Lee Brathwaite (right) and Tom Duggan were injured in fights

Swindon Wildcats battled to a 3-1 win at the Bracknell Bees to earn Ryan Aldridge back-to-back victories in his first weekend as player-coach.

The game dissolved into two fights in the opening seconds before the sides settled down, John Wheaton and Matty Davies handing Swindon a two-goal lead.

Peter Jasik scored short-handed to put Bracknell back in the game, but Joel Petkoff wrapped up the Wildcats' win.

On Saturday, Swindon beat Sheffield 3-2 while the Bees won 7-3 at Telford.

"We had a massive weekend," Aldridge told the BBC.

"We've got the winning feeling back in the locker room."

According to Aldridge, both teams had gone into the game expecting an explosive encounter following Swindon's physical 3-2 win at home to Bracknell last month.

"I think it came from the last game, they didn't like the way we beat them in our rink and we played very physical.

"They talked a lot about it before the game, we figured out it was going to happen and a couple of guys wanted to get into that anyway.

"It could have been a lot worse and it got the game going."

Aldridge hailed "massive" final-period saves from goaltender Ladislav Kudrna as the Bees piled on the pressure, but Bracknell player-coach Adam Bicknell refused to accept that as an excuse for defeat.

"We seem to make that excuse every week, that the goalie was good," said an exasperated Bicknell.

"There comes a point where you have to say we weren't good enough. You create your own luck and I'm tired of hearing 'the goalie was good'."

However, Bicknell insisted his players would begin to improve.

"The point of sacking people and bringing new people in has gone. I really do believe in the players we've got and I can't keep just going on at them.

"We've got a week off so we have to gather our thoughts and start again. I think Christmas is going to be a big turning point for us."

There was more bad news for the Bees as forward Tom Duggan suffered a suspected broken collarbone.

Duggan left the ice following a fight with Swindon's Shane Moore, who was ejected from the game, and the Bracknell 18-year-old was taken to hospital for further treatment.

"He's a massive loss, he's been playing really well," said Bicknell.

"The injury list keeps growing, we get one back then we lose one. We tried to turn it round for him tonight - unfortunately we didn't, but good luck to him."

Duggan was joined in hospital by Swindon's Lee Brathwaite, who needed treatment for a split eyelid following a fight with Bracknell's Joe Greener.

Swindon remain fifth in the English Premier League ice hockey league table with 26 points from 25 games, two points ahead of sixth-placed Bracknell, with 24 points from 23 games.

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