The Bees could consider themselves unlucky not to come away with at least a point from Sunday's clash with Milton Keynes, and showed tremendous heart which bodes well for the season.

Player-coach Lukas Smital almost repeated his trick of the night before but his shot was saved by Jordan Hedley in the visitors’ net.

In a frantic opening, Blaz Emersic brought a pad save out of Bees’ netminder Tom Annetts, while Jordan Gregory and Ryan Watt did likewise at the other end.

Annetts was forced to make a good save from Ross Bowers before Milan Kostourek opened the scoring for Lightning in the 8th minute, breaking down the left and firing home from a tight angle at the near post.

The lead lasted just 35 seconds before Smital fired a laser-like wrist shot over Hedley’s shoulder into the top left corner.

Lightning almost regained the lead through Petr Horava’s slap-shot on 11 minutes which pinged off the top of Annetts’ helmet.

Two saves by the netminder from Bowers were sandwiched between saves at the other end from Matt Foord and Jan Bendik, before the Lightning re-took the lead through Tom Carlon, who fired a wrist shot home from the right.

Bees then got into penalty trouble and with Pavel Strycek, Scott Spearing and Smital all in the box, they failed to kill a five-on-three, when Horava picked up the puck at the blue line and lined up to shoot.

Bendik stepped sideways to let Annetts have a clear view of the shot, but although the netminder got a big piece of it, the puck made its way through and into the net.

Bees finished the period well, with Chris Wiggins firing just wide from close range, before Sam Waller brought a pad save out of Hedley, but the Lightning held their two goal cushion.

The Bees ill-discipline continued in the first half of the second period as they picked up four minor penalties and two misconducts, but the visitors failed to make many chances.

And buoyed by stopping their opponents scoring, Bees enjoyed more and more of the play and a good feed from Smital saw Hedley get his body behind a Spearing effort, before James Galazzi broke through the defence, while being hooked, only for Hedley to be equal to his back-hand shot from the edge of the crease.

On the powerplay that followed Hedley made fine saves from Bendik, Stead Waller and Galazzi, leaving the score at 3-1 to the away side at the second break.

The third period was scrappy, with very little quality hockey, but Bees had the better of it overall but it also remained goalless to leave Lightning as 3-1 winners.

That defeat followed a 2-1 loss at home to Peterborough Phantoms the night before.

The hosts started well and were ahead in the first minute when Harvey Stead jumped high to intercept a puck being dumped in from the point.

He gloved the puck down and fed Scott Spearing on the red line, and his first time pass found Smital on the right.

The player-coach’s low shot across Phantoms goalie Janis Auzins snuck inside the far post to give the Bees a dream start.

However the Phantoms came back and Bracknell netminder Annetts made two good saves, one with the glove from the impressive Edgars Bebris and one with the pad from a close range tip by Marc Levers.

The end-to-end nature of the early stages continued as Vanya Antonov went close for the Bees in the fifth minute, before Darius Pliskauskas wasted a golden chance for Phantoms as his shot was saved by Annetts.

Peterborough continued to have the better of the play and Annetts had to make a smart save from a first time shot on the edge of the crease by Luke Ferrara.

The best Bees move of the period came with a pin-point long pass from Jordan Gregory and a great take by Antonov, who waltzed around the defenceman to the edge of the crease, only to see his shot saved.

However, in the final minute of the period, Bebris and Pliskauskas both forced another fine save from Annetts.

After the break new Phantoms import Milan Baranyk missed a glorious chance before Ryan Watt could have extended the Bees’ lead.

After Annetts saved from Jason Buckman, the Phantoms got the equaliser their play deserved when Baranyk fired home.

The goal brought the Bees to life, however, and Matt Foord had a good effort well saved, before Phantoms’ netminder Auzins pulled off the save of the night from Smital.

And that proved crucial, as with Watt penalised, Luke Ferrara set up brother James who gave the visitors the lead with an excellent first time strike.

The Phantoms continued to dominate at the end of the period and the goal-scorer, Pliskauskas, and Alan Lack all fired high.

Bees had more of the play in the final period and Auzins saved from Pavel Strycek and Hubacek, although James Ferrara also had an opportunity for the visitors which Annetts saved with his helmet.

Shortly after, Auzins saved a big first time shot from Stead and Annetts made a highlight-reel glove save from Slava Koulikov before Luke Ferrara fired wide from a good feed by his brother.

Bees pressed on more and more, looking for the equaliser, but even after pulling Annetts for the extra attacker, were unable to find a way through.

The impressive Spearing was named as man-of-the-match for the Bees.

The Bees host the Chelmsford Chieftains at The Hive this Sunday (6pm).