Everyone Active Raiders captain Aaron Connolly wants redemption when they face Milton Keynes Thunder this weekend.

Sean Easton’s men welcome Thunder to the Sapphire Ice & Leisure Centre on Saturday (5.15pm) for their only fixture of the weekend as they look to bounce back from double disappointment in the National League.

The former Basingstoke Bison forward is determined to get one over Lewis Clifford’s side after falling to a 4-3 defeat in Milton Keynes on Sunday, saying: “Saturday is a day for redemption. I feel like I’ve been saying it for a while, but we really need to get on a good run of form heading into the play-offs.

“We need to win. Hockey is a confidence game and we will need that extra jump coming into the play-offs.”

Raiders will be hoping to have a number of players back in the line-up after being without top goal scorer Jake Sylvester, forward Mason Webster, and defencemen Dan Scott, Callum Wells and John Connolly last weekend.

“All being well we will have a large portion of the team back with us this weekend,” added Connolly.

“For some of these guys they’ve been off the ice a while so will need to get their legs going again this week at practice.”

The captain also revealed he told his side exactly what he made of last weekend where they lost 6-0 to his former club Basingstoke as well as the lowly Thunder.

But Connolly insists it must stay within the team and they must put in a stronger performance this weekend.

“I told the team my thoughts on Sunday and that stuff doesn’t leave the dressing room,” he laughed.

The club will be donating a share of their 50/50 raffle ticket proceeds to Ross Bowers and his family after the Thunder player suffered an horrific eye injury.

The 33-year-old was struck accidentally by a high stick from an opposing player in the match against the Raiders and Bowers has been informed that even after a number of surgeries the best he can hope for in that eye will be able to tell if a light in a room is on or off.

Only having sight in one eye, after a lifetime of good vision, will put his off-ice career in serious jeopardy and he won’t be able to work any time in the near future.