A HAT-TRICK from player-coach Aaron Nell secured a 7-4 away win for Swindon Wildcats at basement side Bracknell Bees.

Corey McEwen and Carlo Finucci gave Swindon the ideal start at the John Nike Leisure Centre before Milan Kostourek pulled a goal back for the hosts.

Aaron Nell and James Galazzi both scored before the end of the first period before Matt Foord scored on his 600th appearance to level the game.

Nell got his second five minutes into the final period before Galazzi secured his brace eight minutes from time before Nell completed his treble and Jonas Höög got a double to claim the win.

Bracknell started the brighter of the two sides and Graham tested Jordan Hedley in between the Swindon sticks in the first minute as his deflected effort rattled off the crossbar.

However, it was Swindon who took the lead when Stevie Whitfield sets away McEwen on the counter and, with Finucci showing left, the 23-year-old tried his luck and beat Alexander Mettam to the goalies left.

Swindon had doubled their lead just 77 seconds later when Adam Harding and Tomasz Malasinski linked up well before Finucci added the finishing touch from the right of Mettam's goal.

Kostourek was able to reduce the deficit for the hosts in the 11th minute when Carl Graham found him in front of Hedley and the forward turned smartly to fire into an empty net.

Swindon restored their two goal advantage two minutes later as Meetam was unable to get enough Nell's shot from the right and the puck trickled over the line.

Bracknell ensured they were back in the tie less than two minutes before the first break as Jan Bendik fired in the puck from the blue line through a host of bodies and Galazzi got the telling touch to beat Hedley.

A fight 37 seconds after the break set the tone for the second period as Galazzi and Matt Selby downed gloves, with the Swindon man ending face first on the ice.

Harding then found himself in the bin two minutes later as he was penalised for slashing on Joshua Tetlow and it proved crucial.

Just six seconds later Foord was finding the back of the net for the hosts to restore parity.

Jan Kostal, Sam Bullas twice, Spearing and Antonov all found themselves in the bin before the end of the period as the game struggled to get going.

Swindon were back in front less than five minutes into the third period after Smith had been sent to the bin for high sticks on Toms Rutkis.

With the extra man, Jonas Höög was able to drop the puck back to Nell whose fierce shot made it all the way through to the back of the net.

With eight minutes left on the clock, Bracknell were back level again as Galazzi was given too much time in the centre of the ice and his powerful shot beat Hedley.

However, Nell had the visitors back in front again in the 57th minute with a shot from the right that beat a hapless Mettams before Höög was played through one-on-one with the Bracknell stopper and the Swede ensured his goal at the second attempt.

With Bracknell pulling their netminder in a desperate attempt to get a way back into the game, Höög wrapped up the win as he fired into an empty net with two minutes remaining.

Bees man of the match: James Galazzi

Cats man of the match: Carlo Finucci