EX-SWINDON Wildcats head coach Pete Russell masterminded the downfall of his former team this evening as Milton Keynes Lightning struck at the Link Centre.

Current Great Britain boss Russell, who spent two years in charge of the Wildcats between 2006 and 2008 and joined MK after leaving his post as head coach of the Swindon-based Oaknagan Hockey School, guided the visitors to a 5-2 success at the expense of Stevie Lyle’s troops, who were condemned to their second home defeat of the season.

The home side’s efforts to bounce straight back to winning ways following their 6-0 mauling at Guildford Flames on Sunday got off to a tricky start as the Lightning plundered a soft goal in the opening few minutes.

A pot-shot from Adam Carr had Lyle in trouble and the Wildcats D was nowhere to be seen as Jack Watkins gleefully tapped the rebound into the empty net to open the scoring.

That early goal lit the blue touch paper on the encounter, with Jan Kostal, Matt Selby and Lee Richardson all testing MK netminder Jordan Marr as the tempo quickened.

Tomasz Malasinski showed superb skill to nip away from two defenders and get on the end of Michael Stratford’s pass before cracking a shot on goal from a tight angle but Marr was equal tos scorching effort, plucking the puck from air with consummate ease.

Despite conceding the first power play of the night, Swindon were handed the opportunity to draw level when Aaron Nell broke free on the counter and was hooked to the floor, with the officials awarding a penalty shot.

But despite taking his time, the Wildcats forward couldn’t get the better of Marr, with the Lightning stopper staying upright and pulling off a save with his right leg.

The visitors’ Jordan Cownie was handed two minutes to smashing Harvey Stead into the boards from behind late in the first period and that penalty was to prove costly as the Wildcats levelled moments after the break.

Sami Ryhanen gained possession in space and with nobody to pass to as two MK men closed off all avenues, after a relative eternity of hesitation, the Finnish forward instead opted to slam a shot past a helpless Marr to make it 1-1.

With parity restored, the two teams went at it hammer and tong in a bid to gain supremacy, with Adam Harding looking to nose his side in front as he jinked past two opponents and tested Marr from range.

A smart move involving Floyd Taylor and Nell ended with Malasinski striking at goal but the impressive Marr was on-hand to keep out Swindon once again.

The pressure was building at both ends and when the next goal came, the men in red were left cursing their look as the Lightning restored their lead.

MK players swarmed into the Wildcats zone and pressurised the hosts into relinquishing the puck, allowing Rene Jarolin to squeeze a shot in at the far post to leave Swindon trailing 2-1.

In the third and final period, the hosts’ task was made all the more difficult as MK grabbed fortunate third, Marko Luomala gaining possession from an aerial puck and seeing his strike loop off Lyle, over the Swindon keeper’s head and into the net.

Then, with just under seven minutes of the third period elapsed, the Wildcats were dealt a hammer blow as Cownie played a smart pass across the face of goal and Blaz Emersic rifled in an unstoppable effort to make it 4-1 to the Lightning.

But a power play goal offered some hope for the hosts, Ryhanen crossing for Malasinski to hammer into the net from point-blank range, and that sparked a white-knuckle period where the Wildcats threw everything at the MK goal.

A superb swivel and pass from Nell picked out Harding in an unmarked position but Marr was on hand to pull off another inch-perfect save and after the Swindon coach came out of his net in favour of another offensive player late on, the Lightning broke in a flash and Markku Tähtinen teed up Bobby Chamberlain to fire number five into the unguarded net.