MATT FOORD struck his 100th goal for Bracknell Bees on his 600th league appearance – but it was not enough to prevent the side slipping to defeat at the Hive.
It was quite a remarkable weekend for the forward, who also notched for the 200th time in his career during the 4-1 reverse at Peterborough Phantoms on Saturday night, but it was one which was to end in disappointment.
Foord drew his side level at 3-3 early in the second session when drilling home a pass from Milan Kostourek in what was a good old-fashioned battle between these two M4 rivals.
However, three strikes in a little over two minutes late in the game, two of which came from Jonas Hoog with player-coach Aaron Nell getting the other to complete the hat-trick, was the undoing of the Bees.
“I think the game was a lot closer than it was tonight,” said Food, who is now closing in on Matt Cote’s record of 419 games for the club.
“If we can take our chances and and try and limit those small mistakes we can get a result. It was just one goal (from Nell) and silly mental errors.
“They also scored one on the break, which is frustrating and a lapse in judgement.
“It is not as if we are playing bad, it is just about taking our chances and it is difficult because when you are working so hard and you just fall short it is a bit demoralising and you have got to try and pick yourself up.
“I think we are putting the performances in and if we can get a couple of results you just don’t know what could happen.”
Bracknell were the livelier of the two teams during the early exchanges and were unlucky not to get the go-ahead goal when defenceman Carl Graham let fly from the blueline, only to see Swindon netminder Jordan Hedley deflect the puck on to the crossbar.
But it was the Wiltshire side who took the lead and quickly doubled the advantage with two goals in the space of just 77 seconds.
Corey Mcewen rattled a strike into the top corner on 6.21 as Bees were caught out by a counter to break the deadlock before Carlo Finucci set off down the right wing at break-neck speed and squeezed a shot between Alex Mettam in the Bees goal and the near post.
Both goals would arrive through Swindon attacking Bracknell’s left side, which was often left exposed as the hosts pushed forward.
It was, however, game on two minutes later when Graham threaded an incisive pass from deep to Milan Kostourek, who turned his man brilliantly and produced a clinical finish past a rooted Hedley to halve the deficit.
The ‘keeper would deny Lewis Turner from netting an equaliser at point-blank range soon after and then watched on as the visitors surged up the other end and regained the two-goal cushion.
Making it 3-1 was Nell, who swept home a Hoog pass from an inside right position in the 13th minute.
Tomasz Malasinski was thwarted by Mettam when a slick Swindon move from one side to the other cut Bracknell wide open, but back came the home side.
Vanya Antonov was wide and another Kostourek attempt caused a goalmouth scramble, but it was from a trademark Bendik drive from the blueline when James Galazzi ended his long wait to light the lamp.
With Wildcats duo Finucci and Matt Selby sitting out roughing and unsportsmanlike conduct calls and Scott Spearing joining them in the bin, also for roughing, Galazzi was on hand to tip his team back into contention.
Bracknell were once again missing player-coach Lukas Smital due to a broken finger, but the injury curse was to strike again when Turner, who suffered concussion following a knock to the head the night before, was deemed unable to continue during the interval.
The first period had its moments, but the second 20 minutes became a much feisty affair, and the stanza was just seconds old when Galazzi and Selby dropped the gloves.
A slashing minor would see Swindon’s Adam Harding also take a seat in the bin, and it was here when Foord completed the comeback.
Another deflection, meanwhile, would divert a Bendik shot on to the ironwork, while Mettam foiled both Finucci and Malasinski as the two sides continued to trade chances.
The fixture, though, would be marred by yet more penalty trouble, with Spearing and Swindon’s Sam Bullas clashing following an incident which saw Bendik draw blood and need treatment.
Antonov would also become involved, and he was punished with a 2+10 charge for abusing an official.
Dust ups aside, it was all still to play for in the final session – but losing Josh Smith to a high stick call saw Swindon regaining the lead, and it was some strike too from Nell, who had the time to pick his spot and get the better of Mettam with a strike from distance.
The opposition would continued to show the indomitable spirit witnessed on countless occasions this season, and both Kostourek and Graham were unlucky with goal-bound efforts Hedley kept out.
The crossbar, though, would thwart Malasinski after Kostourek was given two minutes for hooking, yet when back at full strength Galazzi pulled Bees level for the third time on the night.
And it was a brilliant and confident strike by the forward, who took a Josh Tetlow pass in his stride before flashing the puck into the top shelf.
Yet whatever Galazzi could do, Nell was about to match, producing a goal worthy of winning any contest on 56:23.
His hat-trick goal was one which came out of nowhere, as the forward looked to be causing little trouble when receiving the puck just inside Bees’ territory.
But the forward had a sight of goal and chanced his luck, with Mettam only able to watch on as the strike whistled over his shoulder and into the top slot.
It was the decisive blow to a shorthanded Bracknell side which was beginning to tire, although more sucker punches were to arrive.
Exploiting the gaps now being left open as the hosts pushed up saw Hoog skate in unopposed and beat Mettam at the second attempt.
The same player would wrap up the scoring seconds later when slotting into an empty net after Mettam was pulled following a time out.
Defeat leaves Bees three points adrift at the foot of the table ahead of a trip to Basingstoke Bison this Saturday (6.30pm) before the Wildcats once again visit the Hive on Sunday (6pm).
