Milton Keynes Lightning 7-5 Leeds Knights

Saturday 1st April 2023

By Jamie Bartholomew (Twitter @jamie_jamster19)

The All in Black Milton Keynes Lightning finish off their regular season schedule with a home and home series vs league champions Leeds Knights.

On Saturday at the Milton Keynes Arena its was legends night to celebrate 20 years of Milton Keynes Lightning on the ice. Legends such as Nick Poole, Vito Rausa, Adam Carr, Grant McPherson and Michael Farn plus many more were in attendance for the occasion. It was also a 600th league appearance for Leigh Jamieson and a frame shirt was presented to Leigh before the game with his family joining him for the presentation.

On the ice, Lightning started slowly and fell into the 3 goal hole with only 9:07 played with Cole Shudra grabbing two, the 2nd after coming off the bench to collect an astray pass from Lightning behind Leeds red line to race in and score 1 on 0 pass Jordan Hedley. Tim Wallace got one back before the period was out but overall it not the start Lightning were hoping for on home ice. The 2nd period saw Lightning fight back to level at 3-3 lead by Rio Grinell-Parke, playing on the top line with Liam Stewart and Sam Talbot Rio set the tempo for the period with a big hit on Kieran Brown 7 seconds into the period. Then when Cam Hamill was in the box for tripping he nicked the puck off a Leeds player at the defensive blue line and cantered in 1-0 to finish glove side on Harrison Walker. Lightning equalised came on the PP thanks to Sam Talbot mazey run to finish shooting high blocker on Walker. Lightning continued being more aggressive and physical in a topsy turvey 3rd period which saw them over the line against a Leeds team that always carried a huge threat, both goals for the Knights in the 3rd coming from import Zach Brooks with one on the PP. However, goals for Lightning from Talbot, 2 for Liam Stewart and Wallace 2nd of the game saw Lightning home. That not to say there were a few nervy moments for the capacity crowd of 2,555 to get worried about especially when Zaine McKenzie picked up 4mins in penalties with just over 4mins left getting what some would argued to be a soft 2min holding call and a less debatable 2min abuse of official penalty but with the Knights forwards Brooks and Brown picking up 2min penalties as well for Cross-Checking and boarding respectively during McKenzie 4min kill it meant that the bumper crowd went home happy in the knowledge that Lightning had secured 2nd place in the league even though we didn’t know who the Lightning opponents would be at the time.

Stats  

Powerplays

MKL: 1/5 + 1SH goal

LEE: 1/4

Penalty Minutes

MKL: 12

LEE: 16

Shots on Goal

                      1st        2nd         3rd     Total

On Hedley:    19        12         16       47  (89.36% SVS)

On Walker      5          9          10       24   (70.83% SVS)

  

Man of the Match

MKL: #19 Leigh Jamieson

LEE: #27 Cole Shudra

Referee’s: Chris Wells and Deanna Culgatta

Assistants: Jason Earl and Mariusz Kowal

Attendance: 2,555

Official Gamesheet: https://eiha.hisports.site/games/112883