MAN of the match Blaz Emersic bagged a hat-trick as Milton Keynes Lightning secured a 3-1 win at Bracknell Bees.

It was the home side who got the scoring under way at The Hive with a 10th-minute goal from Callum Fowler, assisted by Frantisek Bakrlik.

Bees remained in front at the first interval despite decent efforts by Ross Green with a hard long range drive and a good chance for

Markku Tahtinen which was saved by former MK goalie

Alex Mettam in the 13th minute.

After Bees’ Sam Waller was called for hooking the visitors went close with a long blast from David Clements before a Leigh Jamieson

attempt met the same fate.

Lightning drew level early in the second stanza – the Emersic/Jordan Cownie and Lewis Hook line coming up with the goods for the Slovenian to finish off.

That though was the only goal of the session for either team – not that it was short of action with Clements and Cownie both unsuccessful in the following minutes.

While Lukas Smital was in the penalty box for Bees on an elbows offence Cownie went behind the net to set up Hook but Mettam was up to the challenge.

Lewis Christie had a long range opportunity saved before Alex Barker shot wide after going around the net.

MK goalie Dean Skinns was called upon to make a fine save when Bakrlik broke one on one – Fowler also thwarted on the follow up.

Emersic edged Lightning in front after being put clear by Adam Carr for a one on one break within 10 seconds of the start of the final stanza.

Thereafter the visitors began to tighten their grip with Emersic shooting wide, Clements robbing Tom Beesley on the attack and Rene Jarolin firing wide before Bees hit back with a Bakrlik effort blocked by Skinns.

Emersic completed his hat-trick with a little less than 10 minutes remaining in a move started by Green and aided by Hook.

Bracknell had an opportunity late on when Hook was penalised for tripping but Smital saw his effort go wide.

Bees called a timeout on 58:19 in a last ditch attempt to retrieve the game – withdrawing Mettam for the extra skater.

The goalie soon had to returned to the ice when Lightning won a face off to the right of his goal – allowing the travellers to hold on to their 3-1 lead at the buzzer.

Bees host Telford Tigers on Saturday (6pm) before visiting Manchester

Phoenix on Sunday (6.30pm).