Match Report: Raiders 4 – 3 AIB MKL – 16th January 2022
Raiders inflicted the first back-to-back defeats for Milton Keynes Lightning since early November when they completed a weekend double over the city side in a 4-3 win at the Sapphire Centre on Sunday. The result was identical to that of the encounter between the two sides 24 hours earlier at Planet Ice. On this occasion though, it was Lightning who took the lead rather than the opposition – only to go two goals behind in the latter stages of the second period. Brandon Stones made his first start in goal since November 28 when MK beat Basingstoke Bison 8-4 [...]
Match Report: AIB MKL 3 – 4 Raiders – 15th January 2022
Raiders inflicted defeat at home on Milton Keynes Lightning for the first time since mid-December with a late goal to ensure a 4-3 win at Planet Ice on Saturday. The visitors have been on a relatively rich vein of form in recent weeks with three of their seven league victories have come in January and their latest success came despite being outshot 40-26 as Lightning failed to find to convert chances into goals. Former head coach Nick Poole attending to join the commemorations for Lewis Christie’s 500th appearance for the team will have been disappointed to see his former club [...]
Match Report: AIB MKL 8 – 4 Basingstoke Bison – 7th January 2022
A superb Liam Stewart hat-trick and the return of two defencemen from injury, plus a surprise appearance from a former Lightning forward steered the team to a well-deserved 8-4 win over Basingstoke Bison at Planet Ice on Friday. The victory sent Lightning a point clear at the top of the National Ice Hockey League with Lewis Clifford’s charges looking increasingly likely to be there or thereabouts with each week that passes. For the first time in a couple of months James Griffin and Sam Russell were able to return to MK’s defence and both gave assured performances as the [...]
Match Report: Basingstoke Bison 5 – 4 AIB MKL (PS) – 1st January 2022
Milton Keynes Lightning remained in the leading pack in the National Ice Hockey League despite a 5-4 penalty shot defeat at Basingstoke Bison on Saturday. Having fought back from being 3-1 behind at the start of the third period MK took the game into a scoreless five minutes of overtime by squaring things at four goals each with a 53rd minute powerplay strike from Leigh Jamieson. That was the encounter remained once overtime had expired, thus requiring penalty shots that eventually clinched a 5-4 win for the Hampshire side when George Norcliffe converted past goalie Matthew Smital. However, Lightning [...]
Match Report: Swindon Wildcats 4 – 9 AIB MKL – 30th December 2021
Michael Farn made a surprise but welcome return to Milton Keynes Lightning as they closed the gap on league leaders Swindon Wildcats to two points with a comfortable 9-4 win at the Link Centre on Thursday. Farn, now player coach at Streatham Redhawks, was drafted in to fill the growing number of injuries for Lewis Clifford’s side. He did not disappoint, slotting in as if he’d never been away, despite the fact he last appeared for the club in their final English Premier League season in 2016-2017. Wildcats too were short on their normal roster due to injury and [...]
Match Report: Peterborough Phantoms 7 – 2 AIB MKL – 28th December 2021
Two goals in the opening seven minutes sent Peterborough Phantoms on their way to a 7-2 win over Milton Keynes Lightning at Bretton on Tuesday – the visitors enduring a miserable night. Bobby Chamberlain joined the list of absentees that also included Ben Russell, Mikey Power, Hallden Barnes-Garner, James Griffin and Sam Russell, while Tyler Nixon and Milique Martelly were again added to the squad. Lightning were unable to find a way past goalie Jordan Marr until the 26th minute, by that time they were already three goals behind after Jasper Foster set up Callum Buglass for the opening [...]
Match Report: AIB MKL 5 – 3 Peterborough Phantoms – 27th December 2021
A super Bobby Chamberlain second period powerplay goal eventually broke the resolve of Peterborough Phantoms as Milton Keynes Lightning chalked up their tenth win in 12 games with a 5-3 victory at Planet Ice on Monday. Until that moment, neither side seriously looked like scoring in a game that, for the most part, lacked energy. A 29th minute tripping call on Jasper Foster proved to be Phantoms’ undoing when Liam Stewart blasted the puck towards goal from out on the left for Chamberlain to redirect beyond goalie Jordan Marr on 30mins 38secs. Once the hosts broke the deadlock – even [...]
Match Report: Sheffield Steeldogs 2 – 6 AIB MKL – 19th December 2021
A fantastic hat-trick from Sam Talbot helped Milton Keynes Lightning bounce back from a home defeat with a 6-2 victory at Sheffield Steeldogs on Sunday. After the 5-2 loss to Steeldogs the previous evening, MK headed to Sheffield for the return National Ice Hockey League fixture and gained revenge with a result that meant they ended the weekend level on points with the second in the table Yorkshire side. At iceSheffield Bobby Chamberlain got the show on the road with a goal after 5mins 8secs – Talbot making the supply - before Adam Laishram and Lewis Christie clashed with [...]
Match Report: AIB MKL 2 – 5 Sheffield Steeldogs – 18th December 2021
An uncharacteristically poor opening 15 minutes cost Milton Keynes Lightning the chance of victory against Sheffield Steeldogs and, with it, their nine match points run at Planet Ice on Saturday. Steeldogs bagged three goals in the first seven minutes and added a fourth before the quarter of an hour was up, leaving Lightning fans hardly able to believe what they were seeing. Although MK were able to recover to take the score to 4-2 by the 28th minute they could not recover further and Steeldogs capped their win with an empty net goal with 35 seconds remaining. A speculative shot [...]
Match Report: AIB MKL 9 – 2 Raiders – 11th December 2021
Ever improving Milton Keynes Lightning moved up into second place in the National Ice Hockey League for the first time this season after sweeping aside Raiders in a convincing 9-2 win at Planet Ice on Saturday. It was Lightning’s biggest win of the campaign so far and their eighth win in nine games – the only point dropped due to a penalty shot loss at Telford Tigers the previous weekend. There were seven different scorers as Raiders were torn apart with goals from all three lines. Sean Norris got the show on the road after he broke away for a [...]