Match Reports are brought to you in association with A2B Airport Transfers Raiders dealt a blow to Smith Recycling Milton Keynes Lightning’s ambitions of making ground on the teams above them in the National Ice Hockey League as Lewis Clifford’s charges went down 6-4 at Romford’s Sapphire Ice Centre on Sunday. Coupled with Saturday’s overtime loss to Swindon Wildcats it meant that Lightning gleaned just a single point from the weekend and although still in sixth position are level on points with Sheffield Steeldogs who defeated Raiders the previous day. There was a bright start for Lightning when Cale Tanaka set up Tom Carlon to fire them ahead with a shot past goalie Michael Gray after 2mins 29secs. But within seconds Raiders were level – Aaron Connolly being supplied by Brandon Ayliffe for the equaliser at three minutes exactly. A pair of penalties on Liam Stewart and Jack Flynn on 7mins 59secs, for interference and elbows respectively, made no difference to the [...]

Match Reports are brought to you in association with A2B Airport Transfers Sam Bullas drove a bullet into Smith Recycling Milton Keynes Lightning’s hopes of maintaining their home winning run when he struck with an overtime winner at Planet Ice on Saturday. The goal 3mins 18secs into the extra period was all the more hard to take because until 20secs from the end of regulation time Lightning had led the game from the time Russell Cowley had opened the hosts’ account with just over two minutes gone. Among the spectators was former champion boxer Frank Bruno whose foundation announced the sponsorship of Rio Grinell-Parke and performed a ceremonial drop of the puck with both teams captains, Cowley and Bullas. Bruno’s Northampton-based foundation is raising funds for a non-contact boxing centre for youngsters with mental health problems – the boxer having suffered in the past. And after watching two periods of the game Bruno confessed he would rather fight Mike Tyson any day: [...]

Match Reports are brought to you in association with A2B Airport Transfers Smith Recycling Milton Keynes Lightning suffered slight blip in their recent resurgence when they went down 5-4 on penalty shots at Sheffield Steeldogs on Sunday. It meant that Lightning finished the weekend with three out of a possible four points. A few weeks ago that would have been regarded with delight but following the recent turn around in results which has produced 26 points out of 30 it could wrongly be regarded as a setback. At IceSheffield they fell behind to a Ryan Johnson opener for Steeldogs after 7mins 41secs – the assist going to player coach Ben Morgan - and then conceded again to a Jan Danecek goal after 8mins 58secs with Craig Elliott providing the supply. Lightning were unable to find a way back into the game when Lewis Bell was called for holding in the 14th minute, but after the penalty expired Lewis Christie set up Cale [...]

Match Reports are brought to you in association with A2B Airport Transfers Sheffield Steeldogs' reported attempts to close down sharp shooter Liam Stewart worked well for all of 2mins 4secs as Smith Recycling Milton Keynes Lightning closed the gap on the teams above them in the National Ice Hockey League at Planet Ice on Saturday. To a player of Stewart's calibre Steeldogs' bid to stop him would have proved to a challenge to rise to. And it took him a mere couple of minutes to fire cheeky backhand shot past Dimitri Zimozdra after being set up by Ross Green. Then to emphasise a point Stewart then scored the game winning goal to make it 4-3 seconds after Sheffield had tied the game up with just over six minutes remaining. Combined with defeat for Hull Pirates it meant that Lightning moved into fifth spot in the table with Basingstoke Bison and Peterborough Phantoms now clearly within sight. Following 'Disco' Stewart's opener the hosts [...]

Match Reports are brought to you in association with A2B Airport Transfers Smith Recycling Milton Keynes Lightning recorded their ninth win in the past 11 games when they saw off a late Bracknell Bees challenge on Sunday to chalk up a 5-4 success. In a closely fought encounter both teams traded goals at The Hive until Lightning finally broke Bees resolve in the third period with two strikes to edge to a 5-3 scoreline. But there was an almost immediate response from the hosts as Harvey Stead banged in a fourth goal to cut the gap the one with less than four minutes remaining. It means that the league series between MK and Bees ends with honours even – the Berkshire outfit winning the first two meetings and Lewis Clifford’s team the second two as they consolidated their sixth position in the National Ice Hockey League. Bees opened their account on the powerplay as the result of a hooking call on Grant [...]

Match Reports are brought to you in association with A2B Airport Transfers Six second period goals – three of them in a blistering two minutes – put Hull Pirates to the sword as Smith Milton Keynes Lightning equalled their biggest winning margin in a 9-4 victory at Planet Ice on Saturday. The win lifted Lightning up one place to sixth in the table – level on points with Sheffield Steeldogs, next weekend’s opposition, who slipped to seventh. Having beaten four of the top five clubs in recent weeks some will not only be tipping MK for a place in the final four play-off weekend at Coventry in April but for the team to go all the way and win it. The only side they have not beaten since the beginning of December are second placed Swindon Wildcats – mainly because the two outfits have not met in that period! Lightning had to overcome a 2-1 deficit in a particularly fractious first period [...]

Match Reports are brought to you in association with A2B Airport Transfers An excellent display in the latter half of the game saw Smith Recycling Milton Keynes Lightning come from two goals behind to convincingly beat Peterborough Phantoms 6-3 at Bretton on New Year’s Day.  Three third period goals by an increasingly confident Lightning saw off their old foes and helped to dismiss the memory of the disappointing overtime loss in Milton Keynes the previous Saturday.  It kept Lightning on course to march up the National Ice Hockey League – having taken 19 points out of a possible 22 in their last 11 games. That is form that even league leaders Telford Tigers cannot match. The visitors suffered an early blow when Petr Stepanek, who failed to score against MK the previous Saturday, put that right with a goal after just 1min 7secs with the supply coming from Corey McEwen, son of former Peterborough and Cardiff Devils legend, Doug McEwen.  McEwen was [...]

Match Reports are brought to you in association with A2B Airport Transfers League leaders Telford Tigers were defeated by a super Smith Recycling Milton Keynes Lightning for the second time in three weeks as the city side bounced back after Saturday’s loss to record a 6-3 win in Shropshire on Sunday. It meant that Lightning bagged three points out of a possible weekend four to continue to close the gap on the teams above them in the National Ice Hockey League. MK may still be seventh but the deficit on Sheffield Steeldogs one place above them is down to two points and they could have the chance to draw closer to fifth placed Hull Pirates, next Saturday’s opposition at Planet Ice, depending on other results. Jordan Lawday was handed netminding duties while Brandon Stones was back-up, returning from injury and Tom Carlon was also back. Lightning raced to a two goal lead by the first interval thanks to a brace of strikes [...]

Match Reports are brought to you in association with A2B Airport Transfers Smith Recycling Milton Keynes Lightning’s four game winning run was ended by old rivals Peterborough Phantoms in dramatic style at Planet Ice on  Saturday with an overtime winner 19.5 seconds from the final buzzer. Absolutely no one in the crowd of 2,245 could have had any grounds for complaint about entertainment value even though the goal by Callum Buglass to seal a 7-6 win for the visitors was a disappointing conclusion for home fans. The game was one of the best seen in Milton Keynes in many a year with an encounter which had everything – passion, commitment and plenty of heart-stopping moments for a noisy crowd boosted by a large travelling contingent. While it is true to say that Lightning were always chasing the game from the moment Bradley Bowering put Phantoms in front on the powerplay after 6mins 46secs it was a match-up which could have gone either [...]

Match Reports are brought to you in association with A2B Airport Transfers A super James Griffin goal 1min 29secs into overtime sealed another fantastic four point weekend for Smith Recycling Milton Keynes Lightning at Basingstoke Bison on Sunday. The 3-2 win completed a weekend double over the Hampshire effort, yet Lightning were just 31 seconds from defeat when Liam Stewart scored the equalising goal after goalie Jordan Lawday was pulled for the extra skater. It means Lightning are edging ever closer to the middle pack in the National Ice Hockey League – three points behind Sheffield Steeldogs who occupy sixth spot and six adrift of Hull Pirates in fourth. A month ago fourth place would have seemed an impossible target but having taken 14 points out the last 16 it now looks a realistic goal for MK. After a goal-less first period in which Lightning were forced to defend two spells short-handed, Griffin called for cross-checking and then Leigh Jamieson was given [...]