SWINDON Wildcats bounced back from double defeats in the National Ice Hockey League by claiming a four-point weekend against the Raiders IHC on Saturday and Sunday.

Aaron Nell’s men began the weekend by beating the Raiders 4-1 in front of a packed crowd at the Link Centre before battling to a 3-2 win in Romford on Sunday night.

The Wildcats’ new signing Russell Cowley made an immediate impact, scoring two goals, while Renny Marr shone between the pipes.

Four more points pushed Swindon up to third behind Milton Keynes Lightning and Leeds Knights – both of whom maintained their 100 per cent records last time out.

In Saturday’s contest at the Link Centre, the Raiders opened the scoring through Tommy Huggett. The visitors were later afforded a chance to extend their shock lead via a penalty shot, but Marr denied Harry Gulliver to send the two teams in just one goal apart at the end of the first period.

It took Swindon until the 28th minute to equalise, as Tomasz Malasinski forced the puck through Ethan James in the Raiders’ net.

Cowley scored his first in Wildcats colours to nudge the hosts ahead shortly after, and Balint Pakozdi took advantage of a home powerplay opportunity to net a third before the second buzzer.

In a one-goal third period, Reed Sayers powered towards the net before smashing a first-time shot into the net to cap a confidence-boosting victory.

The return fixture on Sunday saw the Wildcats kick off the scoring through Cowley’s second of the weekend. He flicked the puck through a crowd of bodies and into the top corner for the only goal inside the opening 20 minutes.

Swindon gave away a penalty in the middle period, and from that the Raiders gained their equaliser when Brandon Ayliffe rifled the puck past Marr.

The Raiders turned the game on its head in the third period after a two-on-one breakaway chance resulted in Matthieu Gomercic firing through Marr’s legs.

With the Wildcats piling on the pressure, Nell’s men equalised after Pakozdi threw the puck towards the net and it found a way past James.

The winning goal emerged four minutes from time after the Wildcats received a powerplay and Malasinski latched onto a rebound before forcing the puck home.