Lukas Smital’s side were beaten twice by Guildford Flames, with a 4-2 loss at Swindon Wildcats sandwiched between the two losses.

The first defeat against Guildford did see Bracknell pick up a point for losing 4-3 in overtime, but they were left to rue throwing away a three goal advantage in the final period.

Smital’s side welcomed Guildford to the Hive on Sunday evening looking to avenge that overtime defeat in front of an excited and passionate home crowd.

And the hosts got off to the perfect start as they gained the initiative less than two minutes in when Vanya Antonov fired home after a JJ Pitchley assist.

Bees were competing well but a David Longstaff effort in the 14th minute ensured the game was tied at the end of the first period and the visitors dominated the second stanza to take complete control of the contest.

Roman Tvrdon had only just returned to the ice after spending two minutes in the penalty box when he fired the Flames ahead.

Bees were battling well against their superior visitors but quickfire powerplay goals from Jez Lundin and Vldimir Kutny made it 4-1 by the end of the second period, giving the Bees a massive mountain to climb.

Tvrdon grabbed his second of the evening to extend the lead, before Smital grabbed a brace to reduce the arrears.

The home crowd were fully behind their team and were cheering on an unlikely comeback but it wasn’t to be as the visitors took advantage of a five-on-three powerplay to seal victory when Marcus Kristoffersson fired home.

The Swindon game was a scrappy contest early on and it remained goalless at the end of the first period, with both sides having survived a powerplay apiece.

It didn’t take long for the deadlock to be broken in the second period as Smital put the visitors ahead. After a spell of pressure on Steve Lyle’s goal, the player-coach fired home as Lyle dislodged the net but the officials consulted each other and gave the goal.

Unfortunately, the goal woke the visitors up and they started to test Tom Annetts – who had replaced the injured Alex Mettam in the first perion - in the Bees goal.

Aaron Nell had already hit the crossbar for the hosts before he assisted Jonas Hoog as the Wildcats drew level.

The hosts then took the lead on a powerplay as Nell fired home from distance at the end of the second period.

Bees repeated their second period antics as they struck early in the third stanza to draw level.

Harvey Stead slipped the puck to Pitchley and he made no mistakes firing home to tie the game, giving Smital hope that his side could grab a valuable victory.

Unfortunately it wasn’t to be as Wildcats again took advantage of a powerplay to regain their lead through Tomasz Malasiniki.

Jan Kostal made it 4-2 late on and Bees had no answer as they were left to reflect on another defeat despite once more competing well against a superior side.

The best points return of the festive period for Bees came at Guildford on Friday evening, but it would’ve been the game they were most disappointed with.

After a goalless first period, Bees raced ahead in the second stanza with goals from Antonov and Matt Foord.

Things got even better for the visitors at the start of the third period as Smital assisted Antonov to seemingly set the Bees on course for a memorable Boxing Day victory on the road.

The home crowd were frustrated but were given a lifeline as Tvrdon fired home to reduce the deficit and send Bees hearts racing.

Smital’s side continued to defend strongly but Kutny poked the ball between Mettam’s legs to further reduce the arrears.

The Bees had seemingly been cruising towards victory but were now on the ropes as the hosts poured forward sensing a fantastic comeback.

It didn’t take long for the equaliser to arrive as Branislav Kvetan found the back of the net to make it all square after Flames had notched three goals in less than eight minutes to tie the game.

The only question was whether the Bees would concede again before the end of the third period but they held on despite a powerplay to ensure the game went to overtime. Mettam had already been tested in overtime before Matt Towe took advantage of lacklustre defending to fire home the winner four minutes into overtime.

It was a cruel blow for Bees after leading 3-0 with 15 minutes remaining and set the tone for a festive period that promised so much at various stages, but delivered so little.

The Bees face another triple-header this week as they renew acquaintances with Guildford on Thursday (4pm), before travelling to Peterborough Phantoms on Saturday (7pm) and ending with a home clash against lowly rivals Milton Keynes Lightning on Sunday (6pm).