Lightning suffer double defeat to Leeds Knights

While Milton Keynes Lightning celebrated a staggeringly successful fundraising campaign to help Ukraine, on the ice there was little to cheer about at the weekend.

Lightning went down 4-3 at home to Leeds Knights on Saturday and then had a miserable journey back to the city 24 hours later, having been beaten 6-1 by the same opposition.

On a brighter note, Lightning’s fundraising activities for the Bedford, Aylesbury and Milton Keynes Ukraine Appeal raised a staggering £10,152 - £5 for every one of the 2,000 fans that packed the arena. Much of that was from an online and match night raffle for the entire roster’s specially designed Ukraine flag coloured shirts. Every raffle ticket available was snapped up.

On Saturday a poor first period, together with another outstanding performance from probably the best netminder in the National Ice Hockey League, denied Milton Keynes Lightning victory as they went down 4-3 to Leeds Knights at Planet Ice on Saturday.

During the opening 20 minutes, Lightning conceded two crucial goals that were to prove their undoing – both due to defensive lapses. In addition, Liam Stewart was unable to beat Knights goalie Sam Gospel who blocked his penalty shot attempt.

Lightning went behind as early as 3mins 34secs when Knights’ Kieran Brown unleashed a rocket shot that netminder Matt Smital could not stop.

Lightning’s defence was caught lacking when Adam Barnes was given too much space to add goal number two at 12mins 25secs – the player scoring his 20^th league goal of the season after picking his spot.

Stewart was frustrated when MK were awarded a penalty shot in the 17^th minute – Gospel spreading himself wide to block the shot.

In the second period Knights looked to be hanging onto their advantage until Brown was caught slashing Russell Cowley in the 35^th minute. That gave Lightning a powerplay and the opportunity to cut the deficit was taken by Sam Talbot at 37mins 12secs.

A further penalty, this time given to Shudra for roughing less than a minute later put Leeds a man short once again and MK gratefully snapped up the chance  with a well worked move involving Norris and Adam Laishram, culminating in the latter’s equaliser 11 seconds from the end of the powerplay at 39mins 54secs.

The hosts went in front for the first time early in the third session when Lightning were able to make the most of a four on four situation with Bobby Chamberlain and Sam Zajac in their respective penalty boxes for roughing.

Norris beat Gospel to the right of goal at 47mins 41secs. Leeds did not waste much time in drawing level when Cole Shudra defeated Smital at 50mins 51secs.

Less than two minutes later Ben Solder blasted in from the blue line, through traffic, for Brown to redirect the puck into the net to put Leeds in command again.

Smital was withdrawn from the ice in favour of an extra skater after coach Lewis Clifford called a timeout with 1min 39secs remaining. However, even when Knights were reduced to four skaters with Matty Davies sent to the sin bin for tripping with 44 seconds left, Lightning could not break through again.

A solitary Chamberlain goal was the only reward Lightning had from the long journey to Knights when they went down 6-1. The hosts took just 6mins 5secs to open their account when Adam Barnes beat goalie Smital unassisted.

Leeds added their tally at only 8mins 16secs with a short-handed strike from Cole Shudra – again unassisted before things became even worse for Lewis Clifford’s men at 13mins 16asecs when Leeds added a third goal through Jamie Chilcott.

MK did briefly cut the gap when Chamberlain’s struck on 18mins 48secs but only nine seconds into the second period Shudra put the puck past Smital.

Only 1min 7secs later that Leeds were recorded a third unassisted goal – Lewis Baldwin the scorer on 21mins 16secs. It signalled the end of Smital’s duties in between the pipes, Brandon Stones taking over.

A series of penalties hampered any hopes MK had of finding a way back into the game and even when Chilcott conceded a penalty shot for hooking down an MK player five minutes into the third session, Norris was unsuccessful with the shot that was saved by Gospel.

Seconds later Lightning received a two-minute misconduct penalty before there was further bad news when Chamberlain was given a match penalty for head butting and elbows in the 54^th minute. By that time, Barnes had rounded off Knights’ tally at 51mins 55secs.

Not a night to remember for Lightning, especially as Tim Wallace picked up a ten-minute abuse of an official penalty at the final buzzer.