Lightning bounce back from defeat to Steeldogs with Bees win

Lightning have mixed fortunes over the weekend
MK LightningMK Lightning
MK Lightning

Inspired by a Liam Stewart hat-trick and a Sam Talbot brace Milton Keynes Lightning put the disappointment of their previous two games behind them with an emphatic 8-3 win over struggling Bees at Planet Ice on Saturday.

Apart from shaky ten minutes in the second period Lightning were dominant throughout and rarely looked like losing after taking a three goal lead into the first break. Lightning were missing Sean Norris from the offensive lines and Lewis Christie in defence, plus Edgars Landsbergs.

Stewart was man of the match on both Saturday and the previous night which ended with a 6-4 defeat at Sheffield Steeldogs – Lightning’s misery compounded by a third period arm injury to Norris.

Against Bees Stewart won possession in the offensive zone to catch out goalie Adam Goss with an upstairs shot as early as 4mins 19secs and he added a second at 16mins 21secs while the teams were four on four after Tim Wallace followed Juha Lindgren off the ice on a hooking call.

For the second goal Stewart finished off a neat move in front of the net also involving Ed Knaggs and Russell Cowley. No one looked more surprised than Ben Russell when his blue line blast trickled over the line after it went through Goss’s legs with 35 seconds remaining on the first period.

In the second period MK were caught on the attack as Bees took advantage of a two on one raid – man of the match Dominik Gabaj beat netminder Matt Smital for the visitors’ opening strike at 28mins 30secs.

Bees gave themselves hope with two late period goals – Gabaj setting up former MK man Zaine McKenzie for a reflex shot past Smital at 38mins 35secs and Lindgren scoring with 14 seconds to the buzzer. In between MK made a quick response to McKenzie’s strike when Talbot scored at 38mins 58secs.

In the third period Lightning were back in charge within 44 seconds of the first buzzer. Stewart completing his hat-trick and the hosts’ sixth.

Just over four minutes later Goss fell victim to another long range Lightning rocket – this time from the stick of Talbot to make it 7-3 at 44mins 55secs.

Lightning rounded out the win on 55mins 11secs when Russell Cowley found a gap at the right hand side of goal.

On Friday Lightning were delayed on the motorway on their way to Sheffield Steeldogs and , things didn’t get better when they ended up on the wrong end of a 6-4 scoreline.

The visitors had to wait until the 29th minute for their opening goal. By that time though Steeldogs had already bagged three of their own, starting on 11mins 35secs when Nathan Ripley fired home past former Steeldogs goalie, Brandon Stones, now in MK colours.

Lightning had barely had chance to recover than Sheffield doubled their advantage at 13mins 53secs when top marksman Jason Hewitt finished off.

Things deteriorated even further for MK as Alex Graham registered at 17mins 25secs.

Lightning were able to break their duck at 29mins exactly when Leigh Jamieson scored. They cut the deficit further on 37mins precisely with Stewart bagging the first of his two goals.

Just 41 seconds into the third period Graham defeated Stones for a second time to make it 4-2. Once more though MK narrowed the gap at 43mins 4secs with Stewart’s second goal.

MK suffered an injury blow shortly after as Norris went down and was helped off the ice holding his arm.

Graham completed his hat trick on a delayed penalty goal on 51mins 43secs before Jack Brammer put the puck past Stones at 52mins 31secs.

Frustration boiled over for Bobby Chamberlain with less than four minutes remaining – finding a willing combatant in Steeldogs’ Lee Bonner, with both receiving five minute fighting penalties.

Lightning managed one more goal on a powerplay with Cowley hitting the target just 33 seconds from the final buzzer.

Related topics: