SWINDON Wildcats’ English Premier League play-off programme started in chastising fashion this evening as they were stuck down by a heavy defeat on the road at Milton Keynes Lightning.

Aaron Nell’s side finished the regular season ranked sixth for the end-off-season showdown, pitting them in the same quarter-final pool as second seeds MK, as well as Basingstoke Bison and Hull Pirates.

On paper, the Cats began their post-season schedule with the toughest fixture, and so it proved on the ice as Swindon were ruthlessly despatched at Planet Ice.

It was a nightmare start for the Wildcats as they fell behind with little over a minute on the clock. Frantisek Bakrlik blasted in a powerful shot from close range that visiting netminder Michael Crisp could not hold and the MK import finished the job on the rebound.

More than five minutes had passed before Swindon mustered their first real effort, with Robin Kovar’s strike on the angle batted away by home keeper Przemyslaw Odrobny.

Bakrlik then saw an effort from distance deflected over the top of the Swindon goal, while Tomasz Malasinski was also off-target at the other end.

Swindon’s Phil Hill saw an effort pushed around the post by Odrobny before MK thought they had capitalised on the sin-binning of Malasinski to double their lead, only for Jordan Cownie’s strike to be chalked off.

The hosts hunted a second goal as the period drew to a close and Leigh Jamieson shot wide from distance before Crisp got down well to smother an effort from Cownie as the Cats survived to the buzzer just one goal in arrears.

Swindon started the second period positively and both Hill and Malasinski had gone close before they were undone by a horrible 30-second spell as Lightning struck twice in quick succession.

First, Craig Scott lashed home Antti Holli’s delivery across the face of the Cats goal before Liam Hook followed up with the home side’s third goal from the next attack.

Crisp then smothered a long-range drive from Lewis Christie but Swindon began to rally and only superb reactions from Odrobny denied Hill before a blistering Cats saw the hosts cut open but Floyd Taylor could not convert Max Birbraer's pass at the back post With five minutes of the second period to play, MK moved further clear following a flurry in front of the Swindon goal, with Mikolaj Lopuski the quickest to react to divert the puck over the line.

However, Swindon did have something to show for their efforts before the buzzer sounded when Malasinski got them on the board after Odrobny could only spill a Jonas Hoog strike.

Anyone expecting the Cats to come out all guns blazing for the final period was sadly mistaken as it was the hosts who continued to have the clearer sights of goal, with Swindon keeper Crisp pulling off saves from both Holli and Tom Carlon.

MK were able to pull further clear with 10 minutes to go when Glenn Billing pulled the puck back to Luc Johnson, who cracked an unstoppable effort past Crisp to complete a tough night for Swindon.