Final cherry popped

Well there we are – the 2010-11 season is over and done with. Where did the time go? One minute I’m standing at the plexi watching the Ashes games musing over how I’ll probably never get my head around the rules, the next I’m fretting about which ref we’ll get at Coventry.

Whilst last season I went to the home leg of the play-off quarter final against Swindon and knew that the result meant MK wouldn’t play in Coventry, as I’d never been to a Coventry weekend at that point, I don’t think I fully appreciated what it really meant to the team and supporters.

Lightning went into the playoff quarters hot on the heels of a very dodgy period of form; in the run up to the quarters, the lads had won only five in 15 games. Basingstoke came to MK for the first leg and it looked like the phrase “throwing away the form book” really was true when we went 3-0 up in 8 minutes courtesy of Lukas, Clarkey and Smults....it felt like a dream. Unfortunately it was one of those dreams that takes an upredictable turn and you wake up in a cold sweat - Bison scored twice in just over two minutes but fortunately our lads held their nerve and finished the night with a goal advantage to take to Basingstoke.

In the car going down the A34 the following day we were all a bit anxious. To cut a long story short, the Barmy Army packed out the away seating and out-sang the home support all evening, Basingstoke drew level then MKL not only restored their advantage (cue delirium all round, me and Golly in tears shouting at each other “we’re going to Coventry!!!!!”) but Monir had all the time in the world to calmly cue up an empty net goal to send us all to heaven. We delayed the long journey home to meet other supporters in Wolfies bar and cheer in our team as they arrived, and had them wondering after a while why we were all cheering again – simple answer, Peterborough had put Slough out of the playoffs in their quarter final.

Two days before Coventry, I was at our rink, picking up my black and gold polo shirt for the weekend and watching the guys’ final training session. Dave Bunyan asked if I’d drafted a press release in advance – honest answer was no, it’d briefly crossed my mind to draft different versions but decided not to because I thought it might jinx it. The lads looked relaxed and happy on the ice, playoff beards were looking good, the ‘oldies’ were thrashing the ‘youngsters’ 5-0 after one period so we left them to it.

Coventry weekend arrived and Lightning had first game of the day, our semi final against Manchester Phoenix. I was nervous, I think most of us were – but I genuinely believed the Mancs were do-able. We made them look ordinary in January and frightened them a couple of times subsequently, there was no reason why we shouldn’t beat them again.

Walking into the Skydome it feels like walking into a huge ice hockey party: supporters of the top 8 teams all there even though only 4 of those teams will be competing, flags and fancy dress, although it’s got to be said that only MKL fans really did it properly – in the other team’s areas there were ‘pockets’ of fancy dress but nothing properly co-ordinated. Our theme for the Saturday was ‘wild west’ which ranged from the relatively ordinary checked shirts and stetsons (mine being bright pink with white fluffy trim), to the brilliantly ridiculous – inflatable horses and massive stetsons (all of which went out clubbing in Coventry that night). And not forgetting the backdrop to our area to make it look like a saloon bar. The team acquitted themselves VERY well – we went 2-0 up then a few seconds’ lack of focus saw the Mancs claw it back to 2-2. Overtime – cue butterflies, breath held, Leigh Jamieson winning the hearts of every MKL cowboy, cowgirl and horse in the house, Lukas trying to climb over the plexi to reach us, and absolute hysteria. One Manchester supporter had asked some Lightning supporters in a hotel lobby who we were going to support in the final because Nick Poole teams apparently only play one-dimensional hockey and we weren’t going to win – so that was nice to ram it down his throat... I’ll never forget meeting Vito on the way out of the rink, him giving me a big hug and saying “How was THAT for your first Coventry!!”

The second semi final, Guildford v Peterborough, was a much more relaxed affair, our lads had been for a meal after our game then came up into the stands to sit in amongst us all to watch the Guildford game before disappearing just after 9pm for their hotel a few miles away for an early night (Grant McPherson told me the following day that as far as he knows, they were the only team that went and sat with their supporters). Vito and Nick did the drinking with the fans on the players’ behalf, as did the weekend’s two refs, Messrs Cloutman and Thompson (a bone of contention the following day). Guildford demolished Potty – ‘game on’ for Sunday. We went home that evening but as we left you could practically feel the atmosphere gearing up for a good night – next year I’m SO staying over!!

Sunday, and the ‘uniform’ black and gold polo came out. Into the Skydome again and watched the end of the U18’s game, great to see up-coming talent getting a bit of limelight. Then the build-up to our game. Didn’t feel that much more nervous than the day before (but that wasn’t to last). Straight away you could see this was going to take quite some work, but the boys looked up to the task and took the lead only five minutes in, Monir passing to Smults – yaaaaaaaaaaay!! Then......who pressed the pause button? Video evidence – WTF?! Lightning had all the momentum and the stoppage to see if Smults was in the crease or not, took it all away. Apparently we were only told 10 minutes before face off that video evidence was going to be trialled in the final. Nice one, EPL....what a game to choose for the experiment. Flames were 3-1 up at the end of the first period, and at the start of the second, my nerves got the better of me. I don’t know WHAT prompted it but I just couldn’t watch, then I found myself sniffling, and considered my own ‘time out’ just to have a bawl and get it out of my system. It wasn’t that I didn’t think the guys could do it, I think it was just the intensite of the whole weekend landed on me all at once. I lasted til the end of the second period (although my mascara didn’t) and a quick chat with Warthog calmed me down. With 10 minutes left, we were all square at 3-3 and Flames looked like they’d lost the plot – game on, again...we might just nick this!! Then a penalty shot was called, Masa scored, we called a time out, Barry was pulled, Flames got a 5^th.......and that was that. Game over L There were some frayed tempers around the back of the Skydome afterwards, not helped, I guess, by seeing Farny helped into a car and driven to hospital – one of the Guildford players had elbowed him at the end of the game and rearranged his jaw.

But Lightning did us proud – despite how they all must’ve felt, to a man they all refused to leave the ice after accepting their medals, staying til the bitter end to applaud Guildford, despite how much it must’ve hurt.

Driving home and exchanging texts with other supporters, it turned out there were plans for a ‘welcome committee’ for the boys when they arrived back. I almost declined but I’m SO glad I didn’t!! Bud, birthday cake, crisps, Guinness, dolly mixtures..... When the boys walked through the rink from the changing rooms they were spotted and we all banged on the bar windows to get their attention – and their faces were pictures! We all gathered round in a horseshoe shape to sing them into the bar – they’d all given it 110% all weekend in Coventry, we were proud of them and wanted to show them. Luckily they know that we’re all confirmed but harmless lunatics, and seemed more than happy to chew the fat and have a few drinks with us all, and one of the giant stetsons made a reappearance, sported by Muzzy. Even Farny came along, straight from casualty, with the good news that his jaw wasn’t broken and his dashing good looks would be fine in no time at all, LOL – plus the Flames player who inflicted it will miss the first game of next season as a consequence. Grant and Smults were happy to talk to just about anyone, Ross ended up behind the bar, Jamie was several sheets to the wind by the time they even arrived, Muzzy was just.....Muzzy, Monir mischeviously instructed Jacob to put track 5 on the CD to get Smults dancing (it worked), I spent a bit of time talking to Farny and Dave Carmichael, then was walked to the fire escape by Jacob and Lukas. What a surreal but fantastic end to the season!

How long til the league starts again?!