Milton Keynes Lightning
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The Milton Keynes Lightning are an
ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...
team founded in 2002 in
Milton Keynes Milton Keynes ( ) is a city and the largest settlement in Buckinghamshire, England, about north-west of London. At the 2021 Census, the population of its urban area was over . The River Great Ouse forms its northern boundary; a tributary ...
, Buckinghamshire. The Lightning currently play in Britain's second-tier professional league, the
National Ice Hockey League The National Ice Hockey League (NIHL) is a set of professional ice hockey leagues administered by the English Ice Hockey Association. It is currently the second tier of British ice hockey, below the Elite Ice Hockey League. Formerly called the ...
(NIHL), since the 2019–20 season. The Lightning previously competed in the top tier
Elite Ice Hockey League The Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL), sometimes referred to as the British Elite League or, for sponsorship reasons, the Viaplay Elite League, is an ice hockey league in the United Kingdom. Formed in 2003 following the demise of the Ice Hockey ...
(EIHL) from 2017–2019, and the tier-3/tier-2
English Premier Ice Hockey League The English Premier Ice Hockey League (EPIHL) was an ice hockey league of 10 teams, all of which were based in England. Headquartered in Blackpool, the EPIHL was one of two professional ice hockey leagues in the United Kingdom (the other being th ...
(EPIHL) from 2002–2017. Their home rink is 2,200-seat
Planet Ice Arena Milton Keynes Planet Ice Arena Milton Keynes is a 2,800-capacity multi-purpose ice rink/ hockey rink located in Milton Keynes, England, as part of the Leisure Plaza complex (near the Central station). Arena history Opening In 1990, the rink opened as the ...
, known locally as the MK Arena or the Thunderdome.


Club history


Foundation

Founded in 2002, MK Lightning moved into the empty space left by the departure of the
Milton Keynes Kings Milton Keynes Kings were an Ice Hockey team based in Milton Keynes. History The MK Kings originally played in various divisions of the British Hockey League (BHL) from 1990 until 1996. In 1998, two seasons after the closure of the BHL, they joi ...
. The MK Kings were involved in a dispute with rink operators Planet Ice, which led to their relocation to
Solihull Solihull (, or ) is a market town and the administrative centre of the wider Metropolitan Borough of Solihull in West Midlands County, England. The town had a population of 126,577 at the 2021 Census. Solihull is situated on the River Blythe i ...
in May 2002. There they became the Solihull MK Kings before being wound up in April 2003, after a single season.


2002–2006: The early years

The demise of the
Ice Hockey Superleague The British Ice Hockey Superleague (BISL, also known as the Sekonda Ice Hockey Superleague from 1998 to 1999 for sponsorship reasons) was a professional ice hockey league in the United Kingdom between 1996 and 2003. Devised in 1995, it replaced ...
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 The Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL), sometimes referred to as the British Elite League or, for sponsorship reasons, the Viaplay Elite League, is an ice hockey league in the United Kingdom. Formed in 2003 following the demise of the Ice Hockey ...
but competed in the lower
English Premier Ice Hockey League The English Premier Ice Hockey League (EPIHL) was an ice hockey league of 10 teams, all of which were based in England. Headquartered in Blackpool, the EPIHL was one of two professional ice hockey leagues in the United Kingdom (the other being th ...
. The first Lightning squad was made up mainly of young local players, one Finnish import, Mikko Skinnari and three Canadian imports, Nick Poole as Player Coach, Claude Dumas, and Dwayne Newman. Lightning finished their maiden season in 2nd place, behind
Peterborough Phantoms The Peterborough Phantoms are a British ice hockey team that play at the Planet Ice Peterborough Arena, in Bretton, Peterborough. The Peterborough Phantoms ice hockey club was founded in 2002. It replaced the former city based team, the Pet ...
. 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, MK Lightning were crowned league champions in 2003–04 and 2004–05 as well as dominating the Playoffs until 2006. During this period there was a heavy reliance on Player Coach Nick Poole and Telford born Gary Clarke for points scoring.


2006–2008: League struggle

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


2008–2010: Return to success

The Lightning squad for the 2008–09 season included several experienced ex-Elite League players, young British talent and new European imports including Lukas Zatopek, Andre Smulter and Joakim Wiklander as an injury replacement for Ales Perez whose career was ended by a serious shoulder injury. After a slow start the team dominated the second half of the season and finished runners-up behind Peterborough. They then met again in the playoff final with the Phantoms winning the encounter. Lightning became the team to beat in 2009–10, despite Elite league
Basingstoke Bison The Basingstoke Bison are an English Ice Hockey club from Basingstoke. They currently compete in the NIHL National League and have previously been members of the Ice Hockey Superleague and its successor the Elite Ice Hockey League. History ...
and
Manchester Phoenix Manchester Phoenix was a semi professional ice hockey team from Greater Manchester, England. The club was formed in 2003 as a result of the efforts of supporters group ''Friends of Manchester Ice Hockey'' to bring top-level ice hockey back to Ma ...
joining the EPIHL. Further squad strengthening in the form of former
AIK AIK Fotboll (), more commonly known simply as AIK (), an abbreviation for Allmänna Idrottsklubben (meaning ''the public'' or ''general sports club''), is a Swedish football club competing in Allsvenskan, the top flight of Swedish football. The ...
player Monir Kalgoum and the addition of netminder Alex Mettam helped Lightning dominate and a home win against
Swindon Wildcats The Swindon Wildcats are a professional ice hockey team based in Swindon, Wiltshire, England. They play in the National Ice Hockey League (NIHL). Since their inception, the Wildcats have played their home games at the 1600-capacity Link Centre ...
in March 2010 saw the EPIHL league trophy return to Milton Keynes.


2010–2015: Near misses, unexpected changes and disappointment

Despite the addition of Slovenian International
Blaz Emersic Blaz may refer to: *The BlazBlue gaming series. * Blaž, Bosnia and Herzegovina, a village near Višegrad Given name * Blaž (given name), a masculine given name Surname *Tony Blaz (1958-2016), Guam politician * Vicente T. Blaz (aka Ben Blaz ...
, an inconsistent 2010–11 season saw Lightning finish 5th in the league and lose the play off final to Guildford Flames. 2011–12 fared no better, with the team 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. The 2012–13 season brought upheaval when just ten games into the season marque signing Adam Calder suffered a catastrophic hip injury which ended his career. Then in January 2013 Nick Poole who was by now considered a Milton Keynes Lightning legend unexpectedly announced his immediate retirement from playing. Lightning finished in 4th place and lost to Guildford Flames in the play off semi-finals. The disruption continued in 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. The 2014–15 season started with Lightning continuing to play out of Coventry. Indifferent early form left the team languishing near the bottom of the league. The refurbishment of the Milton Keynes rink was completed a month into the season and the first game back on home territory was played on 18 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 loss of key players through roster changes and a series of injuries 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.


2015–2017: Management change and new partnerships

At the end of the 2014–2015 season it was announced that head coach Nick Poole would take over the duties of General Manager from Vito Rausa and be replaced by
Team GB Team GB is the brand name used since 1999 by the British Olympic Association (BOA) for their British Olympic team. The brand was developed after the nation's poor performance in the 1996 Summer Olympics, and is now a trademark of the BOA. I ...
coach Peter Russell. This was shortly followed by the announcement in May 2015 that Milton Keynes Lightning would be forming a partnership with Elite League side the
Coventry Blaze Coventry Blaze are an ice hockey team based in Coventry, England. They currently compete in the British Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL) and play their home games at SkyDome Arena. The club was founded in 1965 as the ''Solihull Barons'' and rena ...
. This partnership lasted just one season. The 2015–16 season also saw a change from the traditional white, black, and gold colours to a white, black, and blue combination which reflected the sponsorship of local company Smith Recycling. Despite a promising start, the season ended with MKL managing just a slight improvement on their previous years final position, finishing 5th. Lightning went on to qualify for the Play Off final, losing to Guildford Flames 6–2. At the end of the season it was also announced that from the start of the 2017–2018 season, Milton Keynes Lightning would play in the
Elite Ice Hockey League The Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL), sometimes referred to as the British Elite League or, for sponsorship reasons, the Viaplay Elite League, is an ice hockey league in the United Kingdom. Formed in 2003 following the demise of the Ice Hockey ...
. In November 2016, Nick Poole stepped down from the role of General Manager, citing that he wanted to pursue new challenges with his family outside of hockey. Lightning secured a 2nd place league finish in their final EPL season and on 18 March 2017 won their first EPL cup in a penalty shootout against Peterborough. In the playoff campaign, Lightning finished 2nd in their group, winning 5 out of 6 games to qualify for the finals weekend. Lightning would then go on to win their 5th playoff title, beating Guildford 8–3 in the semi-final and then defeating Telford in the final 7–2.


2017–2019: Elite League Hockey

Following the announcement in May 2015, Milton Keynes Lightning formally joined the Elite League for the 2017–2018 season. With this also came a change in ownership. Planet Ice, the Milton Keynes rink operators who had run the franchise since its temporary use of the Coventry Sky Dome during the 2013–2014 season sold the club to the Midlands-based husband and wife team of Graham and Monica Moody. Lightning's inaugural season in the Elite League had a promising start but poor away form and a series of disappointing results left them languishing near the bottom of the table at the turn of the new year. The situation worsened in January when US Import Matt Nickerson had his contract terminated after an altercation with a Guildford Flames fan when leaving the ice. In February 2018 it was announced that Coach Peter Russell would be leaving the club by mutual consent at the end of the season and replaced by Canadian Doug McKay. The team finished 11th in the league and outside of the play off places. After a poor start to the 2018–19 season, with the team languishing at the bottom of the league, Doug McKay himself parted company with Milton Keynes Lightning in November 2018 citing 'personal reasons'. Coaching responsibilities initially passed to players
Ryan Lannon Ryan Lannon (born December 14, 1982) is an American professional ice hockey defenseman who last played for Vaasan Sport in the Liiga (Finnish Elite League). Playing career As a defensive-defenseman, Ryan was first selected to play with the U.S. ...
and
Tim Wallace Timothy Todd Wallace (born August 6, 1984) is an American professional ice hockey center and ice hockey coach. He is currently signed to National Ice Hockey League (NIHL) side Milton Keynes Lightning as Player/Coach and Director of Hockey Devel ...
, with Wallace taking sole charge for the remainder of the season in January 2019. In March 2019 it was announced that MK Lightning's two-year stay in the Elite League would come to an end and that from the 2019–2020 season the team would complete in the new National Hockey League, a two import league equivalent in the British ice hockey structure to the defunct English Premier Ice Hockey League (EPIHL). The reason behind this return to the second tier of UK Ice Hockey was financial. Lightning finished the season a disappointing 11th, 24 points behind 10th placed Dundee Stars.


2019–2022: Back to its Milton Keynes roots and supporters ownership

Soon after the completion of the 2018–2019 season and the decision to leave the Elite League, Milton Keynes Lightning announced that Lewis Clifford would be the Head Coach for the inaugural season of the new NIHL National league. Clifford had been a stalwart of the Milton Keynes Thunder team, Assistant Coach to Nick Poole at Lightning and then Head Coach at Thunder. However, before the commencement of the season, preparations were thrown into disarray with revelations of unpaid wages/reimbursements for both former players and off ice staff, outstanding debts to suppliers and poor stewardship by the owners. This led to the majority of the club's sponsors publicly denouncing the situation and declining to provide further support. The rink operators Planet Ice also decided not to award the ice contract for the 2019–2020 season to Graham and Monica Moody but to the Supporters-based consortium formally known as the Milton Keynes Ice Hockey Club and colloquially as 'Lets Play Hockey' for them to ice a team in the NIHL National League. This consortium had been set up after the announcement that Milton Keynes Lightning would no longer ice in the Elite League and had, with the backing of Planet Ice unsuccessfully applied to operate a Milton Keynes Elite League franchise for the 2019–20 season. Shortly after the announcement, the
English Ice Hockey Association The English Ice Hockey Association (EIHA) is the governing body of ice hockey in England and Wales. It was formed in 1982 and featured around 60 teams. EIHA is one of several bodies regulating ice hockey in the United Kingdom, along with Scott ...
confirmed that the team under the management of the Lets Play Hockey consortium had been accepted into the new NIHL National League. Once confirmation of the league place had been made, clarification was provided that Lewis Clifford would continue to be the coach under the new ownership regime. The new owners also confirmed that the team would continue using the Milton Keynes Lightning name. The 2019/20 season ended prematurely due to the COVID-19 pandemic with the team sitting in sixth position. With the restrictions placed upon the country due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the start of the 2020/21 season was delayed. However, Lightning participated in the Streaming Series along with
Sheffield Steeldogs The Sheffield Steeldogs are a semi professional ice hockey team, based at the iceSheffield complex in Sheffield, England. History The club came into existence during the summer of 2010 as a replacement for the previous tenants of the iceSheffie ...
&
Swindon Wildcats The Swindon Wildcats are a professional ice hockey team based in Swindon, Wiltshire, England. They play in the National Ice Hockey League (NIHL). Since their inception, the Wildcats have played their home games at the 1600-capacity Link Centre ...
in November 2020 as part of the Return to Play programme. Full post pandemic league action commenced with the 2021/22 season. Lightning iced a strong side and whilst played some excellent hockey, failed to find the consistency required to challenge for the title. The team finished 5th after dropping off the pace with a few weeks remaining of the season. Following defeat to
Sheffield Steeldogs The Sheffield Steeldogs are a semi professional ice hockey team, based at the iceSheffield complex in Sheffield, England. History The club came into existence during the summer of 2010 as a replacement for the previous tenants of the iceSheffie ...
in the play off final, it was announced that Lewis Clifford would be stepping down in his duel roles as General Manager & Head Coach following a management restructuring. He was replaced by player/Director of Hockey Development
Tim Wallace Timothy Todd Wallace (born August 6, 1984) is an American professional ice hockey center and ice hockey coach. He is currently signed to National Ice Hockey League (NIHL) side Milton Keynes Lightning as Player/Coach and Director of Hockey Devel ...
, who returned for a second spell as Player/Coach.


Arena redevelopment

In March 2013,
Milton Keynes Council Milton Keynes City Council is the local authority of the City of Milton Keynes in Buckinghamshire, England. It is a unitary authority, having the powers of a non-metropolitan county and district council combined. It has both borough status a ...
approved plans to redevelop the Leisure Plaza after failed attempts in 2006 & 2011. The development of the arena was funded by
Morrisons Wm Morrison Supermarkets, trading as Morrisons, is the fifth largest supermarket chain in the United Kingdom. As of 2021, the company had 497 supermarkets across England, Wales and Scotland, as well as one in Gibraltar. The company is headqua ...
Supermarkets and took 17 months to complete. This forced Lightning to play their home games at the
Coventry Coventry ( or ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its ...
Sky Dome during the 2013/2014 season & part of the 2014/2015 season. The team returned to the redeveloped rink which had been renamed the "MK Arena" on 18 October 2014 against
Sheffield Steeldogs The Sheffield Steeldogs are a semi professional ice hockey team, based at the iceSheffield complex in Sheffield, England. History The club came into existence during the summer of 2010 as a replacement for the previous tenants of the iceSheffie ...
, in front of a sell out crowd in excess of 2,500.


Club honours

* EPIHL League: 3 ::Winner (3): 2004, 2005, 2010 ::Runner-up (3): 2003, 2009, 2017 * EPIHL Playoffs: 5 ::Winner (5): 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2017 ::Runner-up (3): 2009, 2011, 2016 * EPIHL Cup: 1 ::Winner (1): 2017 ::Runner-up (4): 2003, 2007, 2010, 2014 * NIHL Playoffs: 0 ::Winner (0): ::Runner-up (1): 2022


Club roster 2022–2023


Statistical records


Top ten appearances

:League, Cup, Play Offs & Streaming Series Games; as at End of Season 2022


Top ten points scorers

:League, Cup, Play Offs & Streaming Series Games; as at End of Season 2022


Top ten goal scorers

:League, Cup, Play Offs & Streaming Series Games; as at End of Season 2022


Top ten goal assists

:League, Cup, Play Offs & Streaming Series Games; as at End of Season 2022


Top ten penalty minutes

:League, Cup, Play Offs & Streaming Series Games; as at End of Season 2022


Top ten points to game ratio

:League, Cup, Play Offs & Streaming Series Games; as at End of Season 2022 (Players with under 20 appearances not included)


Top ten goals to game ratio

:League, Cup, Play Offs & Streaming Series Games; as at End of Season 2022 (Players with under 20 appearances not included)


Top ten assists to game ratio

:League, Cup, Play Offs & Streaming Series Games; as at End of Season 2022 (Players with under 20 appearances not included)


Top ten penalty minutes to games ratio

:League, Cup, Play Offs & Streaming Series Games; as at End of Season 2022 (Players with under 20 appearances not included)


Top ten save percentages

:League, Cup, Play Offs & Streaming Series Games; as at End of Season 2022 (Players with under 20 appearances not included)


NHL drafted Milton Keynes Lightning players


Retired numbers


Head coaches


Club captains


Season-by-season record


Associated teams

*
Milton Keynes Thunder Milton Keynes Thunder are an ice hockey team from Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, they are known stylistically as the Milton Keynes Rightmove Thunder for sponsorship purposes, and the team currently competes in the Britton Conference, of the Na ...
*Milton Keynes Storm


References


External links


MK Lightning HomepageMKIH ForumsPlanet Ice
{{British ice hockey Ice hockey teams in England Sport in Milton Keynes EPIHL teams 2002 establishments in England Ice hockey clubs established in 2002