Thunder arrived in Gosport determined to spoil Solent’s season opener, and with both teams contesting an intense and entertaining affair it wasn’t until the final minutes of the game that the Devils managed to pull clear and keep hold of all 3 league and cup points.

Milton Keynes squad saw some changes from the team that opened the season against Oxford at home the previous week, with Theo Sire, Jared Vigar and Nathan Mead unavailable and being replaced by prospects Sam Purcell, Leland Stevens and Mikel Gomez-Ortega.

The first period started with a fast and physical tone, both teams exchanging heavy hits and looking to get an early advantage, the netminders at both ends were busy but held firm for the full 20 minutes.

Thunder came out strong after the first period break, and took the lead less than 2 minutes after the restart following good work down low by Mark Austen and Sean Reynolds who combined to provide Harry MacGarvey the chance to open his scoring account for the season from close range. Thunder held the lead for just 7 minutes, when a slashing call on Mark Austen provided Solent the chance to level things up with a well executed powerplay goal. Solent asserted home advantage for large periods following their goal, restricting Thunder to limited offensive opportunities, but when they did come they were close, Cole McCluskey stealing the puck back in the neutral zone and bringing the best from Aaron Taylor as he shot for the far corner.

Both teams went into the third period looking to win the game, and again Thunder looked strong early, moving the puck well and looking to get quick opportunities from turnovers. Sean Reynolds, who had an excellent game, hit the post just before the period’s halfway mark, before an unfortunate injury resulted in him having to leave the game. Solent, for the most part, were forced to shoot from range and Bradfield dealt with it all until a shot through traffic from Ryan Sutton clipped something in front and slipped through, just crossing the goal line and giving Solent the lead.

Thunder looked shellshocked temporarily, but it was long enough to allow Dan Lackey the chance to seal the game 30 seconds later with a well placed shot one on one with Bradfield, making it 3-1.

The young Milton Keynes team did not give up, however, pressing hard for the final 5 minutes and scaring the Solent goal a number of times. But, it was to no avail and Solent held on to take the full points allocation.

Another performance though that Thunder will take great pride in, and much improved from last season’s trips to the south coast. The team looked energetic and motivated, with plenty of positives to take forward to next weekend’s test against Chelmsford on Saturday, followed by a home game against Slough Jets on Sunday 15th.