Hull Seahawks 4 Leeds Knights 6: Comeback road win sees Knights edge closer to Coventry

Having seen two points disappear with just 13 seconds to go on home ice the previous night – the Seahawks equalising before going on to win 7-6 in overtime – the Knights looked as if they would be heading back to Elland Road from East Yorkshire on Sunday night with nothing as they trailed 4-3 with just over five minutes to go.

But two goals in as many minutes turned the game on its head, stunning the hosts who themselves had earlier staged a comeback from being 3-1 down.

As the Seahawks chased the game, pulling goalie Dmitri Zimozdra, the Knights made sure of victory when Matt Bissonnette stroked the puck home into the empty net with 62 seconds remaining.

It was a cruel blow for Hull who still have a chance of making Coventry themselves, as long as they win both their final Group A games against Telford Tigers next week.

Their progression would then also depend on how the double-header weekend between Leeds and Peterborough Phantoms goes, with the head-to-head record and then overall goal difference coming into play should teams end up tied on points.

The Seahawks went into Sunday’s rematch against Leeds on a high given the way they had taken two points so dramatically the previous night at Elland Road.

There was little to choose between the two teams early on and it was Leeds who broke the deadlock through Jordan Buesa, firing home from the right circle on the power play off Kieran Brown at 13.02.

It was a lead that didn’t last long, though, Owen Sobchak showing great skill to evade a Leeds defender before sliding the puck through Sam Gospel’s legs to level things up just under two minutes later.

The Knights went into the first break ahead though, another power play opportunity being taken, this time by Matt Barron, found alone in front by Finley Bardon with just 42 seconds of the period remaining.

Oli Endicott then doubled the lead just over three minutes into the second - tipping in from Kieran Brown for a third goal on the man advantage for the visitors - before the Seahawks made the most of a power play opportunity themselves when Sobchak doubled his tally with a bullet from the left circle at 33.24.

The Seahawks didn’t take long to level the game in the third and it was that man Sobchak once again, jamming the puck home at 44.20. Referee Daniel Ferguson initially waved the goal off with the net having come off its moorings but quickly reversed his decision to leave the game tied at 3-3.

The hosts then took the lead for the first time when Emil Svec was found by the marauding Sobchak and beat Gospel with a fierce shot from the top of the right circle at 49.47.

A four-point weekend would have put Hull in a commanding position come next week’s final two group games but Leeds were not done, Bissonnette taking time along the edge of the zone before picking his spot and firing through traffic past Zimozdra to make it 4-4 at 54.23.

There was more to come, Barron intercepting a pass out from the back by Dave Phillips, before driving into the Hull zone and laying off for Brown to fire home just over two minutes later.

Hull pulled out all the stops to get back on level terms, but could only watch as Bissonnette fired into the empty net from the neutral zone.