Milton Keynes Lightning head coach Lewis Clifford has written a special January column for Celebrate:MK as he targets a successful 2020 at the club.

Happy New Year! I hope all Celebrate:MK readers had a very Merry Christmas and I would like to wish you a prosperous 2020 on behalf of everyone here at MK Lightning. It has been a rollercoaster few months for myself as head coach.

Having to build a team from scratch following the club’s two seasons in the Elite League was a challenge, but one I was hugely excited to have been given as a lifelong ice hockey fan/player/coach and, just as importantly, a Milton Keynes native.

We started the season with some terrible luck on the injury front, which we have slowly recovered from, and we have made some adjustments to the line up as we have gone along.

Recent acquisitions Liam Stewart and Robin Kovar have both made a huge difference to the team and, in the runup to Christmas, we started to see the team’s results improve on the ice and the cohesion and unity take an upward turn off the ice.

As always we have a packed schedule between now and the end of the season, playing games every Saturday and Sunday up until the end of March when the playoffs begin.

We have an amazing group of supporters who never fail to get behind us both at home and on the road, and I’m sure they would all agree that a night out at a Lightning match is a great evening for all the family.

If you’ve never been to see us before and you’re making a New Year’s resolution this year, why not make it to attend a match sometime this season, we would love to see you and you may just find that you love it!

Thanks for reading and once again, Happy New Year to you.

To find out more about the MK Lightning team, their fixture list and all the news at the club, check out their website http://www.mk-lightning.co.uk.

This feature was published in the January 2020 issue of Celebrate:MK lifestyle magazine. Read the full magazine above or by clicking on this link.