Milton Keynes Lightning
| Milton Keynes Lightning | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| City | Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire |
| League | EIHPL |
| Founded | 2002 |
| Home arena | The MK Arena |
| Colors | White, Black & Blue |
| General manager | TBA |
| Head coach |
 Peter Russell
|
| Captain |
 Adam Carr |
| Affiliates |
Milton Keynes Thunder Milton Keynes Storm |
| Website | mk-lightning.com |
| Franchise history | |
| 2002 – present | Milton Keynes Lightning |
| Championships | |
| Regular season titles | 3 (03/04, 04/05 & 09/10) |
| Playoff championships | 5 (02/03, 03/04, 04/05, 05/06 & 16/17) |
The Milton Keynes Lightning are a semi-professional ice hockey team from Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, currently playing in the EPIHL. The team was founded in 2002 to replace the Milton Keynes Kings; who had departed Milton Keynes for Solihull at that time. Their home rink is the refurbished and renamed MK Arena; known locally as the Thunderdome. It has a capacity of circa 2,500.
Founded in 2002, MK Lightning moved into the empty space left by the departure of the Milton Keynes Kings. The MK Kings were involved in a dispute with rink operators Planet Ice, which led to their relocation to Solihull in May 2002. There they became the Solihull MK Kings before being wound up in April 2003, after a single season.
The demise of the Ice Hockey Superleague in 2002/03 led to major restructuring of Ice Hockey in the UK. The Milton Keynes Lightning became a founding member of the new Elite Ice Hockey League but competed in the lower English Premier Ice Hockey League. The first Lightning squad was made up of local players and three Canadian imports, Nick Poole as Player Coach, Claude Dumas, and Dwayne Newman. Lightning finished their maiden season in 2nd place, behind Peterborough Phantoms. The two teams met again in the playoff final, with Lightning winning. A rivalry quickly grew between them as they continued to dominate EPL Ice Hockey, MK Lightning were crowned league champions in 2003/04 & 2004/05 as well as dominating the Playoffs until 2006.
2006/07 saw Lightning struggle for the first time. A lack of new players, predictable tactics & an improved opposition being the main drivers. The team ended the season in 5th place & were eliminated from the Playoffs in the first round. 2007/08 saw the situation worsen, with a league finish of 6th. This resulted in a roster overhaul for the new season.
The Lightning squad for 2008/09 included several experienced ex-Elite League players, young British talent & new European imports. After a slow start the team dominated the second half of the season & finished runners-up behind Peterborough. They then met again in the playoff final with the Phantoms winning the encounter. Lightning became the team to beat in 2009/10, despite Elite league Basingstoke Bison & Manchester Phoenix joining the EPIHL. Further squad strengthening helped Lightning dominate & a home win against Swindon Wildcats in March 2010 saw the EPIHL league trophy return to Milton Keynes.
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Wikipedia