Playing away

For me, one of the best things about this season has been discovering the ‘delights’ of various away rinks and the team spirit of awaydays. Living 250 miles away from my hometown, getting to Sunderland home games is enough of a logistical challenge before you even start to think about away trips – I really can’t remember what the hell possessed me to get a season ticket a few years ago, living so far away and being a wife and mother, working full time, and studying for my CIM qualification. Every home game was like an away game and I spent an entire season absolutely knackered....but no, if I could do it all again I wouldn't change a thing.

Home trips to see MK Lightning are obviously much easier, all done in about three hours. Living only a mile from the rink definitely helps. I don’t usually extend that by going to the bar afterwards – I’m not being unsociable, but I don’t drink beer unless it’s Peroni Gran Riserva, I’m picky about wine, I don’t really like cola/lemonade and the only cider I’ve found upstairs at Planet Ice is too sweet for me (sorry, that all makes me sound a bit high-maintenance but I’m not. No, really I'm not...) So if you do see me in the bar it generally means I need to corner Vito or a player about PR, or I have a sudden, inexplicable craving for Kopparberg.

MKL away trips have been an absolute blast this season – I remember saying when I first started this column how much I enjoyed the friendly atmosphere around ice hockey in MK and that feels magnified at away games. I can totally understand if people choose not to go to away games for whatever reason, but if you’ve never been to one and get the chance or the inclination strikes you, you really should give it a go. I’ve met some lovely people and seen some absolutely corking matches at away rinks this season and I’d recommend it to anyone. Humungous thanks to Jan, Dave, Bubbs and obviously my lovely and very understanding hubby, without whose help I wouldn’t have enjoyed those awaydays because I don’t drive!! So with all that in mind, here’s my little summary of just three of the rinks I’ve been to this season:

Venue: iceSheffield

Travelling companions: Jan (driving), Jan’s son Matt, and Golly (you know what? I *still* don't know what Golly's real name is...)

Time from MK to venue: A shade under two hours. Yes really, officer.

Route: M1 north, exit at junction 34, take the 2^nd left (I think), up that road past TGI on the left and Meadowhall on the right, past a budget hotel and it’s on the left.

Travel soundtrack: Matt’s choice of mainly guitar-based tracks from his ipod.

What’s it like there: New and shiny! Well it feels new-ish anyway. Not just one, but two ice pads. And two zambonis! Posh gits ;-o You don’t get a ticket, they stamp the back of your hand with a blue inky paw-print thing that stays put for at least two days afterwards and you’ll get fed up with explaining to people at work what it is. Decent bar with comfy seats, pool tables and tellies. Strangely warm in the seating area, you don’t need to get wrapped up at all really. No pillars obstructing the view but you’re behind netting, which I really hate. Not much atmosphere unless you make it yourself, but the scattered home supporters have a drum AND a trumpet.

What happened last time: Lightning stuffed the puppydogs 5-0. Little Archie Hollyhead got a bit over-excited watching his daddy play, and was ick everywhere, bless. It was Jamie Line’s 21^st and also Monir’s birthday that weekend so Jan made ‘happy birthday’ mini-posters and some of us held them up at the plexi during warm-up...cue strange looks from the players who saw them. Radders is still wearing his MKL shorts, Andre Payette didn’t endear himself to anyone so Jan, Golly and Carole baited him all evening and he eventually bit, so we left him alone after that.

Venue: Basingstoke

Travelling companions: Dave (driving), Emms, Jan and Golly. Jan’s humbugs got another outing (oo-er missus).

Time from MK to venue: 1 hour 35 mins. Bloody miraculous considering it’s in Hampshire.

Route: From MK cross country to Brackley, M40 then A34 past Oxford and Didcot...after that I have no idea at all, Dave’s satnav did the work. Home via the M3, M25 and M1.

Travel soundtrack: Dave’s ipod ice hockey playlist.

What’s it like there: Looks quite nice from the outside but nowhere near as smart inside. Cold...but in its defence, this rink has a cunningly concealed Costa Coffee bar, so it scores extra brownie points with me for that (no, really I'm honestly not high maintenance!) Quite cold, so extra layers definitely needed, unlike Sheffield. You sit quite high upstairs in the stands but you get an unobscured view of the ice pad. Only 5 minutes walk to the regulation McD’s or KFC for scran before the drive home.

What happened last time: DJ Rob's dad decided that hockey was really quite addictive. Lightning really gave the Bison a game, took the lead, then they fought back, it went to overtime and we won on penalties.....nailbiting stuff. We sang the probably predictable “MK Reject“ at Mindy and something much less polite at Chinny. Their DJ needs more records though as we got really hacked off with all that “put your hands up in the air” nonsense, every other sodding time.

Venue: Sluff (‘The Hangar’)

Travelling companions: My other half (driving) and Jan. Andy wasn’t well (aww).

Time from MK to venue: 1 hour 5 mins. Gummy sweetie dinosaurs en route, nom nom nom.

Route: Hubs fancied the idea of MK – Aylesbury and down through the Chalfonts but in the end we did M1, M25 and M4.

Travel soundtrack: Various stuff from my iPod and footy commentary on Five Live.

What’s it like there: Like Basingstoke, looks better from outside than in. It’s just....SMALL. Pokey. And dark. The curved roof that obviously prompted the ‘Hangar’ nickname is enough to give you claustrophobia. And there are stupid curved supporting ‘beams’ that get in the way depending on where you sit. Small cafe-bar that charges £1.50 for a ridiculously small hot drink that they take ages to make and lasts you about 30 seconds. On the plus side, loads of room to hang the big MKL flag, and if you’re so inclined you can sit right behind our bench (not for the easily offended as there’s a fair bit of effing and jeffing. I know, you wouldn’t expect it as our players all look so angelic, but it was “flipping” this, “chuffing” that.....) Mind you, I've heard it wasn't much better in WAGs corner...

What happened last time: Nasty Nigel Boniface was reffing and was late due to being stuck in traffic. Some would say he should've stayed there. The lads got closer to beating Sluff than they have all season, they really battled, took the game to the hosts and got to 3-3............but it wasn’t to be – but it absolutely wasn’t for the lack of trying.

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It’s been fantastic joining the band of good-humoured, dedicated MKL supporters who turn up at away games as well as home, bang the drum and sing the songs – there have been very few groups of away supporters come to the Thunderdome who make as much noise as MKL fans do when we travel, so I just hope the team appreciates how lucky they are!!