Lightning really has struck twice for a Coatbridge-based ice hockey team after two of their teams won league titles this month.
Lanarkshire Lightning Ice Hockey Club are celebrating after the under-12 and under-14 sides won their respective titles, and the under-12s team have even more to shout about after taking the crown with a 100 per cent record and winning the Scottish Cup to boot.
It is a huge success for the club, who play their home matches at the Time Capsule in Coatbridge and were only established in 2013.
Their 2022/23 campaign success means they have won half of the four junior league titles up for grabs, with their under-16 and under-19 team –who were competing in their inaugural season – recording mid-table finishes in their respective division.
The terrific under-12s won every match of their 16-game season to beat Fife Red Wings to the title and backed that up by defeating the same side in the Scottish Cup in Aberdeen on April 15.
The under-14s defeated Fife Phantoms to win their age group crown and club spokesman Chris McIntosh said: “The club is only 10 years old so for us to go from that and win multiple cups and get players into the GB and Scotland squads, it is a massive achievement for the amount of progress made through what is a group of volunteers at the club.
“Many of the players have gone from learning to skate to winning championships.
“A lot of the coaches are former players and are giving something back to the sport for free.
“It is huge, especially when these successful age groups have no official affiliation to a pro level club. You have the likes of Fife Flyers or Dundee Stars who have junior clubs who sit below them. To do what we’ve done is amazing.”
For more information on the club, find them on Facebook via Lanarkshire Lightning Junior Ice Hockey Club.
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