MK Storm swept to the top of the Southern League with a momentous defeat of perennial table-toppers Guildford, and in the process served notice of their genuine league title aspirations.

No match between these sides passes without its fair share of tension, and this contest was no exception. Both sides went close in the early skirmishes, but Chris Gill in the MK goal consistently looked the most assured of the netminders. Increasingly MK took control of the puck, and after a lengthy period of pressure, Connor Goode (09:09) swept home the opening goal. MK continued to threaten, and on another day could have been five goals to the good by the break, but some excellent home netminding and a good slice of fortune kept the hosts in contention.

MK continued to press after the break, and following some clever interplay between Joe Day and Josh Nicklin, Tom Mboya (21:25) sliced through the Guildford defence to score neatly. MK continued to press and one more goal would have finished the contest, but when another MK assault broke down, the hosts equalized (24:31) from nowhere. Finally Guildford looked something like the team that have dominated the league for several seasons, and MK had to work hard to retain their advantage.

The final period was a tense and nervous affair. MK chose to defend in numbers and Guildford threw all their efforts into attack. The MK line held, but Chris Gill was under constant barrage, and although his netminding display showed huge ability under pressure, a change of tactics was clearly in order. MK took the game back into the Guildford half, and immediately their lead looked more secure. By the time the final buzzer sounded, the Guildford threat had diminished, and a famous victory was recorded.

Guildford have lost a number of their ‘superstars’ this year, and those remaining look slow in defence, and unimaginative in attack. Conversely MK can only improve on this performance with several influential players unable to ice for this fixture. This year group have to go back 6 seasons since their last victory on Surrey ice. In a fortnight they have the chance to beat them at home for the first time in their junior careers. Putting that record to the sword will stress their improvement over the the past years, but also strengthen their league championship credentials.

Connor Goode 1+0; Tom Mboya 1+0; Joe Day 0+1; Josh Nicklin 0+1
MK Shots: 27 Guildford 21
(MK N/M Gill 21/1 95.24%)
Penalties: MK 6 Guildford 14