Ice hockey team in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire
Milton Keynes Thunder are an ice hockey team from Milton Keynes , Buckinghamshire, currently playing in the National Ice Hockey League South Division 1. The team was founded in 2001 predominantly to provide competitive hockey and further development opportunities for players leaving the Milton Keynes Junior Ice Hockey system. Their home rink is the refurbished and renamed Planet Ice Arena, known locally as the Thunderdome. It has a capacity of circa 2,500.
Club history
Foundation
Founded in 2001, MK Thunder originally shared their home rink with the Milton Keynes Kings . However, the MK Kings were involved in a dispute with rink operators Planet Ice, which led to their relocation to Solihull in May 2002.[ 1] Milton Keynes Lightning which was formed in 2002.
Position in the Milton Keynes Ice Hockey structure
As the second most senior ice hockey club in Milton Keynes, the MK Thunder have always played in the National Ice Hockey League South Division 1 or its former incarnations (English National League South, English National League South A and English National League South 1). It has been used as a vehicle to further develop Milton Keynes based players and has been a 'feeder' club for the senior hockey club Milton Keynes Lightning. The teams iced by the club have been dominated by local players, supplemented by the occasional import (league rules restrict the use of import players to just two, compared to five in the defunct old second tier EPIHL and eleven in the first tier EIHL ). The club also has links with the junior system and provides development opportunities for junior players at the Milton Keynes Storm Club.
Arena redevelopment
In March 2013, Milton Keynes Council approved plans to redevelop the Leisure Plaza after failed attempts in 2006 and 2011. The development of the arena was funded by Morrisons Supermarkets and took 17 months to complete. This forced Thunder to play their home games at a temporary rink sited within the Milton Keynes City Centre in a building vacated by the Supermarket Waitrose . The rink and the MK ICE charity established to operate it was organised by the team's owner and general manager, David Fairhurst. The team returned to the redeveloped rink which had been renamed the "MK Arena" in October 2014.
Club honours
The Milton Keynes Thunder lifted their first silverware when they secured the NIHL South BBO Cup in the 2016-17 season.
Netminders
No.
Nat.
Player
Catches
Date of birth
Place of birth
Acquired
95
Tom Annetts
L
(1987-06-26 ) 26 June 1987 (age 37)
Reading
2017 from Oxford City Stars
Forwards
No.
Nat.
Player
Shoots
Date of birth
Place of birth
Acquired
5
Jamie Line
R
(1990-01-23 ) 23 January 1990 (age 34)
Luton
2014 from Slough Jets
9
Grant McPherson
R
(1987-03-03 ) 3 March 1987 (age 37)
Stirling
2017 from Milton Keynes Lightning
14
Hallden Barnes-Garner
R
(1998-02-28 ) 28 February 1998 (age 26)
Milton Keynes
2017 from Okanagan HC Europe
16
Michael Stratford
L
(1997-03-04 ) 4 March 1997 (age 27)
Swindon
2018 from Cardiff Fire
17
Rio Grinell-Parke
L
(1999-02-25 ) 25 February 1999 (age 25)
London
2017 from Bracknell Bees
19
Lewis English
R
(2000-07-03 ) 3 July 2000 (age 24)
Slough
2018 from Flemingsbergs IK (Sweden)
23
Tom Carlon
R
(1987-02-18 ) 18 February 1987 (age 37)
Telford
2017 Milton Keynes Lightning
61
Ross Bowers
R
(1985-07-30 ) 30 July 1985 (age 39)
Luton
2015 from Milton Keynes Lightning
66
Tomas Rubes
L
(1996-03-21 ) 21 March 1996 (age 28)
Carlsbad , Czech Republic
2018 from Toulouse-Blagnac (France)
73
Gareth O'Flaherty
R
(1990-01-18 ) 18 January 1990 (age 34)
Camberley
2017 from Telford Tigers
94
Logan Prince
R
(1997-03-10 ) 10 March 1997 (age 27)
Swindon
2017 Bristol Pitbulls
2 Way Players
No.
Nat.
Player
Two Way Club
Shoots/Catches
Date of birth
Place of birth
Acquired
11
Oliver Lord
Coventry Blaze
R
(2000-09-28 ) 28 September 2000 (age 24)
Leamington Spa
2017 from Coventry Blaze
32
Joshua Crane
Coventry Blaze
R
(1998-10-28 ) 28 October 1998 (age 26)
Solihull
2017 from Coventry Blaze
35
Jordan Lawday
Cardiff Devils
R
(1998-08-28 ) 28 August 1998 (age 26)
Basingstoke
2018 from Cardiff Fire
Statistical records
Top ten appearances
League, Cup & Play Offs; as of Monday 8 October 2018
Player
No.
Nat.
Player
Active Seasons
Appearances
1
Paul Gore
2002–2009 & 2011-2017
335
2
Sam Fairhurst
2002–2015 inclusive
325
3
Harrison Goode
2007–2018 inclusive
305
4
Matthew Roberts
2002–2003, 2004-2014 & 2015-2106
294
5
Nidal Phillips
2009–2018 inclusive
277
6
Jamie Randall
2008–2009 & 2010-2017
259
7
Lewis Clifford
2002–2011 inclusive
240
8
Tom Mboya
2010–2018 inclusive
232
9
Mark Woolf
2002–2014 & 2015–2018
230
10
Paul Jamieson
2002–2011 inclusive
218
Top ten points scorers
League, Cup & Play Offs; as of the end of Monday 8 October 2018
Player
No.
Nat.
Player
Active Seasons
Points
1
Jamie Line
2010-2011 & 2014-2018
201
2
Harrison Goode
2007-2018 inclusive
194
3
Ross Bowers
2010-2011 & 2015-2018
192
4
Jamie Randall
2008-2009 & 2010-2017
141
4
Tom Mboya
2010–2018 inclusive
141
6
Connor Goode
2009-2013 & 2014-2018
134
7
Michael Knights
2003-2006 & 2007-2011
119
8
Kieron Goody
2002–2011 inclusive
113
8
Aram Todd
2002–2007 & 2010-2011
113
10
Paul Jamieson
2002–2011 inclusive
106
Top ten goal scorers
League, Cup & Play Offs; as of Monday 8 October 2018
Player
No.
Nat.
Player
Active Seasons
Goals
1
Ross Bowers
2010-2011 & 2015-2018
94
2
Harrison Goode
2007–2018 inclusive
88
2
Jamie Line
2010-2011 & 2014-2018
88
4
Paul Jamieson
2002–2011 inclusive
71
5
Tom Mboya
2010-2018 inclusive
66
6
Connor Goode
2009-2013 & 2014-2018
65
7
Maros Stefanco
2010-2012 inclusive
51
8
Michael Knights
2003–2006 & 2007–2011
48
9
Aram Todd
2002-2007 & 2010-2011
46
9
Kieron Goody
2002–2011 inclusive
46
Top ten goal assists
League, Cup & Play Offs; as of Monday 8 October 2018
Player
No.
Nat.
Player
Active Seasons
Assists
1
Jamie Line
2010-2011 & 2014-2018
113
2
Harrison Goode
2007-2018 inclusive
106
3
Ross Bowers
2010–2011 & 2015-2018
98
4
Jamie Randall
2008–2009 & 2010-2017
97
5
Tom Mboya
2010-2018 inclusive
75
6
Michael Knights
2003–2006 & 2007-2011
71
7
Connor Goode
2009-2013 & 2014-2018
69
8
Kieron Goody
2002–2011 inclusive
67
8
Aram Todd
2002–2007 & 2010-2011
67
10
Lee Featherstone
2002–2008 & 2009-2012
62
Top ten penalty minutes
League, Cup & Play Offs; as of Monday 8 October 2018
Player
No.
Nat.
Player
Active Seasons
Minutes
1
Matthew Roberts
2002-2003, 2004-2014 & 2015-2016
1520
2
Paul Gore
2002–2009 & 2011–2017
932
3
Lee Featherstone
2003–2008 & 2009-2012
746
4
Paul Jamieson
2002–2011 inclusive
684
5
Michael Knights
2003–2006 & 2007-2011
592
6
James Roberts
2002–2009 inclusive
555
7
Lewis Clifford
2002–2011 inclusive
464
8
Harrison Goode
2007–2018 inclusive
322
9
Kieron Goody
2002–2011 inclusive
320
10
Ivan Turan
2006–2008 inclusive
269
Top ten points to game ratio
League, Cup & Play Offs; as of Monday 8 October 2018 (Players with under 20 appearances not included)
Player
No.
Nat.
Player
Active Seasons
Points/Games Ratio
1
Maros Stefanco
2010-2012 inclusive
1.65
2
Ross Bowers
2010-2011 & 2015-2018
1.47
3
Jakub Klima
2016-2017
1.35
4
Michal Lauko
2008–2009
1.32
5
Jamie Line
2010-2011 & 2014-2018
1.26
6
Piotr Poziomkowski
2013–2015 inclusive
1.18
7
Mark Krater
2002–2004 & 2005-2008
1.07
8
Michael Knights
2003–2006 & 2007-2011
1.04
9
Tom Hurley
2004–2008 inclusive
1.02
10
Maksims Petruks
2012–2014 inclusive
1.00
10
Cameron Wynn
2016–2017
1.00
Top ten goals to game ratio
League, Cup & Play Offs; as of Monday 8 October 2018 (Players with under 20 appearances not included)
Player
No.
Nat.
Player
Active Seasons
Goals/Games Ratio
1
Maros Stefanco
2010-2012 inclusive
0.93
2
Jakub Klima
2016-2017
0.79
3
Jamie Holland
2009–2010
0.74
4
Ross Bowers
2010-2011 & 2015-2018
0.72
5
Michel Lauko
2008-2009
0.64
6
Maksims Petruks
2012–2014 inclusive
0.57
7
Jamie Line
2010-2011 & 2014-2018
0.55
8
Piotr Poziomkowski
2013–2015 inclusive
0.55
9
Josh Nicklin
2008-2010 & 2014-2016
0.53
10
Tom Hurley
2004-2008
0.52
Top ten assists to game ratio
League, Cup & Play Offs; as of Monday 8 October 2018 (Players with under 20 appearances not included)
Player
No.
Nat.
Player
Active Seasons
Assists/Games Ratio
1
Cameron Wynn
2016-2017
0.80
2
Ross Bowers
2010-2011 & 2015-2018
0.75
3
Maros Stefanco
2010-2012 inclusive
0.73
4
Jamie Line
2010-2011 & 2014-2018
0.71
5
Michel Lauko
2008–2009
0.68
6
Piotr Poziomkowski
2013-2015 inclusive
0.63
7
Michael Knights
2003-2006 & 2007-2011
0.62
8
Jakub Klima
2016-2017
0.56
8
Mark Krater
2002-2004 & 2005-2008
0.56
10
Mark Conway
2002-2004
0.55
Top ten penalty minutes to games ratio
League, Cup & Play Offs; as of Monday 8 October 2018 (Players with under 20 appearances not included)
Player
No.
Nat.
Player
Active Seasons
PIM/Games Ratio
1
Ivan Turan
2006-2008 inclusive
7.08
2
Richard Munnelly
2002–2004 inclusive
5.78
3
Michael Knights
2003-2006 & 2007-2011
5.19
4
Matthew Roberts
2002–2003, 2004-2014 & 2015-2016
5.17
5
Lee Featherstone
2002–2008 & 2009-2012
4.49
6
James Roberts
2002–2009 inclusive
4.08
7
Jacob Corson-Heron
2008-2011 inclusive
3.16
8
Paul Jamieson
2002-2011 inclusive
3.14
9
Paul Gore
2002–2009 & 2011-2017
2.78
10
Kristian Simo
2008-2009
2.52
Top ten save percentages
League, Cup & Play Offs; as of Monday 8 October 2018(Players with under 14 appearances not included)
Player
No.
Nat.
Player
Active Seasons
Save Percentage
1
Damien King
2014-2016 inclusive
92.24
2
Villem-Henrik Koitmaa
2015–2016
91.20
3
Tom Annetts
2017-2018
90.54
4
Allen Sutton
2007-2008
90.46
5
Denis Bell
2013-2014
88.96
6
David Wride
2016-2017
88.94
7
Mark Woolf
2002–2014 & 2015-2018
88.91
8
Jordan Hedley
2012-2013
88.17
9
David Cassidy
2010–2014 inclusive
85.61
10
Kim Taylor
2003-2008 inclusive
81.81
Season-by-season record
Milton Keynes Thunder season-by-season record
Season
League
GP
W
OTW
T
OTL
L
PTS
GF
GA
League Position
2001–02
ENIHL South
18
8
N/A
1
N/A
9
17
77
102
6th
2002–03
ENIHL South
20
8
N/A
2
N/A
10
18
77
76
4th
2003–04
ENIHL South
16
9
N/A
2
N/A
5
20
62
42
3rd
2004–05
ENIHL South
18
7
N/A
4
N/A
7
18
51
66
5th
2005–06
ENIHL South
20
8
N/A
4
N/A
8
20
84
74
6th
2006–07
ENIHL South
22
5
N/A
4
N/A
15
14
79
99
9th
2007–08
ENIHL South A
16
9
N/A
2
N/A
5
20
67
50
4th
2008–09
ENIHL South 1
28
7
N/A
5
N/A
16
19
73
114
7th
2009–10
ENIHL South 1
36
6
N/A
3
N/A
27
15
107
228
8th
2010–11
ENIHL South 1
40
14
N/A
4
N/A
22
32
147
192
7th
2011–12
ENIHL South 1
36
7
N/A
4
N/A
25
18
105
216
8th
2012–13
NIHL South 1
32
6
N/A
1
N/A
25
13
130
179
8th
2013–14
NIHL South 1
32
3
N/A
1
N/A
28
7
78
233
9th
2014–15
NIHL South 1
36
16
N/A
5
N/A
15
37
127
118
6th
2015–16
NIHL South 1
36
14
N/A
2
N/A
20
30
127
149
7th
2016–17
NIHL South 1
28
9
N/A
2
N/A
17
20
91
125
7th
2017–18
NIHL South 1
31
6
3
N/A
6
16
25
74
120
7th
Note: GP = Games played; W = Wins; OTW = Overtime Wins; OTL = Overtime Losses; L = Losses; T = Ties; PTS = Points; GF = Goals For; GA = Goals Against
Associated teams
References
External links
Governing bodies Elite League National Ice Hockey League
National League North Division 1 South Division 1 North Division 2 South Division 2
Scottish National League Women's National Ice Hockey League
WNIHL Elite WNIHL Premier
Bracknell Firebees
Cardiff Comets
Chelmsford Cobras
Kingston Diamonds B
Milton Keynes Falcons
Sheffield Shadows
Swindon TopCats Whitley Squaws Division 1 North
Grimsby Wolves
Nottingham Vipers B
Sheffield Shadows B
Solway Sharks Ladies
Telford Wrekin Raiders
Widnes Wild Women Division 1 South
Coventry Phoenix
Oxford Midnight Stars
Peterborough Penguins
Slough Sirens
Solent Amazons
Streatham Storm B
Swindon TopCats B
British University Teams Competitions Player awards Defunct leagues Defunct teams Miscellaneous
David Fairhurst
