Everyone Active Raiders will look to buck a losing trend when they take on MK Lightning in a National League double-header this weekend.

Raiders travel to Milton Keynes on Saturday and host a return at Romford's Sapphire Ice & Leisure Centre on Sunday (5.15pm), having lost all three previous meetings between the two sides this season.

They went down 6-1 on their travels on the opening day of the campaign, then lost by the odd goal in nine after a dramatic finale to their November 25 meeting, before a 12-3 thumping on home ice the following night.

And Sean Easton's men go into their latest encounters on the back of successive defeats against Hull and Bees last weekend, after the departure of Canadian forward Riley MacRae was revealed last Friday.

"Riley going was gutting, but I will never hold someone back," said head coach Easton.

"Recruiting an import is hard in the summer, recruiting in January weeks before the deadline is harder as everyone is settled.

"With the visa rules we can only recruit from listed leagues that said players had to have played last season and played 70 per cent of the avalible games.

"MK is going to be tough, we are without Laish [Adam Laishram] as agreed when signing as he is at his brother's wedding this weekend in Canada.

"It’s a chance to use the full bench and get some good habits back and a compete level that’s required to get us in that play-off spot we want going forward."

Raiders found themselves two goals down with barely six minutes played against Hull last Saturday, before Jacob Ranson hit back on his 300th appearance for the club.

Seahawks added a powerplay goal at the start of the middle session but Brynley Capps hit straight back just 11 seconds later.

Hull moved 5-2 up, though, before Tjay Anderson and captain Aaron Connolly cut the gap to one in the final period.

But Connolly's second goal of the night was little consolation as the visitors skated off with a 6-5 win.

Anderson's early brace put Raiders on top at Bees - where they had won 10-1 a fortnight earlier - but the hosts replied with three unanswered goals before the midway mark.

Jake Sylvester's equaliser proved a false dawn as Bees moved 4-3 up just 23 seconds later, with a powerplay goal securing the points six minutes from time.

"A disappointing weekend, slow start Saturday hurt us and complacency hurt us Sunday," added Easton.

"Yes we were down an import, yes players are playing with serious injuries and illnesses but we were in both games.

"We lacked execution from the top guys but the youngsters are putting up the points."

MATCH DETAILS

National League

Saturday

Raiders 5 Hull 6

Raiders: Aaron Connolly 2, Brynley Capps 1, Jacob Ranson 1, Tjay Anderson 1, Brandon Ayliffe 0+2, Tom Relf 0+2, Elliott Dewey 0+1, George Norcliffe 0+1.

Seahawks: Bobby Chamberlain 2+1, Finlay Ulrick 1+1, Lee Bonner 1+1, Bobby Young 1+1, Jordan Fisher 1, Brock Bartholomew 0+2, Declan Jones 0+2, Owen Bruton 0+1, Thomas Stubley 0+1, Emil Svec 0+1, Declan Balmer 0+1.

First period

0-1 Bonner (Chamberlain, Stubley) 4.54; 0-2 Ulrick (Balmer, Svec) 6.22; 1-2 Ranson 10.40.

Penalties: None.

Second period

1-3 Chamberlain (Ulrick, Bartholomew) PP 20.32; 2-3 Capps (Relf) 20.43; 2-4 Young (Bartholomew, Jones) 23.53; 2-5 Fisher (Jones, Bruton) 28.41.

Penalties: Prevost (R) slash 20.19; Jones (H) trip 21.30; Bonner (H) trip 24.59; Tomalin (R) trip 24.59; Novak (R) rough 35.52; Barry (H) rough 35.52; Prevost (R) cross 36.03; Prevost (R) fight (5 mins) 36.03; James (R) rough 36.03; Balmer (H) rough 36.03; Bartholomew (H) net intrf 36.03; Bartholomew (H) fight (5 mins) 36.03; Svec (H) rough 36.03; Young (H) che-h 39.09.

Third period

3-5 Anderson (Ayliffe, Relf) 42.24; 4-5 Connolly (Norcliffe) 48.47; 4-6 Chamberlain (Bonner, Young) 49.47; 5-6 Connolly (Dewey, Ayliffe) 54.20.

Penalties: Chilcott (H) trip 44.42; Novak (R) trip 55.57.

Shots on goal: Ethan James (R, 58.53) 18-10-6=34-6, empty net (1.07); Jordan McLaughlin (H, 59.39) 10-9-21=40-5, empty net (0.21).

Sunday

Bees 5 Raiders 3

Bees: Gianni Vitali 1+4, Dan Rose 1+2, Adam Rosbottom 1+1, Dominik Gabaj 1+1, Marcel Balaz 1, Vanya Antonov 0+1, Harvey Stead 0+1.

Raiders: Tjay Anderson 2, Jake Sylvester 1, Brandon Ayliffe 0+1, Zack Milton 0+1, Ethan James 0+1, Adam Laishram 0+1.

First period

0-1 Anderson (Ayliffe, James) 2.41; 0-2 Anderson 5.35; 1-2 Balaz (Gabaj, Vitali) PP 14.09

Penalties: Rose (B) trip 0.39; Relf (R) elbow 10.22; Relf (R) intrf 12.40; Milton (R) rough 15.42.

Second period

2-2 Vitali (Rosbottom, Rose) 20.30; 3-2 Rose (Stead, Vitali) 29.13; 3-3 Sylvester (Milton, Laishram) 29.38; 4-3 Rosbottom (Rose, Vitali) 30.01.

Penalties: Morris (B) elbow 22.06; Ayliffe (R) trip 30.36; Webb (B) trip 36.24.

Third period

5-3 Gabaj (Vitali, Antonov) PP 53.46.

Penalties: Dewey (R) elbow 43.11; H Stead (B) trip 44.59; W Stead (B) hook 50.38; Anderson (R) intrf 53.07.

Shots on goal: Brett Shepherd (B) 12-13-11=36-3; Ethan James (R, 58.34) 15-14-9=37-5, empty net (1.26).