Milton Keynes Thunder preparing to strike

MILTON KEYNES, UK – After narrowly avoiding relegation last season, Milton Keynes Thunder are conducting an impressive recruitment campaign to ensure there is no repeat scenario this coming season.
 
Lewis Clifford and Darryl Morvan are two contrasting figures with a common aim. Clifford is the youthful player-coach cutting his teeth in the coaching game whilst Morvan is the old hand having coached both Streatham Redskins and Oxford City Stars at this level in the past. As a coaching team they had a tough time of it last season, mainly due to the fact they were not appointed until late in the summer. The lack of preparation told in the team’s recruitment process as the Thunder iced an inexperienced team boosted by three signings from local rivals Peterborough Islanders. Long serving netminder Mark Woolf believes it was an uphill task from the start for the team:
 
“Last season I think Cliff (Clifford) had his hands tied with what he could do with the team, as he took the coaching position very late in the summer, so had to make signings that probably didn’t turn out for the best” said Woolf. “It’s hard to get any kind of form going when you don’t have a full complement of players from week to week. Travelling to the likes of Cardiff and Invicta with nine guys is never going to end well,
 
“I’m sure this will be top of their list to remedy this season. Anyone who has worked with Daryl will know he’s a no no-nonsense guy, straight to the point, who won’t pull any punches. I can’t actually remember the last time he used my proper name and didn’t replace it with something offensive! It’s fair to say that if our performances matched the poetry that are his team talks we would be league champs by now”

 
The league championship maybe a bit of a stretch for the Thunder this season, but there is no doubt that their signings so far this summer bode well for the team. Exciting forward Ross Bowers has joined the team from parent outfit MK Lightning and he has since been joined by Jamie Line from Basingstoke Bison, Aram Todd who previously iced with Coventry ENL Blaze and Jamie Randall from Bracknell Bees. All of these players bar Todd played at a higher level than the Thunder last season and all four are capable of posing a threat in front of goal.
 
Scoring goals was clearly an issue for the Thunder as they only managed 107 goals in 36 regular season games. This may not sound too bad, but when you consider that last year’s league champions Invicta Dynamos score 272 in the same number of games, it is plain to see that the Thunder were rather goal shy.   Woolf believes that extra attacking potency is exactly what the team require and he believes that the new guys can do the business:

 
“Not only are these guys talented, but their work-rate is second to none” said Woolf. “Last season we relied too much on the juniors that played up from the under 18’s to be our ‘go-to’ guys as far as scoring is concerned. That’s not a healthy position to be in especially when the Milton Keynes hockey club as a whole prioritizes junior fixtures over seniors,
 
“We should have a good mix this year of experience and youth so that should be beneficial for everyone. You have to have the young guns pushing the old guys so everyone improves together”
 
So with the forward line looking impressive, what about the defence? The Thunder had a goal difference of minus 121 last year and took some heavy beatings, especially on the road. To combat this they have managed to persuade Paul Gore to return to the club from Oxford City Stars to add to the likes of David Coffey and Lee Featherstone who are solid campaigners at this level. Woolf has also penned a new deal with the team and is confident that he will face less rubber this coming season compared to last. With the standard of the league looking like it will improve even further this season, Woolf has certainly noticed that the quality of shots he has been facing has improved:

 
“There are some very talented guys out there that know how to put the puck away without doubt” said the 5ft 8inch stopper “But I would say that overall, guys are just playing much smarter with the puck. You can have a shooter with a rocket that can pick a corner but if he doesn’t have the smarts to go with it he`ll just end up frustrated all night”
 
The improved standard is not simply reflected in the scorers however and Woolf feels that goalies in the ENL are not recognised as perhaps they should be:
 
“I would say there are a good bunch of goalies in the league right now and the standard is as high as it’s ever been” he said. “I think there are guys in the ENL that if they were given the chance could push EPL goalies or could make great backups that get more than the odd meaningless cup game,
 
“It’s unfortunate that hockey is the way it is in this country as there are a good number of starting goalies in the ENL have greater experience and talent than guys that ride the pine in the EPL and even the Elite League”

 
Woolf himself has been highly rated in the ENL for a number of years. He has spent the majority of his career in Thunder colours aside from brief spells at Oxford and in Canada with Georgetown Raiders. Now approaching the twilight of his league hockey career, the 31 year old has no regrets that he did not step up a level more regularly and believes that looking back; he can be pleased with his time between the pipes in Milton Keynes:
 
“There is always the temptation to play at a higher level if you are lucky enough to be given the opportunity” he said. “To me the drop in playing time wouldn’t be appealing. I’m not a naturally talented guy, I didn’t play hockey until I was 17 and didn’t play in net until I was 23. So I have to keep on improving and the only way to do that is through hard work and lots of ice time. I’ve clocked nearly 5000 minutes the last two seasons and there’s not too many guys even at the EPL level can top that,
 
“I’m spoilt by the fact I get regular practice with the Lightning as well as the regular Thunder sessions, I’m not sure there are many places that could offer me that standard of training and ice time,
 
“Of course success is always something you chase and the Thunder trophy cabinet is as bare as they come, but to go elsewhere to have to achieve that would be painful considering the years I’ve put in with that club and they guys we have in the room that are now literally extended family. But never say never”
 
Woolf can rightfully claim to be part of the Milton Keynes hockey family. He supported the now defunct MK Kings as a boy and even got to play for them as a rookie, despite being in his own words “terrible”. He firmly believes that starting out as a hockey fan makes it all the more special when you play:
 
“I definitely think that being a fan first then becoming a player makes you appreciate it all the more” he smiles. “When I first pulled on a Kings jersey it was all the more special that it was an away game in Coventry when they had the likes of Hilton Ruggles and Ron Shudra in their line up,
 
“Then in future years to take part in the tenth anniversary game with Kings favourites Paddy Scott and Doug McCarthy later on was fantastic,
“Another real highlight was being part of the Lightning team that won the double. It was a great experience with an awesome bunch of guys, that team would have run through walls to beat anyone that year”
 
Now looking forward, Woolf still appreciates how lucky he is to play hockey. Netminders are often cited as being one sandwich short of a picnic, and this sentiment is something the Thunder goalie admits is often the case:
 
“Goalies deserve everything they get” he says. “I’m lucky enough to have started hockey playing as a defenseman so I like the rough aspect of hockey. I can’t stand these guys that cry and flip out about being bumped or chirped by the crowd. If they want to do that go play football”
 
“It’s all part of the game, there’s nothing better than going into Invicta when its packed to the rafters with fans waiting to jump on your every move. You have to thrive on that kind of environment; it’s what you live for as a player”
 
The Thunder are aiming to thrive as well this year and have already played a warm up game to blood some of their new signings. The visitors were the New York Imperials from the USA and in a feisty encounter the Americans ended up winning 8-3. Woolf admits his enthusiasm wasn’t too high prior to the encounter:
 
“I think the last thing anyone wants to do is play a game like that in June, but it was a good gauge for Cliff and Dave (Fairhurst) to see how the team is coming together” he said. “Imperials were not the most highly skilled team, but were smart and intense, something Thunder could really learn from going into the new season,
 
“A few of our guys took exception to some border line tactics and put them straight with a few fists flying which is always good for the guys to see, and it puts on a bit of a show for the old school hockey fans,
 
“All that is always put aside in the bar after the game so we showed their guys and supporters what a night in MK can offer, a night of good clean fun was had by all”
 
Whether any night out with an ENL hockey team can ever be described as good clean fun is debatable, however, who would question the talented and polite Mark Woolf? Certainly not Prohockeynews!
 
MK Thunder squad so far: Mark Woolf (N/M), Aram Todd (F), Paul Gore (D), Jamie Line (F), Matt Roberts (D), Keiron Goody (F), Lewis Clifford (D), Jamie Randall (F), Martyn Snape (F), David Coffey (D), Lee Featherstone (D), Ross Bowers (F), Harrison Goode (F), Connor Goode (F).
 
Contact the author: david.carr@prohockeynews.com