The Milton Keynes Thunder have been confirmed as participants in a new three-team NIHL South 1 tournament.
The Thunder recently participated in a four-team NIHL South 1 Cup, their first taste of competitive hockey for a year since the start of lockdown measures in the United Kingdom.
In the tournament, the Thunder provided valuable playing time for a number of young British players and finished third in the series with three points and a 1-4-1 record.
Now, the NIHL South and the EIHA have announced the RUGGEDSTOCK Cup, named as such for sponsorship reasons, which will see the Thunder join the Haringey Huskies and Slough Jets in action.
The Solent Devils, the winners of the recent four-team series, have opted not to continue playing in this tournament - with the remaining three teams set to play a double round-robin, with the Thunder's first game coming on Saturday 24th April against the Huskies.
While the country is beginning to slowly open back up, this tournament will not see in-person attendances, with details of online streaming coverage to be announced at a later date.
Speaking of the new series, Thunder general manager Lauren Cox commented: "All of MK Thunder are excited to play another mini-series, this one for the RUGGEDSTOCK Cup."
"The South Cup enabled us to continue the development of our young team and we’re incredibly proud of the progress they made, in particular the resilience they showed to come back from seeing Samson James’ horrific injury early in the tournament."
She concluded: "We would like to thank everyone involved in making this second series happen."
