PLAYER-COACH Aaron Nell says the acid test of his Swindon Wildcats side will be how they respond once their superb winning run does come to an end.

Swindon were 5-1 winners away at Milton Keynes Lightning in the National League on Sunday night – making it eight victories and four perfect weekends in a row having also claimed a 5-2 success at home to London side Raiders on Saturday.

That faultless run has catapulted the Cats to the top of the league table, and they have not tasted defeat since falling 5-4 away at Raiders on October 6.

Although quick to praise his troops for their flying form, Nell hopes they can find the right reaction once their scintillating sequence is eventually ended.

“The two wins at the weekend were excellent. It’s a testament to how hard the guys are working in games and in practice,” said Nell.

“We know we are not going to keep on winning. We are going to lose at some point, and we have got some very difficult games coming up.

“When it does come to an end, we have got to bounce back and try to win the next one.

“Right now, I think it’s the best I have seen from the guys in terms of not getting too high or too low. They are getting the wins they deserve at the moment.

“Every game is important. We are just taking it one game at a time and trying to win as many of them as we can.”

Swindon enjoyed a straightforward evening at Milton Keynes on Sunday to inflict an 11th defeat in 13 league games this season on the Buckinghamshire side.

Lightning were playing in British ice hockey’s top tier – the Elite League – last season, so their poor form comes as a huge surprise.

Although they sit bottom of the table, Nell expects them to hit their stride again sooner rather than later.

“Milton Keynes had to have a big adjustment over the summer and they have had a lot of injuries to deal with too,” said Nell.

“Every game is tough and if you are not fully at it, you are going to get punished.

“Fortunately for us, we have been right at it over the last eight games and we have managed to get wins.

“I am sure Milton Keynes will turn it around.”