THE Bespoke Guardians Swindon Wildcats’ weekend followed the form book as Aaron Nell’s mid-table team beat struggling Hull Seahawks before losing to NIHL leaders, Leeds Knights.

The two-point weekend featured a 3-1 victory over the league’s bottom side at the Link Centre on Saturday and a sobering 7-1 reverse in Yorkshire 24 hours later.

Swindon’s thumping at Leeds was not without positives, though, as Tomasz Malasinski brought up his 500th Wildcats point, and young talent Jamie Smith won the visitors’ man of the match for an impressive display.

Malasinski recorded his 498th Swindon point in the early moments of Saturday’s contest, scoring at 2:24 to hand the Wildcats the advantage from Edgars Bebris and Nell’s exchange of passes.

Heavy favourites coming into the game, Swindon failed to put their foot down against an under-strength Hull team and they duly paid the price before the first buzzer sounded.

Former Wildcats forward Emil Svec pounced on Nathan Salem’s assist to slam past Renny Marr and level the score at 14:57.

It took the home team a little over six minutes of the second period to re-establish their lead, and this time it was Nell who finished a move off featuring Malasinski and Balint Pakozdi.

Following a handful of penalties either side of the 40-minute mark, the Wildcats netted the final goal of the game at 48:55 – Nell once again on the scoresheet following passes from Pakozdi and Sam Godfrey.

With two points in the bag, Swindon travelled up to Leeds on Sunday hoping to repeat their heroics from earlier in the season – becoming the first team to beat Leeds on their own ice pad.

A penalty-filled first period eventually made way for Sam Zajac’s goal just 22 seconds before the end, putting the Knights one up.

Malasinski’s solo effort – which also proved to be his milestone point – levelled the contest at 28:43, before Leeds ran away with the game in the second half.

Kieran Brown began the assault, and Cole Shudra’s brace put the Yorkshire outfit 4-1 ahead with 20 minutes to play.

Zach Brooks added a fifth, while Swindon opted for a change in netminder for the final 10 minutes – Marr being replaced by Dean Skinns.

The new goalie could not prevent further pain for Nell’s men, though, with Matt Heywood and Carter Hamill wrapping up an emphatic result for Leeds courtesy of two more late strikes.

The Wildcats will hope to bounce back next weekend when they host the Bees before travelling to Peterborough to take on the Phantoms.