Milton Keynes Lightning beat Bristol Pitbulls 5-3 at Planet Ice Bristol on 27 September, taking two NIHL National points from a game in which they led from the opening period. Carter Hamill and David Thomson scored twice each, while Bradey Johnson added Lightning’s other goal.
Lightning’s first came in unusual circumstances. Hamill was serving a two-minute slashing penalty assessed at 01:36 when Thomson scored shorthanded at 03:28 to put the visitors ahead. Bristol had their own penalty to kill later in the period after Jarvis Hunt was called for slashing at 12:23. Hamill scored on the power play at 13:58, assisted by Johnson and Kell Beattie, to make it 2-0.
The Pitbulls cut that lead before the first break. Jake Bricknell scored at 15:05, with Sam Smith credited with the assist, leaving Lightning 2-1 up after 20 minutes. MKL’s next goal arrived in the second period, again with a Bristol player in the penalty box: Sean Morris received two minutes for slashing at 32:44, and Johnson scored on the power play 12 seconds later. Hamill and Beattie supplied the assists, giving Beattie a second on the night.
Bobby Ragan brought Bristol back to within one at 41:05, assisted by Dylan Stewart and John Dunbar. At 42:06, Lightning’s Harry Gulliver and Bristol’s Harvey Wooldridge each received a five-minute fighting penalty. Bristol’s Joshua Shaw was also given two minutes for boarding at the same time. Those calls were separate from Lightning’s next goal, which came after Shaw’s penalty had ended.
Hamill scored again at 44:35, from Milique Martelly’s assist, to restore MKL’s two-goal lead. Just 41 seconds later Thomson added his second, assisted by Danny Weight and Archie Hazeldine. That made it 5-2 and completed Lightning’s scoring. Hunt pulled one back for Bristol at 55:51, with Dunbar and Tanner Butler providing the assists, but Lightning finished with a 5-3 win.
Jordan Hedley played 60 minutes in goal for Lightning. Ben Norton played 60 minutes in goal for Bristol.
Hamill finished with two goals and an assist, Johnson with a goal and an assist, and Beattie with two assists. Thomson’s two goals bookended MKL’s scoring: the shorthanded opener and the fifth goal that gave Lightning their largest lead of the game. It is another good result on the road, following the win at Telford the previous weekend, and comes a day after Saturday’s home win against Romford.
Source: Official NIHL National gamesheet.
Scoring summary
MK Lightning: Carter Hamill 2+1, David Thomson 2+0, Bradey Johnson 1+1, Kell Beattie 0+2, Danny Weight 0+1, Archie Hazeldine 0+1, Milique Martelly 0+1.
Bristol Pitbulls: Jake Bricknell 1+0, Jarvis Hunt 1+0, Bobby Ragan 1+0, John Dunbar 0+2, Dylan Stewart 0+1, Tanner Butler 0+1, Sam Smith 0+1.
