A 3-1 win on Saturday and 5-1 loss against Guildford on Sunday netted us two points over what turned out to be a very challenging weekend.  We were quite a bruised and battered side going into Saturday's away match and things only got worse as Lewis was unable to play after only two shifts, joining Monir on the sidelines. 

We settled into quite a tight defensive game and, thanks to an early Smulter strike, were always in front.  On bad ice both teams struggled to get any real flow going but I was very pleased with our team's commitment to defend, and smart decisions in a tight game.  Sunday saw top side Guildford come to town and for two periods we battled them toe to toe.  A first period injury to Ross Green saw us down to 3 defenders and we had to move Carrsy back, which unsettled the lines somewhat.  At 2-1 down in the second period, I felt it was anyone's game and I thought we had a real foot hold on the game and were in the ascendency when we gave up a short-handed goal with only seconds left on the clock, to go into the final break 3-1 down.  This proved too much against a strong Guildford side as we conceded two more goals to make the final score 5-1.  Although disappointed with the loss and the final scoreline, I was very pleased with the overall effort from all the players. Upon reflection, I feel that Guildford have a very strong team and will undoubtedly be challenging for some silverware, however, I feel that the next time we play them we will be healthier and will match up very well against them.  I think we are all looking forward to the return match and more importantly stringing some wins together in the meantime to bridge the gap.

Injury News

Both Monir and Lewis are on the mend but we want them back at 100% fitness before risking them to further injury.  Both are having treatment with our physio at Bodylimits and are responding well.  We are 50/50 for the upcoming weekend but will know more in a few days time.  Matty is struggling with a hip flexor injury but is playing through it.  He will take a few days off and we are expecting him to be fit for the weekend's matches.  Ross Green has been in the wars with hip, jaw and a facial injury in the past few games (welcome to senior hockey!).  He is playing through pain and again will take a few days off to mend but should be back for the weekend's action.  I am also carrying a neck/shoulder injury and am hoping a few days rest and physio will have me fit and healthy for the weekend.

Grant McPherson

A big thanks goes out to Grant McPherson for his great efforts in getting the Soccer Am lads here to do some filming a few weeks ago.  It was a fun afternoon and a pleasure to have Kammy and the Soccer Am crew in Milton Keynes.  Hopefully a lot of our fans got to see this past Saturday's show. 

Whilst on the topic of Grant.  It seems he has been getting some stick from one of British hockey’s 'pundits...?' for an apparent lack of class and respect.....  This omniscient commentator who to my knowledge has never played or coached the game has the ability to comment on incidents without ever having seen them or taking in all of the facts.  Well I must be honest I don’t know of this so called ‘code’ that he keeps banging on about (I would imagine that he has read a book somewhere or heard a conversation about the way the big boys fight in the NHL and is now trying to regurgitate the information as his own hockey knowledge).    What I do know is this, Grant is a stand up guy with tons of character.  He is 140 lbs dripping wet, and he plays with emotion and can only be guilty of wanting to fight every one of his team mates battles for them.  He is class and we are proud to have him on our team.  More importantly he has a lot of respect for All the players that play this game in the UK, at all levels.  This is something I believe many could learn from him.

P.S. Also if someone could let this publication know that we are the Lightning and not the Kings (and have been for the last 9 years) that would be great.