Lightning through to Coventry finals weekend
Sheffield beaten 8-6 on aggregate
Milton Keynes Lightning are going to the Coventry play-off finals for the first time since 2006 after seeing off Sheffield Scimitars 8-6 on aggregate in the quarter finals.
Tempers threatened to boil over at times as Lightning won the second leg 5-3 in a feisty encounter at Planet Ice following a poor display in Sheffield 24 hours earlier when the first leg ended all square.
Lightning appeared to have the puck in the net four times in the first period –with all efforts ruled out by the referee, Dave Goodwin. At least one should have counted when Joakim Wiklander fired in only for Goodwin to rule that the net had come off its moorings before the Swede shot.
It was Sheffield who went into the first break 2-1 in front having taken a 2-0 lead.
The first goal came on the powerplay after Adam Radmall and Lukas Zatopek were both sin binned in quick succession. Peter Slamiar blasted in at the left pipe from Ron Shudra's pass from the right at 12mins 16secs.
Goal number two came when Lightning were turned over while on the attack – a wayward pass being intercepted by Ryan Johnson who sent Joakim Millqvist away to beat goalie Barry Hollyhead one on one after 14mins 54secs.
Lightning were thrown a lifeline with 29 seconds of the period remaining as Wiklander set up Gary Clarke for a shot which thundered into the net.
Within 30 seconds of the restart Scimitars' Lee Haywood found himself in the sin bin for hooking Wiklander. However Lightning did not produce enough pressure on the Sheffield net during the powerplay.
Lightning finally equalised when Scimitars were subject of a delayed penalty call on James Goodman – Adam Radmall scoring his first goal of the season with a powerblast from the blue line which goalie Paul Jones probably did not see until it was too late on 23mins 19secs.
The hosts did better on their next powerplay chance to go in front at 26mins 41secs with Michael Wales just tipping in Clarke's long shot from the blue line.
Both teams lost key players when referee Goodwin, obviously trying to defuse an increasingly niggly game, gave ten minute incitement penalties to Matt Towalski and Robert Farmer after they clashed.
From then on the game was played in only a slightly calmer manner.
Lightning stretched their lead to two goals on the powerplay at 45mins 3secs when Andre Smulter beat Jones with a shot high into the goal.
As the game went into the final 10 minutes the home team survived a penalty call on Adam Carr but then conceded a soft goal to Farmer at 53mins 43secs.
That threatened to set up a tense final few minutes for the home fans – until Wales went solo to beat Jones with a tremendous shot to make it 5-3 at 55mins 20secs.
There was no way back for Sheffield from that – even when they withdrew goalie Jones for the extra skater while Lightning had Zatopek in the penalty box.
So it was Lightning who qualify for the finals play-off weekend at Coventry Skydome over the Easter weekend. They play Guildford Flames in the semi final on Saturday.
A day earlier the teams ended all square at after Lightning had taken a 2-0 lead through a goal by Carr at 11mins 3secs and a strike by Wales on 28mins 4secs.
Then came three unanswered Sheffield goals through Haywood on 30mins 28secs, one from Stephen Wallace at 47mins 49secs and a Ben Morgan goal at 48mins 35secs.
With just 54 seconds remaining 'Gretzy' Clarke bagged the equaliser to make it all to play for in the second leg.
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Weather for Milton Keynes
Thursday 24 May 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 11 C to 25 C
Wind Speed: 13 mph
Wind direction: North east
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 10 C to 22 C
Wind Speed: 22 mph
Wind direction: East
