Stead and Josh Tetlow to their ranks.

Jan Bendik gave Bees the lead only for former Bees player Jaroslav Cesky to equalise for the hosts.

Matt Foord put the visitors back in front, assisted by James Galazzi, before Raiders’ Damon Larter picked up a two minute penalty for cross checking.

Bees took advantage as Foord scored on the powerplay for a 3-1 lead with Hind-Pitcher and Relf providing the assists and then went 4-1 up through Bendik again, Stead with the assist.

Rangers replaced netminder Matt Colclough with Shannon Long for the second period and they pulled one back through Alex Barker and then scored a third through Carl Graham to make it 4-3.

Bees then failed to capitalise on a four-on-three man advantage allowing Raiders to make it 4-4 through Craig Tribe in the final period.

But Bees finished on top and further goals from Matt Towalski, Foord and Harvey Stead sealed the victory for the visitors.