Hull Seahawks suffer NIHL National play-off heartache as Leeds Knights prepare for semi-final showdown with Milton Keynes Lightning

Their fate had already been sealed a little earlier on Sunday night when Peterborough Phantoms got the two points they required to make the semi-finals after beating Group A winners Leeds Knights 5-3 at Elland Road Ice Arena.

Hull needed a four-point weekend for themselves combined with Peterborough not taking more than a point from their double-header against Leeds.

In the end, neither materialised, meaning Leeds will take on regular season league runners-up Milton Keynes Lightning in Saturday’s second semi-final at Coventry’s SkyDome Arena, with Peterborough on earlier in the day against Swindon Wildcats, winners of Group B.

Hull were leading 2-1 after the first period and 5-4 after the second, but Telford picked up their first win of the post-season with third period strikes from David Thomson, Devon Skoleski, Harry Ferguson (2) and Edgars Landsbergs.

Johnny Corneil and Emil Svec led the charge for the Seahawks with two goals apiece, with Thomas Stubley, Lee Haywood and Bobby Chamberlain also beating Brad Day in the Telford goal.

In Leeds – on a night celebrating the last-ever appearance at the venue for centre Matt Haywood, who will retire at the end of the season - two goals from Matt Barron and a strike from Matt Bissonnette saw the Knights go in at the second intermission tied 3-3 with the Phantoms, for who Tom Norton, Cameron Hough and Jarvis Hunt were on target.

But two goals in as many minutes early in the third from Duncan Speirs and Nathan Salem proved too much for the league and cup champions to come back from, as the Phantoms were able to claim the points to secure second spot in Group A.