MK LIGHTNING’S ROSS GREEN SELECTED FOR INTERNATIONAL DUTY

Milton Keynes Lightning Ice Hockey Club is delighted to confirm that defenceman Ross Green is included in the final Team GB U20 squad for the forthcoming World Championships.  Emphasising the quality of players coming through the MK youth system, it was also recently announced that Edward Knaggs, a defender for MK Storm U14’s,  has been selected to represent England in forthcoming tournaments in Hungary and the Czech Republic.   The Under-20s travel to Bavaria in December, to compete in the Division I Group A competition in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, best known as the venue of the 1936 Winter Olympics, where Great Britain took their only gold medal, for ice hockey.   The second-youngest member of the entire Lightning roster, Ross, 19, has spent the whole of his career so far playing in Milton Keynes, progressing through the ranks until his first full season with Lightning in 2009-10.  Ross’s first league goals for Lightning came in the 2010-11 season, and he was recently presented with the award for Most Improved Player.  “It’s a great opportunity and a real honour to represent your country at the World Championships”, said Ross.  “Hopefully I can learn a lot from the experience to help improve my game for Lightning.  It’s going to be such a high standard of hockey in Germany – we’re up against some tough opposition this year and it’ll be a challenge, but with the team we have, if we play well we hope to be medal contenders”.    Ross and Edward are just the latest in a long line of skaters from the MK youth system picked for the honour of representing their country at international level.  Netminder Jordan Hedley has played for England at U13, U14 and U15 levels, as well as U18 level for Team GB, Luc Johnson represents England at U15 level, and Sam Russell at U13 level.  Of the current MK Lightning roster, Leigh Jamieson and Jamie Line are both products of the MK youth system and both represented Team GB.   MK Lightning coach and Director of Junior Development, Nick Poole, said Ross’s selection was reward for the player’s hard work and professionalism: “He constantly works hard not only on improving his own game, but also helps to develop future stars in the MK junior hockey programme.  It’s been a real privilege to not only watch his career develop here in Milton Keynes, but also to play alongside him.  Ross is a credit to himself, his family and to hockey here in the town.  He thoroughly deserves this call up and I know he’ll shine at the World Championships – everyone involved in hockey in Milton Keynes is very, very proud of both him and Edward Knaggs and we’ll be backing them all the way in their respective tournaments”.