Lightning suffer double defeats in final league games
Milton Keynes Lightning suffered the disappointment of a penalty shoot out defeat to Slough Jets in their final home English Premier League game of the season on Saturday.
After staging a great fightback to draw level at 1-1 with less than eight minutes of regulation time to go they lost out to Steve Moria's sudden death penalty shoot out goal.
With several key players rested ahead of Tuesday's EPL Knockout Cup Final first leg at Peterborough Phantoms the city team wrapped up their league campaign with a 5-3 loss at Guildford Flames on Sunday but only after giving the home side a fright with two early goals.
Against Slough the hosts found themselves battling against referee Joy Tottman's decisions in the first period which twice reduced them to three men due to penalty calls. That made it almost impossible for Lightning to exert any pressure on opposition netminder Dean Skinns' goal.
But to their credit Lightning prevented the Berkshire side from getting any breakthrough in the first 20 minutes.
All that changed though within the first 56 seconds of the second session. Jets immediately went on the offensive from the face off and after the puck was fed around the net Joe Ciccarello's short pass to Moria was sent beyond goalie Barry Hollyhead for the opening goal.
Jets then stepped up their work rate and Lightning struggled to get any telling shots on Skinns during the remainder of the period. In fact the visitors could have gone further in front when Moria was given too much space in which to fire in on goal with five minutes remain – Hollyhead making a great block.
Richard Hargreaves then forced Hollyhead into another full stretch save just before the break.
Lightning upped a gear at the start of the third period and with an adjustment in the lines they looked the more likely side to score.
The equaliser came on 52mins 9secs when Nick Poole's pass from the right was fired high into the goal by Ales Parez.
After no further score in regulation time the match went into five minutes of overtime which again produced no more goals. So it was down to a penalty shoot out. But it was not until sudden death shots that Moria clinched the extra point for Jets – Lightning getting one for their efforts.
The next day at the Spectrum Centre there was no Gary Clarke, Toni Alasaarela, Poole, Hollyhead, Ross Bowers or Michael Wales as they were given the night off, while Allen Sutton returned as goalie.
It was Lightning who dealt the early shock though when Chris McEwen shot past Alex Mettam at 2mins 5secs from Parez' set up before Parez scored Mikko Skinnari the supplier – on 5mins 57secs.
The lead was quickly cut though as Lukas Smital registered on 6mins 24secs. Grant McPherson was called for slashing 30 seconds later and that gave Rick Plant the chance to set up Jozef Kohut for the leveller on the powerplay at 7min 32secs.
From then on things got more difficult for the understrength Lightning with Vinny Zavoral putting Flames in front on 9mins 5secs.
Smital was on target again to make it 4-2 after 28mins 11secs – Zavoral the provider but Lightning were not completely dead and buried as Parez set up Matt Towalski to narrow the deficit on 34mins 11secs.
After a first period in which Lightning were outshot 17-4 they almost matched their hosts in the second and third sessions when Flames just had the edge 11-10 in each period.
It was possibly a cruel blow for their efforts when Stuart Potts secured a 5-3 win for Flames with just nine seconds remaining.
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Weather for Milton Keynes
Friday 25 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 11 C to 24 C
Wind Speed: 21 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 11 C to 22 C
Wind Speed: 20 mph
Wind direction: East
