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::Runner-up (4): 2003, 2007, 2010, 2014
::Runner-up (4): 2003, 2007, 2010, 2014


==Arena redevelopment==
==Arena Redevelopment==
[[File:The_Arena_Planet_Ice_Milton_Keynes.jpg|thumb|right|"The Arena" Planet Ice Milton Keynes]]
In March 2013, [[Milton Keynes (borough)|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 MK Arena on 18 October 2014 against Sheffield Steeldogs, in front of a sell out crowd in excess of 2,500.
In March 2013, [[Milton Keynes (borough)|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 roster ==
== Club roster ==

Revision as of 08:53, 17 April 2015

Milton Keynes Lightning
File:MKL Logo.png
CityMilton Keynes, Buckinghamshire
LeagueEIHPL
Founded2002
Home arenaThe MK Arena
(capacity: 3000)
ColorsWhite, Black & Gold
     
General managerCanada Nick Poole
Head coachTBA
England Lewis Clifford
CaptainEngland Adam Carr
AffiliatesMilton Keynes Thunder
Milton Keynes Storm
Franchise history
1990–1996Milton Keynes Kings
1998–2002Milton Keynes Kings
2002 – presentMilton Keynes Lightning
Championships
Regular season titles3 (03/04, 04/05 & 09/10)
Playoff championships4 (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 arena is the refurbished and 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 general managers 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 United Kingdom. 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 in the league for the first time. A lack of new players, predictable tactics & improvements by the 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 major 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 in Lukas Zatopek, Andre Smulter & Joakim Wiklander.[7] After a slow start the team dominated the second half of the season & finished runners-up behind Peterborough.[8] They then met again in the playoff final with the Phantoms winning the encounter.[9] Lightning became the team to beat in 2009/10, despite big spending Basingstoke Bison & Manchester Phoenix joining the EPL. More exciting signings in local star Leigh Jamieson & former Swedish U20 international Monir Kalgoum 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 forward line 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. Whilst the majority of players remained, Chris Wiggins & Nick Chinn left, citing the travelling distance as the main factor. 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 the Lightning continuing to play out of Coventry Skydome. Their early form was indifferent & the team found themselves languishing 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 their home ice, Lightning continued to perform poorly. The early season loss of highly rated British forward Tom Carlon did not help but a seemingly lack of confidence & the pressure of being back in MK appeared to be the main drivers of the under performance. By December, with results not improving, import Stanislav Lascek was released & replaced by Marek Curilla. The change in personnel did not alter the performance of the team. 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 of which was a double break of the leg for Ross Green. This led to increased pressure on an already struggling team & Lightning finished the season in 7th place, their lowest ever position. Despite the poor league performance, Lightning managed to defeat Guildford in the playoff quarter finals for losing to Manchester Phoenix in the semi final game. The end of season announcement that Nick Poole would no longer be coaching the team, but would replace Vito Rausa as General Manager took fans and players alike by surprise.

Logo history

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

Arena Redevelopment

File:The Arena Planet Ice Milton Keynes.jpg
"The Arena" Planet Ice Milton Keynes

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 roster

Netminders
No. Nat. Player Catches Date of birth Place of birth Acquired
1 England Jordan Hedley R (1996-08-07) 7 August 1996 (age 28) Walsall 2012
93 England Stephen Wall R (1981-02-12) 12 February 1981 (age 43) North Shields 2012
Defencemen
No. Nat. Player Shoots Date of birth Place of birth Acquired
5 England Ben Russell R (1994-03-24) 24 March 1994 (age 30) London 2013
7 Czech Republic Petr Horava L (1985-07-22) 22 July 1985 (age 39) Kladno, Czech Republic 2014
21 England Ross Green R (1992-02-19) 19 February 1992 (age 32) Chelmsford 2008
55 England Michael Farn L (1988-06-23) 23 June 1988 (age 36) Durham 2009
66 Scotland Lewis Christie R (1989-08-30) 30 August 1989 (age 34) Edinburgh 2008
77 Scotland John Connolly R (1991-04-26) 26 April 1991 (age 33) Paisley 2015
Forwards
No. Nat. Player Shoots Date of birth Place of birth Acquired
8 Slovenia Blaz Emersic L (1980-10-10) 10 October 1980 (age 43) Ljubljana, Slovenia 2010
9 Scotland Grant McPherson - Alternate R (1987-03-03) 3 March 1987 (age 37) Stirling 2006
11 England Lewis Hook L (1996-08-18) 18 August 1996 (age 27) Peterborough 2014
18 England Adam Carr - Captain R (1984-06-15) 15 June 1984 (age 40) Durham 2003
19 England Leigh Jamieson - Alternate R (1985-07-30) 30 July 1985 (age 39) Milton Keynes 2008
28 England Chris Wiggins R (1987-10-13) 13 October 1987 (age 36) Guildford 2014
39 Canada Curtis Huppe R (1979-02-21) 21 February 1979 (age 45) Winnipeg 2015
61 England Ross Bowers R (1985-07-30) 30 July 1985 (age 39) Luton 2011
88 Czech Republic Milan Kostourek R (1983-01-09) 9 January 1983 (age 41) Czech Republic 2014
2 Way Players
Pos. Nat. Player Shoots Date of birth Place of birth Acquired
D England Ed Knaggs (2 way MK Thunder/Storm) L (1998-05-13) 13 May 1998 (age 26) Hemel Hempstead 2014
D England Nidal Phillips (2 way MK Thunder) R (1992-10-16) 16 October 1992 (age 31) Milton Keynes 2014
F England Connor Goode (2 way MK Thunder) R (1993-11-02) 2 November 1993 (age 30) Luton 2010
F England Alex Whyte (2 way MK Thunder) L (1996-07-23) 23 July 1996 (age 28) Peterborough 2014
F England Josh Nicklin (2 way MK Thunder) R (1992-02-27) 27 February 1992 (age 32) Bedford 2013
F England Jamie Line (2 way MK Thunder) R (1990-01-23) 23 January 1990 (age 34) Luton 2010
F England Harrison Goode (2 way MK Thunder) R (1990-12-15) 15 December 1990 (age 33) Luton 2014
NM England Damien King (2 way MK Thunder) L (1991-05-01) 1 May 1991 (age 33) 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 90.85
7 England Lee Lansdowne 2005-2006 90.20
8 England Jordan Hedley 2012–2015 inclusive 89.63
9 England Matthew van der Velden 2004–2005 89.30
10 England Daniel Shea 2006–2007 87.60

Season-by-season record

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. ^ "Joakim jets in for Slough", Milton Keynes Citizen, January 2009
  8. ^ "Players are positive after great finish to the season, Milton Keynes Citizen, April 2009
  9. ^ "Lightning fall at the final hurdle, Milton Keynes Citizen, April 2009
Preceded by EPIHL Playoff Champions
2002–2006 		Succeeded by
Preceded by EPIHL Champions
2009–2010 		Succeeded by

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