BRACES from Toms Rutkis and Jan Kostal helped Swindon Wildcats to back-to-back four-point weekends with a 5-1 win away to Manchester Phoenix.

The 18-year-old Latvian, who qualifies to play for Great Britain, scored in the first and second period before captain Kostal struck at the start of the second and end of the third to add to an Aaron Nell goal.

It is hard not to feel sympathy for a Manchester side who are not only playing away from home at the Flyde Coast Ice Arena in Blackpool, but also boast a roster of just 14 players.

Manchester went into game looking for their first win at home this campaign, while Nell’s troops had their eye on a second four-point weekend.

However, the hosts started well as Swindon took some time to get the long journey north worked out of their legs.

It was Swindon though who broke the deadlock in the fifth minute when Rutkis fired across the face of Manchester netminder Stephen Fone from central position for an unassisted goal.

Manchester continued to dominate the chances being created as Swindon struggled to get any moves into the final third but it was a counter-attack that caught Phoenix out a minute before the break.

Stevie Whitfield sent Jonas Höög away down the right and, with Swindon two-on-one, he squared perfectly for Nell to fire into an empty net.

It took just 56 seconds of the second period for Swindon to extend their lead when Höög secured a second assist of the game as he set up Kostal, whose scuffed effort found the back of the net.

With Mark Smith in the bin for slashing, Tomasz Malasinski was denied by the frame of Fone’s goal in the 28th minute as he followed up Nell’s deflected effort.

Manchester took advantage of the slice of luck and went straight down the other end where Langhammer was on hand to fire the hosts back into the game with the powerplay clock running out.

Phoenix had their tails up at this point and only some fine netminding from Stevie Lyle kept them at bay before Rutkis restored the visitors’ three goal advantage in the 37th minute.

Kyle Smith latched onto a loose puck and, with space in front of him, charged at the net before getting his shot off.

Fone could only deflect the youngster’s effort with his pads and Rutkis was on hand to turn the rebound home for his second of the game.

There was still time left in the second period for Manchester to be denied by the frame of Lyle’s goal as Indra saw his deflected effort beat the Swindon netminder but ricochet away from goal.

The Wildcats started the last period with Whitfield in the bin for slashing, but held out to maintain their three-goal lead.

The best chance of the final period fell to Höög in the 50th minute when Lyle turned defence into attack but the Swede, who was found in acres of space, tried to take it around Fone and the angles beat him.

However, Swindon were able to put the icing on their visit north in the 51st minute when Callum Buglass found Kostal in space and the skipper turned in space before firing in off the underside of the bar.

Phoenix man of the match: James Neil

Wildcats man of the match: Toms Rutkis