Milton Keynes Lightning facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Milton Keynes Lightning
City	Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire
League	NIHL
Division	National League
Founded	1st franchise 2002. 2nd franchise 2019
Home arena	Planet Ice Arena Milton Keynes
Colors	Black, Grey & Gold
Owner(s)	let's play hockey consortium
Head coach	Tim Wallace
Captain	James Griffin
Affiliates	Milton Keynes Thunder, Milton Keynes Storm
Website	MKLightning[1]
Franchise history
2002 – 2019. 2019 - present	Milton Keynes Lightning

The Milton Keynes Lightning is an ice hockey team from Milton Keynes, England. The team first started in 2002. Then, a new version of the team began in 2019. They currently play in the National Ice Hockey League (NIHL), which is Britain's second-highest professional league. Before 2019, the Lightning played in the top league, the Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL), and before that, in the English Premier Ice Hockey League (EPIHL). Their home games are played at the Planet Ice Arena Milton Keynes, which fans often call the MK Arena or the Thunderdome. It can hold 2,200 people.

Club History: The Lightning's Journey

How the Team Started

The Milton Keynes Lightning team began in 2002. They took over from another local team, the Milton Keynes Kings. The Kings had issues with the arena and moved away. This left a spot for a new ice hockey team in Milton Keynes.

Early Wins: 2002 to 2006

When ice hockey in the UK changed a lot in 2002-2003, the Lightning became a founding member of the new Elite Ice Hockey League. However, they played in a lower league called the English Premier Ice Hockey League (EPIHL). Their first team had young local players and some international players. They finished second in their first season and won the playoff final!

The Lightning quickly became a strong team. They won the league championship in 2003-04 and 2004-05. They also won the playoffs until 2006. Player-coach Nick Poole and Gary Clarke were key players during these successful years.

Tough Times: 2006 to 2008

The 2006-07 season was harder for the Lightning. Some good players left, and the team struggled to find new talent. They finished 5th in the league and were knocked out of the playoffs early. The next season, 2007-08, was even tougher, with the team finishing 6th. This meant they needed to make big changes to their team.

Back to Winning: 2008 to 2010

For the 2008-09 season, the Lightning brought in experienced players and new international stars. After a slow start, they played very well and finished second in the league. They met Peterborough in the playoff final again but lost this time.

In 2009-10, the Lightning became the team to beat. Even with strong teams joining their league, they kept winning. With new players like Monir Kalgoum and goalie Alex Mettam, they won the EPIHL league trophy in March 2010.

Ups and Downs: 2010 to 2015

The years from 2010 to 2015 were a mix of good and bad for the Lightning. They had some near misses for titles. In 2010-11, they lost the playoff final. The 2011-12 season saw them lead the league for a while but finish 5th.

In 2012-13, big changes happened. A star player, Adam Calder, got a serious injury. Then, team legend Nick Poole retired suddenly. The team finished 4th and lost in the playoff semi-finals.

The 2013-14 season was tricky because their home arena was being renovated. They had to play games in Coventry. This made it hard for the team to practice and play consistently. Despite this, they finished 4th and were cup runners-up.

When the Milton Keynes arena reopened in October 2014, fans were excited. But the team still struggled, finishing 7th, their lowest position ever. They did manage to reach the playoff semi-finals that year.

New Leadership and Leagues: 2015 to 2017

After the 2014-15 season, Nick Poole became the General Manager, and Peter Russell took over as head coach. The team also changed its colors to black, white, and blue. In 2017, a big announcement came: the Milton Keynes Lightning would move up to the top league, the Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL)!

In November 2016, Nick Poole stepped down. The team finished 2nd in their last EPIHL season. They won their first EPIHL cup in March 2017. Then, they won their 5th playoff title, beating Guildford and Telford.

Playing in the Elite League: 2017 to 2019

The Lightning officially joined the Elite League for the 2017-18 season. New owners, Graham and Monica Moody, took over the club. The first season started well, but the team struggled on the road. They finished 11th and missed the playoffs.

The 2018-19 season also started poorly. Coach Doug McKay left, and player Tim Wallace took over as coach. In March 2019, it was announced that the Lightning would leave the Elite League. This was due to money reasons. They would move back to the second tier, the new National Hockey League (NIHL). The team finished 11th again.

Back to Roots and Fan Ownership: 2019 to 2022

After leaving the Elite League, Lewis Clifford became the Head Coach for the new NIHL National league. However, there were problems with unpaid debts from the previous owners. Because of this, the arena operators gave the team's contract to a group of supporters called 'Lets Play Hockey'. This group became the new owners.

The new owners confirmed that Lewis Clifford would stay as coach and that the team would keep the Milton Keynes Lightning name. The 2019-20 season ended early because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

After the pandemic delays, the 2021-22 season began. The Lightning played well but couldn't find the consistency to win the title, finishing 5th. After losing in the playoff final, Lewis Clifford stepped down. Player and Director of Hockey Development Tim Wallace returned as player-coach.

Arena Improvements: A New Home Look

In March 2013, plans were approved to update the Leisure Plaza, where the Lightning play. This project was funded by Morrisons Supermarkets and took 17 months. Because of this, the Lightning had to play their home games in Coventry for part of the 2013-14 and 2014-15 seasons. The team finally returned to their improved rink, now called the "MK Arena," on October 18, 2014. The first game back was against Sheffield Steeldogs, and the arena was completely full with over 2,500 fans!

Team Trophies: What the Lightning Has Won

• EPIHL League Titles: 3
  • Won: 2004, 2005, 2010
  • Runner-up: 2003, 2009, 2017

• EPIHL Playoff Titles: 5
  • Won: 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2017
  • Runner-up: 2009, 2011, 2016

• EPIHL Cup Titles: 1
  • Won: 2017
  • Runner-up: 2003, 2007, 2010, 2014

• NIHL Playoff Titles: 0
  • Runner-up: 2022

• NIHL Cup Titles: 1
  • Won: 2024

Current Team: 2022–2023 Roster

Netminders
No.	Nat.	Player	Catches	Date of birth	Place of birth	Acquired
1		Jordan Hedley	L	(1996-08-07) 7 August 1996 (age 28)	Walsall, England	2022 from Coventry Blaze
31		Daniel Crowe	L	(2003-12-16) 16 December 2003 (age 21)	Newcastle upon Tyne	2022 from Nashville Spartans (USA)

Defencemen
No.	Nat.	Player	Shoots	Date of birth	Place of birth	Acquired
3		Tyler Nixon	R	(2001-07-26) 26 July 2001 (age 23)	Rotherham, England	2021 from Sheffield Scimitars
5		Ben Russell	R	(1994-03-24) 24 March 1994 (age 31)	Milton Keynes, England	2019 from Streatham IHC
15		James Griffin	R	(1993-04-08) 8 April 1993 (age 32)	Swindon, England	2015 from Coventry Blaze
19		Leigh Jamieson	R	(1985-07-30) 30 July 1985 (age 39)	Milton Keynes, England	2019 from Streatham IHC
21		Ross Green	R	(1992-02-19) 19 February 1992 (age 33)	Chelmsford, England	2019 from Milton Keynes Thunder
25		Ed Knaggs	L	(1998-06-13) 13 June 1998 (age 27)	Hemel Hempstead, England	2020 from Bracknell Bees
33		Milique Martelly	L	(2004-06-05) 5 June 2004 (age 21)	London, England	2021 from Streatham IHC
39		Sam Russell	R	(2000-08-10) 10 August 2000 (age 24)	Milton Keynes, England	2019 from New England Wolves (USA)
66		Lewis Christie	R	(1989-08-30) 30 August 1989 (age 35)	Edinburgh, Scotland	2019 from Free Agent

Forwards
No.	Nat.	Player	Shoots	Date of birth	Place of birth	Acquired
7		Deivids Sarkanis	L	(1994-11-07) 7 November 1994 (age 30)	Riga, Latvia	2022 from HK Mogo (Latvia)
8		Liam Stewart	L	(1994-09-04) 4 September 1994 (age 30)	London, England	2019 from Skycity Stampede (New Zealand)
10		Bobby Chamberlain	R	(1995-03-16) 16 March 1995 (age 30)	Hull, England	2020 from Hull Pirates
11		Callum Field	R	(2004-08-03) 3 August 2004 (age 20)	Northampton, England	2020 from Sheffield Steelhawks JIHC
12		Zaine McKenzie	R	(2003-08-20) 20 August 2003 (age 21)	Coventry, England	2022 Bees IHC
14		Hallden Barnes-Garner	R	(1998-02-28) 28 February 1998 (age 27)	Milton Keynes, England	2019 from Milton Keynes Thunder
16		Mack Stewart	L	(2004-08-18) 18 August 2004 (age 20)	Belfast, Northern Ireland	2022 from Belfast Giants
23		Jack Hopkins	R	(2004-05-08) 8 May 2004 (age 21)	Nottingham, England	2022 from Nottingham Panthers
28		Tim Wallace	R	(1984-08-06) 6 August 1984 (age 40)	Anchorage, Alaska, USA	2022 from Free Agent
86		Sean Norris	R	(1999-09-14) 14 September 1999 (age 25)	Ascot, England	2021 from Basingstoke Bison
89		Rio Grinell-Parke	L	(1999-02-25) 25 February 1999 (age 26)	London, England	2022 from Raiders IHC
98		Sam Talbot	R	(2001-04-10) 10 April 2001 (age 24)	England	2021 from Basingstoke Bison

Team Leaders: Top Players and Coaches

Top Players by Games Played

These players have played the most games for the Milton Keynes Lightning.

Player
No.	Nat.	Player	Active Seasons	App
1		Adam Carr	2003–2017 inclusive	687
2		Leigh Jamieson	2002–2004, 2009–2017 & 2019–2022	614
3		Lewis Christie	2008–2017 & 2019–2022	581
4	Grant McPherson	2006–2016 & 2019–2020	542
5		Nick Poole	2002–2015 inclusive	506

Top Players by Points Scored

These players have scored the most points (goals + assists) for the team.

Player
No.	Nat.	Player	Active Seasons	Pts
1		Gary Clarke	2002–2009 & 2010–2011	767
2		Nick Poole	2002–2015 inclusive	728
3		Leigh Jamieson	2002–2004, 2009–2017 & 2019–2022	554
4		Adam Carr	2003–2017 inclusive	524
5		Blaz Emersic	2010–2017 inclusive	398

Top Players by Goals Scored

These players have scored the most goals for the team.

Player
No.	Nat.	Player	Active Seasons	Gls
1		Gary Clarke	2002–2009 & 2010–2011	436
2		Adam Carr	2003–2017 inclusive	248
3		Nick Poole	2002–2015 inclusive	211
4		Leigh Jamieson	2002–2004, 2009–2017 & 2019–2022	187
5		Blaz Emersic	2010–2017 inclusive	171

Top Players by Assists

These players have made the most assists (passes that lead to a goal) for the team.

Player
No.	Nat.	Player	Active Seasons	Ast
1		Nick Poole	2002–2015 inclusive	517
2		Leigh Jamieson	2002–2004, 2009–2017 & 2019–2022	367
3		Gary Clarke	2002–2009 & 2010–2011	331
4		Adam Carr	2003–2017 inclusive	276
5		Blaz Emersic	2010–2017 inclusive	227

Retired Jersey Numbers

Some players were so important to the team that their jersey numbers were "retired." This means no other player on the team will wear that number again.

Player
Number	Nat.	Player	Active Seasons	Acquired
91		Nick Poole	2002–2015 inclusive	2002 from Fife Flyers
18		Adam Carr	2003–2017 inclusive	2003 from Isle of Wight Raiders
9		Grant McPherson	2006–2017 & 2019–2020	2006 from Edinburgh Capitals

Head Coaches of the Lightning

Here are the people who have led the team as head coach.

Coach
Nat.	Coach	Active Seasons	Acquired
	Nick Poole	2002–2015 inclusive (Player-Head Coach 2002–2013, Head Coach 2013–2015)	n/a First Head Coach Position
	Peter Russell	2015–2018 inclusive	2015 from Okanagan Hockey Academy
	Doug McKay	2018	2018 from Orlik Opole (Poland)
	Ryan Lannon	2018–2019 (Joint Player-Head Coach 2018–2019)	n/a First Head Coach Position
	Tim Wallace	2018–2019 (Joint Player-Head Coach 2018–2019, Player-Head Coach 2019)	n/a First Head Coach Position
	Lewis Clifford	2019–2022	2019 from Milton Keynes Thunder
	Tim Wallace	2022 (Player-Head Coach)	2022 from Nottingham Panthers

Team Captains

The captain is a leader on the ice and in the locker room.

Captain
Nat.	Captain	Active Seasons as Captain	Acquired
	Dwayne Newman	2002–2007 (Career with club 2002–2007 inclusive)	2002 from Solihull MK Kings
	Gary Clarke	2007–2009 (Career with club 2002–2009 & 2010–2011)	2002 from Basingstoke Bison & 2010 Guildford Flames
	Adam Carr	2009–2017 (Career with club 2003–2017 inclusive)	2003 from Isle of Wight Raiders
	Kevin King	2017–2018 (Career with club 2017–2018)	2017 from Rapaces de Gap
	Tim Wallace	2018–2019 (Career with club 2018–2019 & 2022)	2018 from Sheffield Steelers
	Russell Cowley	2019–2022(Career with club 2019–2022)	2019 from Basingstoke Bison
	Lewis Christie	2022– (Career with club 2008-2017 & 2019–)	2019 from Free Agent

Season Results: How the Team Has Done Each Year

This table shows how the Milton Keynes Lightning has performed in each season.

Other Teams in the Club

The Milton Keynes Lightning is part of a bigger ice hockey family in Milton Keynes.

• Milton Keynes Thunder
• Milton Keynes Storm