Lightning look to cup semis after thrilling Guildford defeat

Lightningmissed the chance to go top of the league but they succeeded in raising the roof during a superb game of ice hockey at Planet Ice.

Fans had been encouraged to bring a friend for the game and the club could barely have picked a more thrilling contest for this initiative.

The result – a 6-5 defeat to leaders Guildford Flames – didn’t go according to the script but the feisty match-up will have certainly won a few more fans.

Both sides exchanged blows as the score swung back and forth with Lightning forced to battle back from behind to level the game at both 4-4 and 5-5.

The largest home crowd for several years hoped for a winner but Guildford would have the final say thanks to David Longstaff’s strike.

Lightning fans clapped their team off the ice anyway but the fact was they had fallen to defeat, and they were again beaten 24-hours later, 6-3 by Manchester Phoenix.

It means that Lightning still remain second in the English Premier League, three points behind Guildford who have a game in hand.

This weekend there is more league action with a home clash against Sheffield Steeldogs on the agenda for Saturday, followed by a trip to Basingstoke Bison on Sunday.

The Steeldogs game is the first of three in a fortnight between the two sides, as next month the clubs will meet in a two-leg aggregate score decider in the EPLCup semi-final.

Lightning player-coach NickPoole said he was under no illusions about what to expect from the  combative Yorkshire side.

“They’ll give us another very physical game but we’re ready for it,” he said.

“They worked us very hard when they came here in November, but we won and we want to make that the start of a pattern. 

“Our top line is firing on all cylinders – Leigh Jamieson, Blaz Emersic and Juraj Gracik are in terrific form, and goals are coming regularly.

The league games are the immediate priority but Poole also has one eye on the cup semi.

He said:“The EPLCup is the one title that’s eluded the Lightning over the years and we want to put that right.

“We have had some great results recently, so we’re hoping to continue that in the cup.”