Milton Keynes Lightning

Milton Keynes Lightning
City Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire
League EIHPL
Founded 2002
Home arena The MK Arena
Colors White, Black & Gold
              
General manager Canada Nick Poole
Head coach Scotland Pete Russell
England Lewis Clifford
Captain England Adam Carr
Affiliates Coventry Blaze
Milton Keynes Thunder
Milton Keynes Storm
Website mk-lightning.com
Franchise history
1990–1996 Milton Keynes Kings
1998–2002 Milton Keynes Kings
2002 – present Milton Keynes Lightning
Championships
Regular season titles 3 (03/04, 04/05 & 09/10)
Playoff championships 4 (02/03, 03/04, 04/05 & 05/06)

The Milton Keynes Lightning are a semi-professional ice hockey team from Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, currently playing in the EPIHL. The team was founded in 2002 to replace the defunct Milton Keynes Kings. Their home rink is the refurbished & renamed MK Arena, known locally as the Thunderdome. It has a capacity of circa 2,500.

Club history

Founded in 2002, MK Lightning moved into the empty space left by the departure of the Milton Keynes Kings. The MK Kings were involved in a dispute with rink operators Planet Ice, which led to their relocation to Solihull in May 2002.[1] There they became the Solihull MK Kings before being wound up in April 2003, after a single season[2]

2002–2006: Early Years

The demise of the Ice Hockey Superleague & the British National League in 2002/03 led to major restructuring of Ice Hockey in the UK. The Milton Keynes Lightning became a founding member of the new Elite Ice Hockey League but competed in the English Premier Ice Hockey League. The first Lightning squad was made up of local players & three Canadian imports, Nick Poole as Player Coach, Claude Dumas & Dwayne Newman. Lightning finished their maiden season in 2nd place, behind Peterborough Phantoms. The two teams met again in the playoff final, with Lightning winning. A rivalry quickly grew between them as they continued to dominate EPL Ice Hockey,[3] MK Lightning were crowned league champions in 2003/04 & 2004/05 as well as dominating the Playoffs until 2006.

2006–2008: League Struggle

2006/07 saw Lightning struggle for the first time. A lack of new players, predictable tactics & an improved opposition being the main drivers. The team ended the season in 5th place[4] & were eliminated from the Playoffs in the first round.[5] 2007/08 saw the situation worsen, with a league finish of 6th. This resulted in a roster overhaul for the new season.[6]

2008–2010: Return to Success

The Lightning squad for 2008/09 included several experienced ex-Elite League players, young British talent & new European imports. After a slow start the team dominated the second half of the season & finished runners-up behind Peterborough.[7] They then met again in the playoff final with the Phantoms winning the encounter.[8] Lightning became the team to beat in 2009/10, despite Elite leagueBasingstoke Bison & Manchester Phoenix joining the EPL. Further squad strengthening helped Lightning dominate & a home win against Swindon Wildcats in March 2010 saw the EPL league trophy return to Milton Keynes.

2010–2014: Near Misses & Unexpected Changes

An inconsistent 2010/11 saw Lightning finish 5th in the league & lose the play off final to Guildford Flames. 2011/12 was no better, again finishing 5th, having led the league in December. The team lost in the playoff quarter finals to eventual winners Slough Jets, despite taking a three goal lead into the away leg. For 2012/13 the team was bolstered with marque signing Adam Calder. Ten games into the season, he suffered a catastrophic hip injury & never played again. January 2013 brought further upheaval, when Nick Poole unexpectedly announced his immediate retirement from playing. Lightning finished in 4th place & lost to Guildford Flames in the play off semi-finals, despite arguably playing the better hockey. The disruption continued for 2013/14 as home games were played in Coventry due to the renovation of the Milton Keynes rink. Due to a lack of practice ice time, the team struggled for consistency but finished in a credible 4th place. They were also the runners up to Basingstoke Bison in the cup. Immediately after the season ended, it was announced that fans favourite Lukas Zatopek would be leaving after six years service.

2014–2015: Back to Milton Keynes & Disapointment

The 2014/15 season started with Lightning continuing to play out of Coventry. Their early form was indifferent & the team languished near the bottom of the league. The refurbishment of the Milton Keynes rink was completed a month into the season & the first game was played on the 18th October 2014 against Sheffield Steeldogs in front of a capacity crowd of 2,500. Despite the return to home ice, Lightning continued to perform poorly. The early season loss of highly rated British forward Tom Carlon, a lack of confidence & the pressure of being back in MK appeared to drive the under performance. By December, with results not improving, import Stanislav Lascek was released & replaced by Marek Curilla. This had little impact & Curilla himself was replaced after 12 appearances by Canadian veteran Curtis Huppe. The New Year also brought a series of injuries to the defensive line, the worst being a double break of the leg for Ross Green. This increased pressure on an already struggling team saw Lightning finish the season in 7th place, their lowest ever position. Despite poor league performances, Lightning defeated Guildford in the playoff quarter finals before losing to Manchester Phoenix in the semi final game. The end of season announcement that Nick Poole would no longer be Head Coach but would replace Vito Rausa as General Manager took fans & players alike by surprise. Poole was replaced by Pete Russell.

Logo history

Arena Redevelopment

In March 2013, Milton Keynes Council approved plans to redevelop the Leisure Plaza and Planet Ice after failed attempts in 2006 & 2011. The development of the arena was funded by Morrisons Supermarkets and took 17 months to complete. This forced Lightning to play their home games at the Coventry Sky Dome during the 2013/2014 season & part of the 2014/2015 season. The team returned to the redeveloped rink which had been renamed to the "MK Arena" on 18 October 2014 against Sheffield Steeldogs, in front of a sell out crowd in excess of 2,500.

Club honours

Winner (3): 2004, 2005, 2010
Runner-up (2): 2003, 2009
Winner (4): 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006
Runner-up (2): 2009, 2011
Runner-up (4): 2003, 2007, 2010, 2014

Club roster

Netminders
No. Nat. Player Catches Date of birth Place of birth Acquired
1 England Jordan Hedley R 7 August 1996 Walsall 2012
Defencemen
No. Nat. Player Shoots Date of birth Place of birth Acquired
5 England Ben Russell R 24 March 1994 London 2013
21 England Ross Green R 19 February 1992 Chelmsford 2008
55 England Michael Farn L 23 June 1988 Durham 2009
66 Scotland Lewis Christie R 30 August 1989 Edinburgh 2008
77 Scotland John Connolly R 26 April 1991 Paisley 2015
Forwards
No. Nat. Player Shoots Date of birth Place of birth Acquired
8 Slovenia Blaz Emersic -confirmed 2015/16 L 10 October 1980 Ljubljana, Slovenia 2010
9 Scotland Grant McPherson - Alternate R 3 March 1987 Stirling 2006
11 England Lewis Hook -confirmed 2015/16 L 18 August 1996 Peterborough 2014
18 England Adam Carr - Captain R 15 June 1984 Durham 2003
19 England Leigh Jamieson - Alternate R 30 July 1985 Milton Keynes 2008
28 England Chris Wiggins R 13 October 1987 Guildford 2014
61 England Ross Bowers R 30 July 1985 Luton 2011
TBC England Bobby Chamberlain -confirmed 2015/16 R 16 March 1995 Hull 2015
TBC Slovakia Rene Jarolin -confirmed 2015/16 L 16 September 1981 Skalica, Slovakia 2015
2 Way Players
Pos. Nat. Player Shoots Date of birth Place of birth Acquired
D England James Griffin (2 way Coventry Blaze) -confirmed 2015/16 R 8 April 1993 Swindon 2015
D England Ed Knaggs (2 way MK Thunder/Storm) L 13 May 1998 Hemel Hempstead 2014
D England Nidal Phillips (2 way MK Thunder) R 16 October 1992 Milton Keynes 2014
F England Connor Goode (2 way MK Thunder) R 2 November 1993 Luton 2010
F England Alex Whyte (2 way MK Thunder) L 23 July 1996 Peterborough 2014
F England Josh Nicklin (2 way MK Thunder) R 27 February 1992 Bedford 2013
F England Jamie Line (2 way MK Thunder) R 23 January 1990 Luton 2010
F England Harrison Goode (2 way MK Thunder) R 15 December 1990 Luton 2014
NM England Damien King (2 way MK Thunder) L 1 May 1991 Peterborough 2014

Statistical Records

Top ten appearances

League, Cup & Play Offs; as at end of 2014/15 season
Player
No. Nat. Player Active Seasons Appearances
1 England Adam Carr 2003–2015 inclusive 569
2 Canada Nick Poole 2002–2015 inclusive 506
3 England Ross Bowers 2002–2008, 2009–2010 & 2011–2015 464
4 Scotland Grant McPherson 2006–2015 inclusive 458
5 England Michael Wales 2003–2012 inclusive 385
6 England Leigh Jamieson 2002–2004 & 2009–2015 378
7 England Gary Clarke 2002–2009 & 2010–2011 377
8 Scotland Lewis Christie 2008–2015 inclusive 365
9 England Matt Towalski 2005–2012 inclusive 361
10 England Ross Green 2008–2015 inclusive 337

Top ten points scorers

League, Cup & Play Offs; as at end of 2014/15 season
Player
No. Nat. Player Active Seasons Points
1 England Gary Clarke 2002–2009 & 2010–2011 766
2 Canada Nick Poole 2002–2015 inclusive 728
3 England Adam Carr 2003–2015 inclusive 459
4 England Leigh Jamieson 2002–2004 & 2009–2015 378
5 Slovenia Blaz Emersic 2010–2015 inclusive 308
6 England Michael Wales 2003–2012 inclusive 271
7 England Greg Randall 2002–2006 & 2007–2009 260
8 Finland Mikko Skinnari 2002–2008 inclusive 246
9 Finland Andre Smulter 2008–2011 inclusive 229
10 Czech Republic Lukas Zatopek 2008–2014 inclusive 201

Top ten penalty minutes

League, Cup & Play Offs; as at end of 2014/15 season
Player
No. Nat. Player Active Seasons Minutes
1 Scotland Grant McPherson 2006–2015 inclusive 1133
2 England Michael Wales 2003–2012 inclusive 1131
3 England Kurt Irvine 2003–2008 inclusive 1109
4 England Leigh Jamieson 2002–2004 & 2009–2015 798
5 Czech Republic Lukas Zatopek 2008–2014 inclusive 509
6 England Matt Towalski 2005–2012 inclusive 488
7 England Ross Bowers 2002–2008, 2009–2010 & 2011–2015 459
8 Scotland Lewis Christie 2008–2015 inclusive 455
9 Canada Nick Poole 2002–2015 inclusive 452
10 Canada Dwayne Newman 2002–2007 inclusive 374

Top ten points to games ratio

League, Cup & Play Offs; as at end of 2014/15 season (Players with under 20 appearances not included)
Player
No. Nat. Player Active Seasons Goals/Games Ratio
1 England Gary Clarke 2002–2009 & 2010-2011 2.03
2 Sweden Joakim Wiklander 2008–2010 inclusive 2.00
3 England Greg Owen 2002–2003 1.74
4 Sweden Stefan Ketola 2005–2006 1.71
5 Sweden Monir Kalgoum 2009–2011 inclusive 1.67
6 Finland Andre Smulter 2008–2011 inclusive 1.58
7 Finland Tony Alasaarela 2007–2008 1.50
8 Canada Steve Moria 2005–2006 1.45
9 Canada Nick Poole 2002–2015 inclusive 1.44
10 Slovakia Stanislav Lascek 2013–2015 inclusive 1.42

Top ten penalty minutes to games ratio

League, Cup & Play Offs; as at end of 2014/15 season (Players with under 20 appearances not included)
Player
No. Nat. Player Active Seasons PIM/Games Ratio
1 England Kurt Irvine 2003-2008 inclusive 5.38
2 England James Morgan 2006–2007 4.30
3 Canada Steve Carpenter 2004–2005 4.06
4 England Daniel Croft 2007–2008 3.59
5 England Michael Wales 2003–2012 inclusive 2.94
6 England Michael Knights 2002–2003, 2004-2005 & 2006-2007 2.73
7 England Chris Wiggins 2012–2013 & 2014-2015 2.60
8 Wales Nicky Chinn 2012–2013 2.48
9 Scotland Grant McPherson 2006–2015 inclusive 2.47
10 Czech Republic Milan Kostourek 2014–2015 2.38

Top ten save percentages

League, Cup & Play Offs; as at end of 2014/15 season (Players with under 5 appearances not included)
Player
No. Nat. Player Active Seasons Save Percentage
1 England Mark Woolf 2004-2005 93.68
2 England Alex Mettam 2009–2013 inclusive 91.65
3 England Barry Hollyhead 2002–2004 & 2006-2012 91.26
4 England David Wride 2007–2008 91.10
5 England Allen Sutton 2002–2008 inclusive 90.97
6 England Stephen Wall 2012-2015 inclusive 90.92
7 England Lee Lansdowne 2005-2006 90.20
8 England Jordan Hedley 2012–2015 inclusive 89.83
9 England Matthew van der Velden 2004–2005 89.30
10 England Daniel Shea 2006–2007 87.60

Season-by-season record

Milton Keynes Lightning season-by-season record
Season League GP W T L OTL PTS GF GA League Position
2002–03 English Premier Ice Hockey League 42 34 3 5 – 62 269 113 2nd
2003–04 English Premier Ice Hockey League 32 28 2 5 – 56 175 87 1st
2004–05 English Premier Ice Hockey League 32 23 3 6 – 49 149 75 1st
2005–06 English Premier Ice Hockey League 48 25 10 13 – 60 201 121 3rd
2006–07 English Premier Ice Hockey League 44 28 2 14 – 58 187 132 5th
2007–08 English Premier Ice Hockey League 40 22 – 16 2 46 160 121 6th
2008–09 English Premier Ice Hockey League 54 34 – 14 6 74 221 149 2nd
2009–10 English Premier Ice Hockey League 54 42 – 10 2 86 218 144 1st
2010–11 English Premier Ice Hockey League 54 31 – 21 2 64 219 160 5th
2011–12 English Premier Ice Hockey League 54 32 – 20 2 66 176 145 5th
2012–13 English Premier Ice Hockey League 54 32 – 20 2 66 170 145 4th
2013–14 English Premier Ice Hockey League 54 30 – 20 4 64 198 181 4th
2014–15 English Premier Ice Hockey League 48 18 – 24 6 42 152 186 7th

Note: GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; OTL = Overtime Losses; PTS = Points; GF = Goals For; GA = Goals Against

Associated teams

References

  1. ↑ "MK Kings live on in Solihull", Milton Keynes Citizen, May 2002
  2. ↑ "Solihull MK Kings finally call it a day", Milton Keynes Citizen, April 2003]
  3. ↑ "Phantoms Renew Lightning rivalry", Peterborough Telegraph, September 2007
  4. ↑ "English Premier League final table", Milton Keynes Citizen, March 2007
  5. ↑ "Lightning win proves to be all in vain", Milton Keynes Citizen, April 2007
  6. ↑ "Lightning Set for New Term Face Off", Milton Keynes Citizen, September 2008
  7. ↑ "Players are positive after great finish to the season, Milton Keynes Citizen, April 2009
  8. ↑ "Lightning fall at the final hurdle, Milton Keynes Citizen, April 2009

External links

Preceded by
Invicta Dynamos		 EPIHL Playoff Champions
2002–2006 		Succeeded by
Bracknell Bees
Preceded by
Peterborough Phantoms		 EPIHL Champions
2009–2010 		Succeeded by
Manchester Phoenix