Lightning inflict a devastating double
Fourteen goal haul from two victories
Milton Keynes Lightning's league title hopes may have all but gone but they will be among the favourites going into the post season play-offs after a tremendous weekend in which they hit the net no less than 14 times – conceding just once.
Lightning put the disappointment of the previous weekend's loss to Slough Jets behind them to demolish the Berkshire side 7-1 in the return game at The Hangar.
They followed that up with a routine 7-0 win over a depleted Telford Tigers at Planet Ice on Sunday – a match which, in truth, was over almost before it began with Lightning 3-0 up by the eighth minute.
Certainly by the half way stage the encounter was nothing more than a training game with Telford – at 5-0 behind – looking disinterested as their chances of a play-off spot were less likely than coach Claude Dumas going to the moon for his summer holidays!
On Saturday player coach Nick Poole led by example firing Lightning ahead from Joakim Wiklander and Chris McEwen's set up after just 1min 4secs.
One became two when Andre Smulter – cleared to play in the game after the English Ice Hockey Association decided not to extend his one match suspension – shot past Dean Skinns at 5mins 51secs while the team were short-handed.
Michael Bowman reduced the gap with Slough's only goal on 11mins 27secs but Lightning went in to the first break 3-1 to the good after James Archer was supplier for Lukas Zatopek on 17mins 38secs.
With no further goals in the second session a late Slough rally was still possible – until Gary Clarke and Chris McEwen put paid to that.
Adam Carr provided the pass for Clarke to blast within 38 seconds of the start of the third session with Poole the supplier for McEwen 54 seconds later.
Lightning's third line got in on the act with a Grant McPherson and Archer assisted goal by Matt Towalski at 52mins 33secs.
That prompted a change of netminder by Jets – Skinns giving way to Andy Biart. But it was not long before he was picking the puck out of the net after another short-handed goal by Lightning – this time from Adam Carr at 54mins 55secs to cap a miserable night for Jets.
At Planet Ice the next evening it took until 6mins 13secs for the hosts to go ahead but once they did there was only going to be one winner.
Joakim Wiklander was the provider with a pass from the right wing which was smashed first time past Davey Lawrence into the goal.
Zatopek then set up Smulter for a superb high shot to the right Lawrence to make it 2-0 at 6mins 52secs.
Carr was the supplier for Lightning's third goal at 8mins 8secs with a superb high blast into the goal from the right hand side at 8mins 8secs.
Although there were no more goals in the first period Tigers never really looked like making any impresson.
And their cause was not helped when Wiklander's behind the net pass again exposed Lawrence on his glove side within 38 seconds of the start of the second period.
Even when Towalski was called for hooking it was Lightning who were mainly on the offensive as the home side had the bit between their teeth.
On 26 minutes exactly Wiklander got the assist as Clarke again found out Lawrence on the glove side.
At this stage Lawrence was replaced by Daniel Heslop but that did not stop the goals coming and Smulter sent Clarke away up the left for the sixth goal and his hat-trick at 34mins 1secs.
The seventh goal came on 36mins 18secs when Clarke fired home from wide of the left of goal – Zatopek and Poole getting the assists.
With the game won the hosts were able to take it easy in the third – even though the shots on goal showed they outshot Telford 21-8 in the final session alone for a 63-23 total.
The highlights of the period were probably the chances to give goalie Barry Hollyhead a rest with Jake Scriven taking over in between the pipes for the final 17 minutes and the growing confidence of younsgter Ross Green who showed no fear in taking on experienced players such as Marek Hornak and the evergreen Dumas.
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Weather for Milton Keynes
Thursday 09 February 2012
Today
Light snow
Temperature: -1 C to 0 C
Wind Speed: 7 mph
Wind direction: South west
Tomorrow
Sunny spells
Temperature: -6 C to 1 C
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