OF the four teams who have made it through to the NIHL National Final Four Weekend in Coventry, three can boast of lifting silverware in the past year or so.

Leeds Knights lifted the league crown and a National Cup last season, while their opponents in the first semi-final on Saturday, Sheffield Steeldogs, took the latter title from them in a thrilling two-legged final settled only in overtime last month.

Swindon Wildcats finally got their hands on the most-coveted title of the league championship last month, the second of Leeds’ titles to pass to one of their rivals in the space of just a few days.

By contrast, Hull Seahawks head to the SkyDome Arena looking to join their rivals by lifting what would be the franchise’s first-ever piece of silverware.

It should come as no surprise, therefore, that there is no lack of motivation and desire within the Seahawks camp.

Head coach Matty Davies has made no secret of how disappointed he has been at not making it to the UK second tier’s showcase finale weekend in the West Midlands over the past two seasons.

According to import forward Johnny Corneil – who on Friday it was announced has signed a deal to return for the 2026-27 season – it is a frustration shared throughout the whole organisation, not least the playing group in which he has over the last two years made himself an indispensable part of.

“It's everything,” Corneil told The Yorkshire Post. “The fans here are just incredible, the staff are incredible, the team - everybody wants it so bad.

FROM THE FRONT: Canadian forward Johnny Corneil has proved invaluable to Hull Seahawks this season, playing a huge part in their drive to reaching the Final Four weekend in Coventry. Picture: Amy Blossom/Seahawks Media.

placeholder image — FROM THE FRONT: Canadian forward Johnny Corneil has proved invaluable to Hull Seahawks this season, playing a huge part in their drive to reaching the Final Four weekend in Coventry. Picture: Amy Blossom/Seahawks Media.

“I think we look around the dressing room and truly believe we have it in the room this year.

Anything less than making it to Coventry was going to be a letdown for everybody in there, regardless of how the team had been doing in that second half (of the season).

“We deserved to be there and we truly believed it and we counted on each other to help get there.

“We knew we had it in us and we were just buying in and that's what it took to get there.”

BIG WEEKEND: Hull Seahawks' celebrate their overtime win against Leeds Knights in Group B. It was the first of three come-from-behind wins that earned Matty Davies' team a place in the Final Four Weekend. Picture: Amy Blossom/Seahawks Media

Languishing in mid-table in mid-season, the Seahawks’ pre-season hopes of being a regular season title challenger had all but evaporated, their failure to make it into the semi-finals of the NIHL National Cup adding insult to injury.

But the arrival in late January of Finnish netminder Aleksanteri Heiskanen sparked a revival in Hull’s fortunes, the 27-year-old recovering from a 6-1 debut loss at Swindon to back-stop his team to a stunning run of 15 wins from their last 16 regular season games.

It was enough to secure the team’s highest-ever finish of second as well as their highest-ever points tally of 71.

Two important markers, for sure, but ones that would mean little if it were not accompanied by making it out of the play-off group phase for the first-ever time.

UNDER PRESSURE: Johnny Corneil battles with Leeds Knights' Balint Pakozdi and Bow Neely during the recent play-off Group B clash. Picture: Amy Blossom/Seahawks Media.

Trailing Leeds 3-2 after two periods in the fourth of their group games brought the very real possibility that Hull would once again fail to advance.

But an overtime win courtesy of an Emil Svec strike saw them head into the double-header weekend against Telford Tigers with their destiny still in their own hands.

On both nights, the Seahawks had to do it the hard way, coming from behind to take four points and book their semi-final ticket against Swindon.

As satisfying as the 3-1 win in Telford undoubtedly was, Corneil insists Hull are not going to Coventry just to enjoy ‘the occasion’- and they are not there to make up the numbers.

The resilience shown down the stretch in both the league and the play-off group phase has helped instil an unwavering belief in the players.

“We just weren't going to be denied,” added Corneil, who has posted 78 points, including 32 goals in 53 league and play-off games this season. “Everybody in there wanted to go to Coventry so bad. You know, it's play-offs.

“It wasn't going to be easy, we all knew that, but how we played against Telford just shows how much we all care and how much we wanted it.

“All season long, the goal has been to get to Coventry. Obviously, a trophy is the end goal, the big picture, but you got to get there, you got to get to the party. As a club, I know Matty, Joe, they talk about it a lot, getting to Coventry.

“It's rewarding, it's good to be a part of it this weekend. We've had a great second half of the season, a strong finish this last couple of months, but it doesn't mean much if you don't get out of that group stage and get to Coventry.

“So that's the first step, we got there - but we’re just getting started.”