A HAT-TRICK from Miroslav Zalesak handed Swindon Wildcats a honey sweet 8-4 victory over Bracknell bees.

The Slovakian forward added to a brace from Aaron Nell, a first goal from Callum Buglass and further strikes from Sami Ryhanen and Jan Kostal to wrap up the win.

Swindon were given the perfect start when Zalesak opened the scoring after just 71 seconds.

The Slovakian forward was given the puck by Aaron Nell and he managed to hold off his defender before firing a low drive past Tom Annetts.

Stevie Lyle let young stopper Jordan Hedley take the place between the sticks and he impressed making several good stops.

Zalesak was given a chance to double the hosts leads in the 9th minute when Nell played him in one-on-one with Annetts, but the Brit stopper stayed big and the Slovakian could only fire wide.

The 35-year-old made amends for the miss minutes later however to extend Swindon’s advantage.

With Scott Spearing in the penalty box for hooking Callum Buglass, the Wildcats were controlled in their build up and Nell saw the chance to play in Zalesak in acres of space, the Slovakian made no mistake from a tight angle.

The period was spoiled for the hosts when Matt Selby was given a match penalty for spearing following an altercation with Frantisek Bakrlik, which it appeared the Czech forward made the most of.

Bracknell piled on the pressure with the extra man on the ice but Swindon saw the penalty out well, with Hedley impressing.

The visitors did reduce the deficit thought in the 28th minute when Lukas Smital was able to turn the puck home.

Bracknell were back level on the half-hour mark courtesy of a great team goal.

Thomas Relf played the puck forward to Smital, who was able to flick the puck back to Milan Kostourek to fire a fierce shot home off the bar.

Bracknell continued to push in a period that they dominated, but Swindon took the lead for a second time through a very unlikely source.

Buglass got his first goal in a Swindon Wildcats jersey as he broke down the left before firing a cracking strike into the opposite corner and his celebration gave the Link Centre a huge lift.

Buglass’ goal seemed to spark the fire inside the home side and there were big hits being put in all over the ice, but the Bees produced a sting a minute later.

The sucker punch came when Fowler and Smital combined to set up Bakrlik to send the teams in level at the break.

Swindon fell behind for the first time in the game in the 44th minute when the puck was pulled back to Bakrlik and he made no mistake to fire home under little pressure.

The hosts got themselves back on level terms when Rhyanen, who had been in the sin bin moments earlier, found space in the centre to fire home in the 50th minute.

Nell then blew the roof off the Link Centre when Swindon caught Bracknell on the break, with a second of Harvey Stead’s penalty remaining, and Zalasek played in Nell perfectly to fire home Zalasek secured his hat-trick in the 53rd minute as he fired home from just inside the Bracknell half, before Nell has about five attempts to get it past Annett at the near post, but finally finds a way through to score his second in the 54th minute.

Captain Kostal got in on the act on 55 minutes as he fired home from the tightest of angles on the right, with the puck finding the net off Annetts body.