It was ‘better late than never’ for MK Lightning as they were taken to overtime by Swindon Wildcats last Thursday in front of a healthy and vocal festive crowd – but emerged victorious, adding a valuable two points to their league tally.

Grant McPherson returned to bolster the home side’s attacking options after recovering from a niggling hip injury, and there was a new Wildcat on the ice in Jonas Höög, recently signed from Swedish Division One. 

Swindon were determined to make Nick Poole’s men fight every step of the way and a very closely-contested first period saw Lightning pushed hard by Ryan Aldridge’s side, buoyed by a 7-6 win over Basingstoke only three days before they travelled to Milton Keynes.  However Lightning successfully managed an early penalty kill period when defender Leigh Jamieson was sent to the sin bin.  Referee Matt Thompson handed Swindon hotshot Josef Liska a ten minute misconduct penalty when the Slovakian slammed his stick against the bench wall, after Thompson had already dismissed his complaints about an offside call.  Lightning rode their luck twice in the second period when Monir Kalgoum and Nick Poole received minor penalties in quick succession, but emerged from both shorthanded episodes only to concede at full strength when Liska and Aldridge set up Lithuanian winger Egidijus Bauba to score the opener on 34:21.  Forced to play an increasingly physical game to hold off the home side, Swindon lost two players to the penalty box in quick succession and Lukas Zatopek scored a powerplay goal on 38:34 after latching on to a Gary Clarke cross, to keep Lightning firmly in contention.  The action continued apace in the final period with Lightning becoming increasingly influential, and the frantic efforts of both sides and their keepers meant that supporters watched nervously as their teams were taken to overtime to decide who took home the two points.  The result was decided in Lightning’s favour after a nailbiting three minutes 11 seconds, when defender Leigh Jamieson set up fans’ favourite Andre Smulter to fire home the decisive goal and send the Wildcats home with only a point.

Lightning head coach Nick Poole said he was pleased with the win, despite the relatively slow start.  “We were a little sluggish in the first two periods but got much stronger in the third, and it was great to see us determined to get the win in front of a great crowd for a mid-week game.  We feel confident, and are excited to get the New Year started with a big win that can help lift us up the table.”

The result means Milton Keynes closed the gap on Slough Jets above them in the EPL table, with five games in hand.  MK Lightning’s next home fixture will be an action-packed affair against local rivals Peterborough Phantoms on Saturday 8 January, face off 7pm at Planet Ice.

Final score: MK Lightning 2 – 1 Swindon Wildcats.  Man of the Match for Lightning: Andre Smulter.

* MK Lightning’s away game against Bracknell Bees, postponed from Sunday 19 December because of adverse weather, has been rescheduled for Thursday 13 January at The Hive, face-off 8pm.